Vicky Pattison claims she was ‘gaslit’  by doctors into thinking she was fine despite suffering stomach cramps and suicidal thoughts after medical experts failed to diagnose her severe premenstrual syndrome for five years

Vicky Pattison claims she was ‘gaslit by doctors’ for years as medical experts failed to diagnose her with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. 

Pattison has drawn attention to an alleged misdiagnosis within the NHS for women’s health care by claiming doctors told her she wasn’t ill at all despite the TV personality experiencing numerous worrying symptoms, including ‘suicidal thoughts.’ 

According to the former Geordie Shore star, she was ‘repeatedly dismissed by her doctors’ and only diagnosed correctly after turning to a private doctor as a last resort. 

Pattison, 37, who presented Vicky Pattison Investigates: Medical Misogyny on Monday’s Good Morning Britain, has now shared her thoughts on why the UK healthcare system is failing women, including herself.  

Speaking to The Sun, she said: ‘Women are so often the punching bags. At the moment, the healthcare system is telling women that their pain, suffering and debilitating conditions do not matter.’

On GMB, shocking statistics reveal as many as three in five women have experienced reproductive health issues, yet a third have had to wait over a year for a diagnosis.

Vicky Pattison has revealed she has been ‘gaslit by doctors’ for years as medical experts failed to diagnose her with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

The TV personality, 37, has shed a light on misdiagnosis within the NHS for woman’s health care as she revealed she was told by doctors that she wasn’t ill at all despite experiencing ‘suicidal thoughts’ 

Over half of them received a misdiagnosis, and 51 per cent said they had felt dismissed by a medical professional.

And Pattison knows all too well as it took five years for her to be diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder after years of being told she was overreacting and suffering anxiety, depressive moods, rage and crippling cramps.

However as her GP ‘dismissed’ her by saying she was just more ‘sensitive’ than the average woman, Pattison new something else was wrong.  

She said: ‘When I hit my 30s, my period symptoms started becoming increasingly heightened. In some of my more intense and darker moments, I had suicidal thoughts.

‘I knew what I was experiencing couldn’t be right — it was just so debilitating. But for five years, I was repeatedly dismissed by my doctors.’

She was advised by doctors that she needed ‘antidepressants’ as it was ‘psychological’ while another specialist telling the star to ‘lose weight’.

The TV personality admits that as she gets older her symptoms have worsened and she is now ‘anxious, emotional, exhausted and unrecognisable as herself’ from around 10 days before her period. 

Three years ago she turned to a private doctor, who told her she had ‘PMDD’ – a diagnosis that left her in tears of pure relief after finally being given an adequate diagnosis. 

Vicky revealed that she was ‘repeatedly dismissed by her doctors’ and only eventually was diagnosed properly after seeing a private doctor – which a lot of woman do not have the privilege of doing

Vicky said: ‘Women are so often the punching bags. At the moment, the healthcare system is telling women that their pain, suffering and debilitating conditions do not matter’

And Vicky knows all too well as it took five years for her to be diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder after years of being told she was overreacting and suffering anxiety, depressive moods, rage and crippling cramps

According to the Mind, ‘Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that significantly disrupt a person’s daily life, particularly during the week or two before menstruation. 

‘It is a hormone-related mood disorder that can include symptoms like severe mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, and physical discomfort’.

The former Geordie Shore star said diagnosis is just the first step and she is still on the quest to find treatment that works as it is ‘uncontrollable’.

Pattison credit the help of her husband Ercan Ramadan, 31, who she tied the knot with last year after seven years of dating, for understanding as it has previously ‘put a huge strain’ on their relationship. 

She has now contacted Health Secretary Wes Streeting to deliver news of GMB’s findings and wants to see education on women’s health improve in schools, get GPs more informed and give greater support to women in the workplace.

The TV star said she understands Streeting is a ‘busy man’ but she believes that ‘ignore me’ is the same as ignoring all the woman suffering in Britain and that ‘our quality of life doesn’t matter’. 

She said: ‘When I hit my 30s, my period symptoms started becoming increasingly heightened. In some of my more intense and darker moments, I had suicidal thoughts. But for five years, I was repeatedly dismissed by my doctors’

Vicky credit the help of her husband Ercan Ramadan, 31, who she tied the knot with last year after seven years of dating, for understanding as it has previously ‘put a huge strain’ on their relationship

Pattison’s admission comes after she shared a candid snap of her ‘belly hanging out’ as she revealed the reality of returning home from holiday after her getaway with Ercan.

The couple jetted off on a lavish holiday to the Maldives where she shared a slew of stunning bikini snaps.

However, Pattison also shared a more realistic behind the scenes look at her life as she posed in a slouchy T-shirt with her stomach out, wearing a £650 hair growth helmet.

She captioned the post: ‘Awwww home sweet home…. I absolutely LOVED our holiday… but how nice is getting home as well? To your comfy old clothes, your own bed and your favourite snacks?

‘Just being able to let it all hang out while in your period pants with your belly hanging out like Winnie the Pooh in the comfort of your own home is a TOP feeling isn’t it?!!

‘Also, big shout out Mother Nature for giving my my period the day I travelled home… cheers lass!’

The photo displayed quite the contrast between those shared by Pattison while on holiday, with the former I’m A Celeb winner sporting a glamorous look in a red bikini, which highlighted her stunning figure.

But she had received backlash after posting the steamy snaps, with one fan taking to the comments section writing: ‘God doesn’t she love herself’, with Vicky promptly hitting back: ‘And what gave you that impression?! Or can you just not stand to see a confident woman?’

She then shared two throwback snaps and revealed it has taken her years to get to the happy place she is at now and to ‘finally feel comfortable in my own skin’.