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

Natiya Renniewent through years of intense pain before she was even diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis. Treatment in Canadawould have meant more years of agony.

So after being told she would have towait about a year for a consultation with an Ottawa specialist and then possibly two morefor 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 hopethat 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 growingoutside 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 herpain 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.

'I just couldn't wait that long'

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

Her family doctor referred herto aspecialist in Ottawa, but Rennie said the wait time was about a year before the initial consultation, followed by await 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.

"[It] isn't without its risks, but I did leave the country to have my surgery, and I'm so glad I did," Rennie said.

After an extensive research, she travelled to Romania for the procedure.

Before she left, she made sure she had a gynecologist here at home who would follow her recovery after the surgery.

"I probably wouldn't have gone had I not had somebody in Canada to continue to follow me, because things come up, complications develop, and so I was glad that she was open to that."

'It's just gotten better ever since'

Although there's no guarantee her endometriosis won't come back, Rennie said having the surgery has helped with her pain.

Both her endometriosis and the surgery left her with decreased fertility, though.

"About the same time as I got diagnosed was when I got married and started trying to have a family, so we've been struggling with that," she said of the last three years.

They're working with a clinic in New Brunswick to explore in-vitro fertilization, but she has what's called "diminished ovarian reserve,"making the proceduremore difficult.

"That said, I'm hopeful."

More specialists needed here athome

If there were more specialists here in Canada, Rennie said she would have had the surgery closer to home.

"I hope that improves over the years," she said. "And that's going to improve with awareness."

Rennie spoke about her experiences last year at the Endo Network's Run to End Endo,a fundraising event that raises money for educational resources and support programs for people living with endometriosis.

She'll also be at this year's run, which takes place this Sunday, and she's looking forward to meeting othersliving withthe condition.

"A lot of the time, it's not something that people go around sharing too openly... so it's nice to be surrounded by people who understand what you've gone through."