Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Something went wrong, please try again later. Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox Kate Lawler opened up on Loose Women about her prolonged health struggle that went undiagnosed for years, leaving her in "a lot of pain". The celebrity, who rose to fame as the first female winner of Big Brother UK in 2002, has since carved out a successful career in radio, with stints at Capital FM and Virgin Radio. On Monday's (28th April) episode, Jane Moore led the discussion with fellow panellists Linda Robson, Brenda Edwards, and Myleene Klass, focusing on the issue of women's healthcare not being taken seriously enough. During the conversation, Jane revealed that Kate had been diagnosed with PCS - pelvic congestion syndrome. Kate explained: "I'd never heard of it (PCS) either Jane, it's a condition that affects millions of women. The easiest way to describe it is it's hidden varicose veins in the pelvic area that become dysfunctional and that causes pain, a lot of pain.", reports the Manchester Evening News. She detailed the symptoms: "Symptoms will include pain in the pelvic area, you can also get varicose veins in the top of your thighs, if you've been standing up all day, when you're on your period, having sex. Didn't wanna do that because it would be very painful afterwards. It remains largely undiagnosed because of a lack of understanding." Kate then highlighted the broader issue: "Women's health gap is so big now... My symptoms started in December 2017, I had the worst pain in my lower groin area. I went to the doctors.." Kate recounted her ordeal, saying, "I ended up in A&E in the March because the pain was so bad. They thought I had a hernia, then appendicitis. I ended up in Greece on holiday and I thought 'something bad is happening'." After being misdiagnosed initially, Kate's condition was finally identified when she consulted a specialist for her varicose veins. She explained, "I was seeing a specialist about the varicose veins in my legs because they were causing me pain... He said we need to do a proper scan, found out I had it and I was treated for it." Following her treatment, Kate highlighted the years of unnecessary suffering she endured and called for "increased investment in research" and a "greater focus on women's health issues in the NHS". Jane Moore then disclosed that the current NHS waiting time to be seen for endometriosis stands at eight years and ten months. Myleene Klass shared her own experiences with miscarriages, criticising the healthcare system by stating, "Everyone admits that there's a problem, we're effectively treated like small men." She continued to express frustration over the lack of tailored medical research for women, adding, "They won't do clinical trials on us as women. We metabolise drugs completely differently, nobody is willing to put us the tests through because of our hormones, pregnancy etc."