Health · Healthcare & Policy · 13 hrs ago
Some Canadian women travel to Mexico for endometriosis treatment
Noelle Menu, 37, has endometriosis, a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows elsewhere in the body and can cause severe pain.
After years of symptoms and delays in care in Canada, she and her husband travelled from Canada to Tijuana, Mexico, for private treatment at EndoGlobal.
The trip cost about $35,000, including flights, a hotel stay and other expenses, which they covered with savings and debt.
A Canadian parliamentary committee found that diagnosis takes an average of five years, with further waits for specialists and surgery.
Its report also said gender bias and taboos around menstrual health contribute to problems getting care.
Endometriosis affects one in 10 women, and lost productivity linked to the condition costs Canada's economy about $2.5 billion a year.
Menu said before her flight that she felt more hopeful about this treatment, but the account does not say what happened after she arrived.
Some Canadian women with endometriosis are travelling to Mexico for private treatment because they feel they cannot get timely care at home.
Noelle Menu, 37, and her husband went into debt and used their savings to seek treatment at EndoGlobal in Tijuana.
The trip cost about $35,000, including airfare, a multi-day hotel stay and other costs.
A parliamentary committee found that endometriosis takes an average of five years to diagnose in Canada.
The committee also found that patients can wait up to 24 months for surgery and that gender bias contributes to care problems.
- Who
- Noelle Menu and her husband, along with some other Canadian women with endometriosis.
- What
- They are travelling to Mexico for private treatment because they feel timely care is unavailable in Canada.
- When
- Menu said her pain began when she was 26; the article was published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Menu sought treatment at EndoGlobal in Tijuana, Mexico, after facing delays in Canada.
- Why
- She said she could not deal with the delays in Canada and wanted treatment for debilitating pain.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We can’t deal with it in Canada.
This disease is just debilitating for some women, and I really wish there was more awareness around it and that doctors would take us women seriously.
It’s hard to be so hopeful just because of the previous surgeries I’ve had, but I’m feeling a lot more hopeful this time.
Menu said her pain began after she stopped taking birth control while she and her husband were trying to have children.
Menu and her husband used savings and took on debt to seek private treatment at EndoGlobal in Tijuana.
- Patient
- Noelle Menu, 37
- Treatment location
- EndoGlobal, Tijuana, Mexico
- Trip cost
- About $35,000, including airfare, hotel and other costs
- Diagnosis delay
- An average of five years in Canada, according to the parliamentary committee
- Surgery wait
- Up to 24 months, according to the parliamentary committee
Sources
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