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A patient at the IWK Health Centre’s endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain clinic is questioning why it operates only one day a week while the wait time to see the specialized team has grown by a third in just two years.
Maggie Archibald was accepted as a patient at the IWK several years ago, and said having proper care for her endometriosis has been life-changing.
“My health has been really good, I have a diagnosis and I have treatment, medication and support,” Archibald said.
But the Halifax woman can’t understand why access to the clinic hasn’t improved in the five years since its creation.
The IWK estimates that 15 per cent of people of reproductive age experience pelvic pain, including endometriosis, a condition in which tissue similar to that normally found inside the uterus grows outside instead. It’s often very painful and the buildup of abnormal tissue around organs in the abdomen can cause problems with pregnancy, menstruation and overall health.
The IWK declined an interview request from CBC. In a statement, it said the average wait for a first appointment after a referral to the clinic is now two years, which is six months longer than it was in 2024.
That’s worrisome for Archibald, who is part of an endometriosis support group online. She vividly remembers the crippling pain she experienced before having surgery two years ago.
“It affected my social life, sometimes work, I was really restricted in what I was able to do,” she said. “It’s frustrating and also heartbreaking when I’m reading about people trying to get a first initial appointment.”
Clinic ‘hopes to expand’ in future
The hospital said that since October 2024, it has started treating 94 patients who were on the waitlist.
“All referrals are individually reviewed and patients are triaged more urgently if circumstances dictate,” it said in the statement.
One of the criteria to be seen by the clinic is that patients must experience pain at least six days a month.
The clinic operates using a multi-disciplinary model, with two gynecologists and a nurse, physiotherapist, social worker and pain specialist, the IWK said. It said this team has other responsibilities outside the clinic.
“The E&CPP clinic currently operates within its staffing and funding capacity, though it hopes to expand in the future to provide even more people living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.”
Faith Lamoureux spoke at Province House in 2024 to push for greater access to endometriosis care in Nova Scotia. (Jean Laroche/CBC)
Archibald isn’t the first person to speak out about the demand for the clinic. In 2024, two other Nova Scotian women pushed for better access to care. But wait times have increased since then.
Archibald pointed out that the limited hours also put a strain on current patients, who have to constantly arrange their schedules around clinic days, with no flexibility.
Many, she said, have to travel. The clinic treats patients from across the Maritimes.
“Even getting a person to talk to in administration or the booking office is really a challenge. There’s some days I can’t even leave a voicemail or I don’t even get my messages returned.”
Archibald wants to put more pressure on decision-makers, especially following research by the IWK Foundation that revealed significant gaps in access to health care for women.
“Have a hard look and consider how those in pain are feeling. Try to do a bit more to help alleviate some of that wait and restriction on operational days.”
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