HEALTH

Many people with stomach problems are too embarrassed to visit a GP, a study suggests.

It found a quarter of people delay seeing a doctor and 40% of them said the reason was they were too ashamed to say what was going on, according to health campaign group Love Your Gut.

One in five said they would rather consult the internet.

Younger people were most unwilling to talk about issues but most likely to have them.

The top problems are bloating, constipation, regular abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Anton Emmanuel, medical director for Guts UK, said: “Seeking help to overcome the taboo can help get an earlier diagnosis of worrying conditions, but also help find early remedies for the commoner simple diagnoses.”

Private IVF clinics should share data with the NHS as mums and babies could be suffering undetected health problems, campaigners say.

A fertility doctor and MP have highlighted that 62% of IVF occurs in private clinics that do not need to share data with the NHS.

Studies have linked IVF to depression, colorectal cancer, borderline ovarian tumours and mental health problems.

Prof Geeta Nargund, founder of Create Fertility, and MP Siobhain McDonagh say women and babies need to be monitored.

“With no process for monitoring the health of IVF mothers and babies in the UK, we have no way of knowing the long term effects of IVF,” warned Prof Nargund.

Sitting down for two hours can significantly raise blood pressure, say scientists at Birmingham University.

Researchers tracked the movement of otherwise healthy over-70s and found blood pressure remained high even if the person exercised.

The finding may help to explain why sitting is linked with increased risk of disease, especially of the heart and circulatory system.

MARTIN BAGOT is the Mirror’s Health Correspondent