Jenny Powell has slammed the healthcare system after suffering in silence for years, and she says it is time that women’s health should be taken more seriously. This comes after the TV presenter underwent a life-changing hysterectomy last October after suffering with crippling symptoms for years.
At the age of 56, Jenny visited a range of doctors in hopes of finding a way of managing her symptoms, which included constipation, heavy bleeding and pelvic congestion. After many visits, the Wheel of Fortune host was finally told that her uterus had grown to the size associated with a 16-week pregnant woman.
From this diagnosis, she opted to get a robotic hysterectomy. This procedure involves a surgeon inserting thin telescopes and surgical instruments into the abdomen through small cuts. These are used to remove the womb, cervix and optionally the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Since the surgery, the Loose Women panellist has said that one of the biggest lessons she has learnt is that women’s health needs to be placed much higher on the healthcare systems agenda, reports the Mirror.
She said: “I eventually had an MRI and they told me that my uterus was the size as if I was about 16 weeks pregnant. I had fibroids, adenomyosis and full-on pelvic congestion. It was so big it was pressing on my intestines, on my bladder, on my kidneys. It’s only looking back – now that it’s gone – that I think, ‘Wow.’
“And that’s why I put it all out there. Those of us in our fifties are the first sort of all-singing, all-dancing generation because we’re working, we’re keeping fit, we’re looking after our parents, our children, and we haven’t got time, so we just think, ‘I can live with that.’ But what we think is acceptable just isn’t.”
As the NHS waiting lists in her local area were around five years long, Jenny opted to go private with her operation. She says she felt incredibly fortunate to be able to make that choice after years of her symptoms becoming increasingly worse.
Jenny’s symptoms had a major impact on every aspect of her life, including her time with her fiancé Martin Lowe and her two daughters, Constance (24) and Pollyanna (16), from her previous marriage. She recalls that they tried to book family holidays around her periods, and the symptoms also impacted her work life.
She explained: “I had terrible bleeding, really bad, to the point where I was changing four times a day and in a job like mine, that isn’t good. I was a bit of a joke at yoga because I was always the one with the mat by the door so I could go to the loo about three times in an hour-long class.
“There was also a heavy congested feeling and I was always quite constipated. It’s been really bad over the past two years. And I just got used to it. It bemuses me why women’s health in this regard is so neglected.”
Since the surgery, Jenny has been sharing her experience and recovery in hopes of helping others. She has also filmed Q&A sessions with her gynaecologist to help spread the word. She says: “Since that day I’ve been inundated with messages from women who are suffering.
“So my gynaecologist and I have found ourselves in this community that’s been created. It’s lovely, but it is a whole other job now!”