Endometriosis: Cork woman sought surgery in Romania after ‘barriers’ faced in Ireland

It is estimated that 155,000 women are affected by endometriosis in Ireland. With March being the awareness month for the condition, Manon Gilbart meets some of the people battling it

Brenda Quigg at her home in Fermoy, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

EACH year, between 100 and 150 Irish women are forced to travel abroad for endometriosis surgery in Romania, campaigners say, as the condition “is not taken seriously in Ireland”.

Faced with long waiting times to get a diagnosis and a lack of funding and research in the area, endometriosis sufferers across the country have been turning to treatment options overseas.

At the Bucharest Endometriosis Center in Romania, many say they have found answers from a multidisciplinary team of health professionals who specialise in the treatment of endometriosis and adenomyosis.

One such woman is Brenda Quigg, from Fermoy, who is now five months post-op. In Romania, she underwent a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with adenomyosis — and an excision surgery for endometriosis.

In October 2023, she was told that she had adenomyosis, a condition where the lining of the womb starts growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb, and causes very heavy periods, among other things.

When she asked her gynaecologist in Ireland about having a hysterectomoy, the answer was not the one she would have liked to hear. After getting an MRI, she was told she also had what appeared to be endometriosis lesions.

“My gyno just wouldn’t because of my age and she thought I might change my mind about having more children, which is baffling,” Brenda said. “I had arguments with her. I’m 39, I’ve got two children, I’m happy to be finished, but she wasn’t listening. Because my gynaecologist was already creating a barrier for me in what I wanted surgically, I knew she wasn’t going to be the right person for me. I just knew she wasn’t going to listen to me.”

This article is part of a series on endometriosis. Read more below:

‘My body was ripping itself apart from inside out’: Limerick woman recalls her endometriosis journey;

Kerry woman fearing medical negligence 'ready to put in a formal complaint';

Woman told pregnancy would help her symptoms;

Comment: Ireland's healthcare system doesn't listen to endometriosis patients.

After doing a bit of research, she found out women were going abroad for treatment, seeking answers from specialists.

“My gynaecologist actually said to me: ‘I can’t help you.’ It wasn’t her area of expertise. She did say that she could refer me to other gynaecologists, but you’re talking another year’s wait, at least, and I wasn’t prepared to wait. It’s a progressive disease, so I figured the sooner I get what I need done, the better.

“There is no specialist in Ireland, that’s the thing, and we do not have a highly skilled endometriosis excision specialist. We have gynaecologists who are performing these procedures, but they do not have the skills like the surgeon that I went to see in Romania who has a multidisciplinary team.”

Often, endometriosis is treated as a gynaecological issue, branded a “period” disease by some, when in reality, it is a chronic inflammatory condition.

“It’s an all body disease, it wasn’t just my uterus that was the problem. It was my bowels, my bladder, it’s so much more,” Brenda said.

According to Brenda, the condition is still “not taken seriously” as there is a “massive lack of education around it”.

Brenda Quigg at her home in Fermoy, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

She said it was only while researching the condition online that she realised it was not only a gynaecological issue, but could also be linked to other organs.

“I said to my gynaecologist: ‘The only cure for adenomyosis is a hysterectomy.’ That’s the only cure,” said Brenda. “I understand there’s band-aid options if you still want to have your fertility, but I knew I was done with having children. Me and my husband had made that decision long before that. She completely dismissed me. She was like: ‘No, you’re too young and you might change your mind about having children.’

“I was like: ‘Where’s the body autonomy?’ I felt very upset by that.”

Speaking of her experience in Romania, Brenda admitted it’s a “tough journey”, but one she ultimately found worth it: “I had to leave my family behind. I had two young kids who are five and three, and my husband, so he stayed here with them because they needed normal routine. I think that was the hardest thing for me is just not having my support that I wanted around me during such a major surgery.”

Brenda is hard of hearing and has to wear hearing aids, an aspect that made her experience “very scary at times”. However, the medical staff at the Bucharest facility made her feel at ease: “The doctors were incredible. They look at you in the eyes and say your pain is real, I never had that here.

“I remember just being really anxious and the surgeon, Dr Mitroi, was just so lovely and reassured me that I wasn’t crazy.”

Brenda said she didn’t have to wait long to get the results of her MRI scans, which the doctor talked her through: “It’s so efficient. I highly recommend that to everyone. Even if you could just get that done, then you can look at surgery, figure out your options.”

When she told the Romanian surgeon about wanting a hysterectomy, she was told “it made sense” due to her condition — seeing as she already had children.

“That was the best course of action,” she said. “And then I had excision of endometriosis, which was found on my ovaries, my uterus, and my bowels were stuck together.”

Brenda said she was lucky everything went according to plan, and she was home 10 days after the surgery: “I’ve had no pain since. It’s such a unique pain. I’ve had two natural births with my kids, and I’d rather go through that than go through endometriosis again.”

Describing the pain she experienced, she recalled: “It’s like somebody is consistently stabbing you." 

I would just be bent over in pain, and I am somebody who has a high pain tolerance. This absolutely knocked me.

Like many women in Ireland, Brenda availed of treatment abroad under the Cross Border Healthcare Directive. The HSE may cover some of the medical costs, but other costs aren’t reimbursed under the initiative — such as travel, accommodation, and other expenses.

“You have to have the money upfront,” Brenda said. “I am very fortunate that I happened to be saving a deposit for a mortgage and I had money on the side to do this, so I was able to get over quickly.”

Overall, Brenda said she spent an average of €10,000. 

“It cost me about six and a half grand for the medical fees themselves. I got my medical fees reimbursed by the HSE. I opted to go in September because it would be cheaper travel and accommodation wise, versus in the summertime at the height of the season, I made it work for me to lower the cost.”

After suspecting she had endometriosis for years, Emma White, from Dublin, will be travelling to Romania this April.

“I’ve had painful periods since the age of 15 and they progressively got worse over the years. I get severe back and lower stomach pain, a lot of bloating and digestion problems,” Emma explained.

Emma has decided to go to Romania after being left with “no answers in Ireland”.

“The pain is now debilitating and I’ve had to go out sick from work and I can’t live like this anymore,” she said.