Canadian Women Travel to Mexico for Endometriosis Surgery Amid Long Wait Times

Canadian Patients Seek Tijuana Endometriosis Surgery Amid Long Domestic Wait Times

Noelle Menu spent $35,000 of her own savings and went into debt to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, for Stage 4 endometriosis surgery after Canadian health-care delays left her facing a 30- to 40-month wait to see a specialist, CBC News reported. Menu, a 37-year-old supply-chain systems adviser from Calgary, said the condition was destroying her life while she navigated years of misdiagnoses, emergency room visits, and a prior hysterectomy.

The procedure took place at EndoGlobal, a specialized treatment center where about 30 Canadian women were receiving care during the same week. The journey highlights growing concerns over access to gynecological care in Canada, where a parliamentary committee report released in November 2025 found that the country does a poor job providing care for a condition affecting one in 10 women.

Parliamentary Report Highlights Systemic Gaps and Gender Bias

The House of Commons health committee report revealed that it takes an average of five years to secure an endometriosis diagnosis in Canada, with some patients waiting up to 20 years. Once diagnosed, patients face additional wait times of six to 18 months to see a specialist and up to 24 months for surgery.

Dr. Nicholas Leyland, president of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, stated that gender bias plays a significant role in these delays.

The parliamentary report’s top recommendation called on Ottawa to develop a national action plan to address barriers to awareness, diagnosis, and treatment. In response, the federal government stated that Statistics Canada has been gathering data on conditions like endometriosis through a survey running from September 28 through January 15, 2027. Additionally, the Canadian Institute of Health Research invested $4.9 million in endometriosis research between 2020 and 2025.

Patients Share Decades of Pain and Cancer Scares

For Vanessa Papiernik, a 42-year-old veterinarian in Victoria, the path to a diagnosis took approximately 30 years and involved a cancer scare. Papiernik suffered through nine months of debilitating pain before securing a colonoscopy that revealed a mass. Fearing a malignancy due to her family history, she waited two weeks for biopsy results, which ultimately showed that endometriosis had infiltrated her colon layers.

Faced with a one-year wait to see a specialist in Vancouver and an additional year for surgery, Papiernik booked a procedure at EndoGlobal in Tijuana alongside Menu. Dr. Jorge Zavala, a founder of EndoGlobal, explained that a general lack of awareness among doctors contributes to lengthy diagnostic delays, noting that physicians cannot diagnose a condition if they are not trained to identify it.

Days before her surgery in Mexico, doctors discovered that Menu had a large mass threatening to block her bowels and risk septic shock, placing her weeks away from emergency surgery. Following her procedure, Menu recovered on a ward where most of her fellow patients were also Canadian women seeking private care abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions About Endometriosis Care in Canada

What is endometriosis and why is it difficult to diagnose?

Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing severe inflammation, scarring, and pain. It is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms often mimic other conditions, and reported pain levels do not always correlate with detectable tissue growth.

How much did Canadian patients pay for private treatment in Mexico?

Noelle Menu paid about $35,000, which covered airfare, a multi-day hotel stay, and surgical costs at EndoGlobal in Tijuana, funded through her savings and debt.

What federal actions are currently underway in Canada regarding the condition?

The Canadian government pointed to a Statistics Canada data-collection initiative running through January 15, 2027, and noted that the Canadian Institute of Health Research invested $4.9 million in endometriosis research between 2020 and 2025.

More on this story: Women in Ireland Waiting Over 14 Years for Endometriosis Diagnosis, Survey Reveals