P.E.I. woman who had endometriosis surgery in Romania wants more local treatment options

Natiya Rennie went through years of intense pain before she was even diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis. Treatment in Canada would have meant more years of agony.

So after being told she would have to wait about a year for a consultation with an Ottawa specialist — and then possibly two more for surgery — the P.E.I. woman opted to seek an operation in Romania at her own expense.

Now she's telling her story in the hope that others who suffer from the condition will recognize the signs. "I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2021, I believe it was. Prior to that, I had pain for probably seven to 10 years," Rennie said.

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus starts growing outside of it instead. That can cause significant mid-body pain, as well as fertility issues.

According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis affects around one in 10 people with uteruses.

Rennie said her pain started when she first began menstruating, but she didn't realize it was endometriosis.

"I had quite a lot of cramps," she said. "Seeing other girls my age and talking with them, it seemed like it was more than the average person."

She went to her doctor, who prescribed pain medication, and went on with her life.

"It wasn't until a year or two leading up to my diagnosis [that] the pain really ramped up," she said. "I was having pain not only during my menstrual cycle, but for the majority of the month."

That's when she went to her doctor again, and he sent her for imaging.

When Rennie went in for an MRI, doctors finally realized what was causing her pain. They found a "grapefruit-sized" cyst caused by endometriosis. 

Her family doctor referred her to a specialist in Ottawa, but Rennie said the wait time was about a year before the initial consultation, followed by a wait of nearly two years for surgery.

"Some of that was slowed down because of COVID times. They were still playing a bit of catch-up and having trouble with [operating room] times, but I just couldn't wait that long," she said.

She ended up looking into medical tourism — the practice of travelling abroad for treatment, whether it's to skip surgery waiting lists or to access therapies that aren't approved in Canada.