Nurse ‘forced’ to leave Canada for endometriosis treatment over lack of help
Global News had heard from dozens of women across Canada about the struggle to access care for endometriosis, several of whom are now seeking or have sought help outside of Canada. This is Part 1 of a three-part series on why women are choosing to leave their own country for medical help. Part 2 will be posted on Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Part 3 will be posted on Friday, Sept. 6.
As a nurse, Jennifer Todd is no stranger to navigating the health-care system, but after more than 20 years with debilitating pain, she made the difficult and costly decision to leave Canada for treatment.
In March, the 37-year-old travelled from her home in Kelowna, B.C., to a specialized clinic in Mexico to seek treatment for her endometriosis.
The nurse is just one of many women with endometriosis who are looking at treatment options outside of Canada due to a lack of qualified doctors and long wait times for help.
After having to take a leave from her job at the end of 2023 when the condition became too much to manage, Todd says she could not wait any longer, so she and her husband started exploring options outside of Canada.
“I just couldn’t function. I basically had 10 good days a month — debilitating cramps, headaches, fatigue, ongoing nausea — it was a lot. I felt at that stage I had so much taken from me and it just infiltrated all areas of my life,” Todd recalls.
Endometriosis is a debilitating chronic condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus implants abnormally outside of the uterus to form lesions, cysts, nodules and other growths. When left untreated, the condition can spread to other organs, causes obstructions and flares up each month during menstruation.
Despite feeling immense pain since she started
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