Why the rise of private women's health clinics raises questions for Endometriosis care
A Quick Disclaimer
First things first: this is not a post about blaming patients. If you’re living with pain and you find care faster through a private clinic you’re doing what the healthcare system has failed to provide. People in pain deserve care and when wait times stretch into months or years, many are left with few options.
This is also not about blaming healthcare providers. Most clinicians are working within overwhelmed systems, limited resources, staffing shortages and impossible wait lists. Many providers care deeply about their patients and are doing the best they can within a system that often makes delivering ideal care extremely difficult.
This article is simply a reflection on a larger question: What happens when access to women’s healthcare increasingly depends on the ability to pay?
The growth of private women's health clinics
Recently, I have noticed the rapid expansion of private women’s health clinics and membership based healthcare services, particularly in menopause care.These clinics are often marketed as solutions to gaps in the public healthcare system. For many patients, they provide faster appointments, more time with providers and access to specialized expertise.
At first glance… that sounds positive.
However, I worry about what this trend could mean for other areas including endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain and other complex health conditions that predominantly affect women and an unmeasured number of gender-diverse individuals.
The uncomfortable question is this: Are we truly improving access to care or are we simply changing who gets access?
Because when access becomes linked to income, healthcare begins to shift from a universal service to a tiered system. If you can pay = you get seen. If you cannot pay = you wait.
That isn’t necessarily an expansion of care… it’s a form of healthcare stratification (putting something into classes or categories).
Canada is entering a new era of endometriosis care
There is reason for optimism. Canada is currently entering what could be a transformative period for endometriosis care.
The newest clinical practice guidelines from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) represent meaningful progress. They emphasize:
- Earlier diagnosis of endometriosis
- Consistent evidence based treatment approaches
- Shared decision making between patients and providers
- Improved access to specialized care
- Development of endometriosis centres of excellence
- Recognition of excision surgery as a preferred treatment approach in appropriate cases
These recommendations reflect years of work by patient advocates, researchers, clinicians and organizations across Canada and around the world. For many people living with endometriosis, these changes represent long awaited recognition that their symptoms, experiences and quality of life matter.
Guidelines alone do not improve patient outcomes.
While new guidelines are important, guidelines alone do not improve outcomes.
It is the healthcare systems that improve outcomes. Funding improves outcomes. Access improves outcomes, too.
A recommendation on paper does not mean much if patients cannot access the services needed to implement it. The reality is that many Canadians with suspected endometriosis still face years long delays to diagnosis, long surgical wait lists (due to funding operating rooms and that it still being categorized as an elective surgery), limited access to expert imaging (limited clinics prividng it, due to lack of education and skill) and significant barriers to multidisciplinary care.
If we want the new guidelines to become reality, we need meaningful investment in publicly funded pelvic healthcare. That means:
- Training more healthcare providers in endometriosis care
- Expanding publicly funded centres of excellence
- Building multidisciplinary teams that include pain specialists, physiotherapists, mental health professionals and experts in multidisciplines like Gastro, Urology and OBGYN with a fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery + years of experience
- Improving access to advanced imaging
- Reducing wait times for consultations and surgery
- Ensuring equitable access regardless of income, geography, or postal code
Without these investments even the best of guidelines risk becoming aspirations rather than realities.
Understanding system constraints while putting patients first
I also understand the realities facing healthcare providers and healthcare systems. So many clinicians are working under a lot of pressure. Appointment times are short, administrative burdens are growing and skilled specialist shortages are real. Funding limitations affect nearly every aspect of care delivery.
Healthcare workers did not create these challenges and many are advocating for change themselves. On June 4, 2026, I attended a rally with the Ontario Health Coalition, standing alongside people from across Ontario who are on the front lines advocating for a stronger public healthcare system and opposing the privatization of healthcare services. It was inspiring to be part of such a large and passionate group of individuals who understand the real challenges and constraints facing our healthcare system and are committed to fighting for meaningful change.
Recognizing these constraints matters. But patient centred care must remain the foundation of every healthcare decision. System limitations may explain why barriers exist but they should never be used to justify them.
Patients should not be expected to lower their expectations because the system is struggling due to lack of government prioirty to healthcare. They should not have to accept years of untreated pain, delayed diagnoses or inaccessible care as normal. A truly patient centred approach asks a simple question:
What does the patient need to achieve the best possible outcome?
The answer should guide healthcare policy, resource allocation and system planning. The goal cannot only be managing shortages. The goal must be making sure people receive the care they need when they need it.
Why the normalization of private women’s healthcare concerns me
As private pay women’s health services become more and more normalized we risk accepting the idea that women’s healthcare is something that must be purchased rather than something that should be available through a strong provincial public healthcare system.
There are broader implications as well. The growth of private healthcare can:
- Widen existing healthcare inequities
- Reduce pressure on governments to invest in public services
- Create different standards of care based on ability to pay
- Potentially draw specialized expertise away from the public system
Private clinics may help some individuals access care faster. But they are not a substitute for a comprehensive, publicly funded endometriosis strategy.
The debate is often framed as: “Should private clinics exist?” I think the more important question is: “What happens to a public healthcare system when specialized care becomes increasingly pay to access?” Because once we begin accepting that “at least private options exist,” we risk stopping the conversation about why public care remains insufficient in the first place.
A critical moment for public healthcare and endometriosis care in Canada
We are at a turning point. Endometriosis is finally receiving greater recognition. Public awareness is growing. Advocacy efforts are gaining momentum. The next step is ensuring these advances translate into meaningful improvements for patients.
The decisions governments make now will shape the future of endometriosis care in Canada for years to come.
We do not need a healthcare system where access depends on income. We need a healthcare system where evidence-based guidelines become reality for everyone. Where timely diagnosis is available regardless of postal code. Where specialized care is accessible regardless of financial circumstances. And where no one is forced to choose between living with pain and paying for care.
Final Thoughts
This is simply my personal perspective. I am not suggesting that private or pay to access endometriosis clinics are inevitable, nor am I trying to create fear around the future of women’s healthcare in Canada.
I simply believe this is an important conversation worth having.
As awareness of endometriosis continues to grow, we have an opportunity to build a healthcare system that reflects the values of equity, accessibility and patient centred care.
The question is whether policy makers will choose to make that investment.
But meaningful change doesn’t happen through policy decisions alone. Patients, families, healthcare providers and advocates all have a role to play. If improving endometriosis and pelvic healthcare matters to you, consider contacting your local MPP, sharing your experiences, supporting advocacy organizations initiatives or signing petitions that call for better access to care.
Current Federal Petitions (As of June 12, 2026):
- e-6929 (26557 signatures) – Initiated by Laura Cairns from Cambridge, Ontario. Supported by:
Elizabeth May, Green Party Caucus, British Columbia
Last day to sign: July 8, 2026, at 4:40 p.m. (EDT) - e-7415 (2167 signatures) – Initiated by Heather Kuntz from Regina, Saskatchewan
Support by:
Warren Steinley, Conservative Caucus, Saskatchewan
Last day to sign: August 6, 2026, at 2:05 p.m. (EDT) - e-7496 (71 signatures) -Initiated by Violeta Kondovski from Whitby, Ontario.
Supported by:
Elizabeth May, Green Party Caucus, British Columbia
Last day to sign: October 8, 2026, at 3:49 p.m. (EDT)
In my personal opinion, having multiple petitions asking for the same thing might actually dilute momentum rather than strengthen it. I think there’s more power in rallying behind one strong, unified petition to support EndoActs initiatives, with a solid number of signatures behind it, so the message is clearer and more impactful when it reaches decision makers. And then a provincial petition for each province to help back of the Federal Action Plan.
Current Provincial Petitions (As of June 12, 2026):
At the provincial level, the process is different. Unfortunately, provincial petitions still require in-person signatures with blue ink. For this reason, in-person mobilization remains essential. Please print copies of the petitions attached below.
Ontario:
Endometriosis Provincial Ontario Action Plan Petition – Initiated by Michelle Withers (that’s me!) and Lesley Stoyan – Toronto, Ontario.
Supported by:
Kristen Wong-Tam, NDP Caucus, Ontario
There are plans in the works for a provincial Rally Day in Ontario in March 2027 (date TBD) to help gather signatures and raise awareness.
Last day to sign: Bring signatures to rally in person or mail back to us 1 week before the endometriosis Queen’s park rally in March 2027 – date TBD
The goal: BOXES of thousands of petitions brought and placed in front of Doug Ford and his team.
If you are interested in becoming a petition champion, helping collect signatures or support local advocacy efforts please contact Michelle Withers and Lesley Stoyan at support@advocatewell.ca for more information.
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Together as a community, coordinated federal action and strong provincial advocacy can help move endometriosis care from awareness into real system change.
Collective voices have helped bring endometriosis into the national conversation. They can also help make sure that awareness translates into action.
The future of endometriosis care in Canada is not predetermined. The decisions we make today(both as individuals and as community) will help shape what care looks like in the future in Canada.
