Dr. Carol Gerdes

Today was my fist office visit with Dr Gerdes. She delivered my daughter 9 years ago when my doctor was out of town on vacation — she was lovely then and she was even more lovely today. I felt 100% comfortable with her– she provided me with great information about vitamins I should be taking and answered all my questions. It was all around a great visit. I highly recommend her.

I am a new patient of Dr. Gerdes. I went to her for a routine exam and it was the best visit to the doctor in a long time. Dr. Gerdes took time to find out my medical history and just sat and talked with me, woman to woman. I told her I had a male OB/​GYN for years and although he was a great doctor, he did not understand my needs. Dr. Gerdes did. She changed my prescription and put me on Vitamin D3 and another vitamin. My overall health has significantly changed since my visit with her. I am so grateful that I read the Unilocal reviews before visiting her because they were spot on! She is wonderful! I feel overall rejuvenated and feel like I have a new lease on life. Gone are the aches and pains that have plagued me for years! I love her! Thank Dr. Gerdes!

As a doctor, dr gerdes was wonderful and knows what she’s doing. I’m grateful for what she has done. However, my Number one complaint was having to wait more than 45 minutes to be seen. My suggestion is to be more organized with booking appointments and leaving time going from patients to patients. I understand that things happens but not almost an hour wait !!! Time is precious and I don’t have all day to wait.

My review on Dr. Gerdes is wonderful. She is always on time and never late or has not have to reschedule on me at all. She is very personable in that she doesn’t just ask you why you are there but she takes her time to get to know you — how you are, what you’ve been doing, what you are really up to. Then, she asks why I am there. I really feel like I have a caring friend doctor. She was like this from my very first appointment. Very caring!
My beef is with the front desk girl. She is clueless re insurance. I tried to give her a co-​pay saying I have $ 25.00 but she said I don’t. I know my insurance and I have seen numerous doctors. I told her if it’s under an annual exam, I don’t have co-​pay but otherwise, I have a $ 25.00 co-​pay. She said she called my insurance and absolutely not. She was annoyed the fact that I was questioning her.
I called my insurance right in front of her and my insurance told me straight up that I have a $ 25.00 co-​pay and that if I want, she can talk to the girl in front. I asked the girl in front if she can talk to my insurance — she flat out refused! She said no. So, I hung up and said fine. Bill the insurance and you will see I have $ 25.00 co-​pay. Today, I received the $ 25.00 co-​pay bill. I don’t even feel like paying for it because I was ready and willing to pay but she said I didn’t have a co-​pay and that she spoke with my insurance company and she flat out refused to talk to my insurance in front of me.
This really bugs me to no end…

It is with great sadness that I write here today. I just got home and have a huge migraine after my dealings with insurance. I was reduced to tears today. I’m not feeling well and I know I need urgent medical attention. I called your office today and reintroduced myself since I just moved back. I had been a patient for many years and you delivered both of my children. I was told I could be seen but only with my medical card in hand. There was an issue with my insurance and despite me switching over a month ago my cards are not here and the website won’t print them. Blue Shield tried to convince your office to accept an affidavit from them showing I am covered but your office said you won’t accept it. I needed you today, I am very scared and now I have to go see the ER at great time and expense. I gave Blue Shield an earful for placing me in this situation but your office really broke me.
It’s 12:30pm now and I’m still in the ER waiting… my appointment with you would have been at 10:15am. All I have to do is sit and think about how I am sitting here due to your office.

One word to describe Dr. Gerdis, Awesome! She delivered all three of my babies. Childbirth is no joke so if your experience was painful don’t blame it on the Doctor. It hurts like hell!

I was very sad to learn that Dr Gerdes is semi retired and no longer delivering. She did a wonderful job with my son almost two years ago.
I’m honestly very surprised and shocked to hear these negative reviews because my experience with her was nothing but warmth and understanding.
–There were several times they rescheduled my appointment the day before or morning of – the reason is she always delivers the babies herself. All of them, unless she’s on vacation which never happened during my pregnancy.
–She listened to all my concerns. I have sciatica. She made sure I was put on leave when I was too big to work. When I had cramping and spotting she made sure I got an ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay. She was always extra careful and showed concern with everything I said.
–My delivery was very hard. My abdominal wall split and my epi didn’t work, so I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t push (stomach muscles collapsed). She was very encouraging and patient, even though I was panicky and scared.
–She visited me the two days I was in the hospital to check on my recovery. She was very sweet and asked how I was feeling, checking my stomach and telling me what to do.
–Her staff was always very friendly to me and my little girl, giving out stickers and snacks. One time I was stuck on the table because my back started spasming, and her nurse practitioner came in to assist me.
I’m so sad that she won’t be delivering my next child. This will be my third and I really hoped it would be with her again. But for a woman who has been dedicated and delivered all the babies herself, it doesn’t matter that she had to reschedule a few times. I wish she wasn’t retiring from delivering, but I will never forget how she helped me thru my difficult delivery. Thank u Dr. Gerdes.

Dr Gerdes is the BEST! She made me feel safe and at ease for my first surgery ever… a hysterectomy. Her skill, expertise, grace and kindness exceeded my expectations. Also her wonderful office staff was always so helpful and friendly. Thanks so Lindsey for helping me with all the disability paperwork! I would give this dr and her team 10 stars!

The doctor was late, which made me late by 45 min. I took time off of work and it was a 10 min drive from my office. Based on the reviews she has a problem with being on time… hopefully it’s because she is at the hospital delivering babies and not because she is untimely. She was nice enough, but not my cup of tea. She listened to my host of problems… but after telling her I was over treated with antibiotics for most of my adult life due to UTI and a host of other female problems… she still preceded to put me on antibiotics. Do doctors understand the implications of prescribing women antibiotics for years and how it plays havoc– not to mention yeast infections and GI issues??? Nope… guess they still want the quick and easy fix. Why not find out if something more serious is going on? So here I am again, bladder discomfort, bloating, pain with urination… for years I am having these issues. I thought Dr. Gerdes would be different, NOPE. More antibiotics and for what? My UTI will be back in a matter of days (once I finish the prescribed dosage) just like all the other antibiotics I have taken for «infections.» Hopeless. As long as patients are treated like a text book of treatment workflows… pts will never feel listened to or addressed for their specific issues/​needs/​wants/​desires.

Dear Dr. Gerdes,
Hi. Remember me? I was the woman that wanted a natural, drug free birth. I wanted to birth in any position I chose and wanted intermittent monitoring. You said «Yes, of course. I support that.»
I trusted you.
It was strange when you asked me if I wanted to induce at 37 weeks. Then at 38 weeks, and again at 39. I kept saying «No thank you, I want to do this naturally.»
I trusted you.
My water broke and I went to the hospital. When you ordered pitocin, I wanted to make sure that was the right decision for me. When you ordered an internal monitor, I wanted to make sure that was the right decision for me.
You said «This is not negotiable.»
It is MY body. It is MY choice. Not yours, Dr. Gerdes. How dare you attempt to tell me that my body is not my own.
I went into labor and was progressing quick. I was on my knees, and the baby started to come. I was pushing her out, and then you came into the room.
You said «Get on your back.» We protested, my husband and I, but you repeated «Just get on your back. And stop screaming so loud.»
The nurses were too scared of your domineering attitude to advocate for me.
I was pushing. I was pushing with all of my might, and what did you say? «You’re not pushing hard enough. You’re not pushing at all. Stop screaming so loud. Close your mouth and push harder.»
This was a natural birth. I’m not sure if you know this, but women scream during natural birth. A lot. It’s necessary and impossible to stop.
I have never been so humiliated, felt so betrayed, been so furious, than at that moment. It was the most vulnerable moment of my life. What could have been a beautiful birth experience was ruined by your arrogance and lack of sympathy.
Yes, I reported your behavior to the hospital, to my friends, to anyone I could.
The cherry on top? Not once, did you say «You’re doing a good job, mama.»
Perhaps try reading this article…

Pros — I really like Dr. Gerdes. I thought her to be informative and nice. I felt very comfortable with her.
Cons — this is a big con. I have just moved here from the East coast and am new to my job which is over an hour away. I have had 3 appts with Dr. Gerdes and each appt has been rescheduled the morning of. They have tried to cancel and have me make another appt but I have been adamant because I have taken days off. This, to me, is unacceptable. To reschedule the day of in three separate incidents is unprofessional. In case of emergency is one thing but to have it done every single time is a blatant disrespect to my schedule. As much as I like her I will be looking for another Dr. Recommendations are welcome.

For 17 years Dr Gerdes has been taking care of me delivered my son 13 years ago and has always been caring and amazing.
Her assistants have too been wonderful, caring always quick to handling what ever situation has come about.
17 years later and I’m still in the best hands.

I made an appointment and took time off work. I showed up a bit early to fill out any paperwork, since I had not been there in a while. When I arrived, the receptionist told me the doctor was not in. Hello? No courtesy phone call to let me know?
She said she was very sorry. Well, so was I. No one can pay back the time I took off from work for nothing.
The least someone could have done was call me to let me know. No excuses! Poor office management.

Long story short, the doctor was a no show with out any warning. Details:
I scheduled a second opinion with her for a serious health matter that requires surgery. They book me 4 months out, that’s the soonest they say. I wait patiently for these four months. They called me and left a message reminding me of my appointment. I get to my appointment anxiously early only to be greeted by an empty office, it’s ok, I’m early. Maybe they’re on break or something, I’ll wait. 10 minutes later a nice young lady comes to the dark lit closed off area window, opens it and asks across the table into the waiting room, «can I help you». I inform her I have an appointment. She looks me up and says oh yea the doctor had an emergency surgery and had to cancel. She normally doesn’t work later but she’s willing to come back for you. We tried to call you but we don’t have your number on record… So if you still want to see her you can wait another hour. They have my number but what ever. I’ve waited for months, sure I can wait another hour. I just want to get this scary but very important appointment over with so I can take care of my health. It’s like a ticking time bomb, the more I wait the worse it can get. She takes my info and processes it while I fill out forms. After all of that she says, oh we can’t see you. Your insurance changed. After going back and forth about what I can do ultimately I tell her it narrows down to, «so you guys won’t be seeing me and I came here for nothing». She nods yes. Thank you Dr. gerdes and staff for wasting my time and being careless with my health.

Dr. Gerdes was my doctor through my first pregnancy and she was AWESOME! Her bedside manner is so sweet and she was always willing to listen to my first-​time pregnant concerns without any judgement. The delivery was fantastic! And I can tell you that it was so easy and stress free because of Dr. Gerdes. I just recently switched insurance and had to get a new doctor and after visiting her, realize how really special Dr. Gerdes is!
Her staff is also wonderful too and has gone above and beyond for me during my time with them.

I was looking for a gynecologist and I found Dr. Gerdes through my insurance company’s website. I wish I had read these Unilocal reviews first.
I had been experiencing some concerning women’s health symptoms and explained my situation to Dr. Gerdes. I did not feel like she took my concerns seriously, and she also spoke to me in a judgmental tone. Her demeanor did not make me feel like she cared about my health or was listening to my concerns. Because of the symptoms I was having, I asked for a particular test to be done. She seemed to disagree that I needed the test, but scheduled it for me anyway. When I showed up for my appointment to have the test done, she told me that she had decided against it — but didn’t tell me this beforehand! She wanted to do a Pap instead, so I went ahead and followed her advice. Two weeks after the Pap, I still hadn’t heard back from her office about any results. I called the office, and was told by an unfriendly person that they mail out cards to your residence about the results. I waited and waited for a card in the mail, which never came. I called the office back again (three weeks after the Pap test), and the receptionist told me that my Pap results were «NOT NORMAL.»
Understandably, I was very scared and was shocked that no one thought they should call me about these results! I asked why no one called me to let me know, and she said that she would «leave a note» for Dr. Gerdes to call me back. About an hour later, I called the office again to stress that I would like Dr. Gerdes to call me back about my abnormal Pap results. A different office assistant said she was looking in my chart and that my Pap results were actually NORMAL. I was floored. Why would anyone tell me over the phone that I had an abnormal Pap, if my results were normal? I was nearly in tears at this point. I again stressed that I needed Dr. Gerdes to return my call and clear up the confusion. She never did. I am absolutely horrified at this place.
Why would a doctor never return a patient’s call, especially after a screw-​up like that? This is an extremely unethical and disorganized practice, with apparently poorly-​trained employees giving out inaccurate sensitive information over the phone. I’ve never had such an awful medical experience before.

I wanted to update my review with additional information. At my UCSF postpartum checkup, I got my discharge papers and the notes on my delivery. I was upset to see that Dr Gerdes outright LIED and claimed that we had decided to find a new doctor. What pregnant woman would want to look for a new doctor at 37weeks and risk the health of her babies?
That’s just unethical — I’m really disappointed that doctors like this exist. If I had suspected that this could ever happen, I would’ve tape recorded the conversation. WATCH OUT FOR HER — SHE HAS NO MORALS.

My wife and I wanted to choose an OB close to home, on Alameda. Having read the reviews, we interviewed Dr. Gerdes during which she assured us that she had plenty of experience with twin births and that she would work closely with us when it came to delivery.
The short of this review is that Dr. Gerdes abandoned us at 37weeks with twins — essentially at term. We had started having issues such as uncontrollable itching at 34weeks and had called her to ask her advice a few times. Dr. Gerdes didn’t call us back but told the nurse we should try benadryl then zyrtec. Neither worked and at our next appointment, she told us we should’ve called and we should be tested for cholestasis.
We were concerned about these communication issues and when we brought it up, she suggested out of the blue that we should seek another doctor. This was at our regular appointment, just 5 days away from a scheduled c-​section at Alta Bates. She handed us our medical notes (already printed and in an envelope) and left us with no referral. When we asked if it would be difficult to find another doctor so late on, she said no, people move doctors all the time!
It is however very difficult, and some practices say dangerous, to move doctors this late in pregnancy, especially with no support. The stress this caused to my wife and family was beyond compare. We would hate for anyone else to have to endure this and for such reckless behaviour to endanger anyone else’s health.
Clearly Dr. Gerdes is both unethical and unprofessional. We have not yet decided what further action to take as we are enjoying our healthy twins — delivered vaginally at UCSF, who stepped into the breach and admitted my wife for induction at 38weeks, due to cholestasis.

I wanted to wait until I gave birth to my son to post this.
After my horrible experience at Alameda family Physicians, I was in search for a new doctor. I was just afraid to get a horrible doctor. To my surprise, I was so lucky.
I called right away in hopes to squeeze in an appointment. The front desk was so nice and walked me through what I needed to do before coming in for my appointment the very next day.
When I came to their office, I was greeted with a friendly voice who was helping me on the phone the whole time. She knew right away who I was and what I was trying to do.
I got to meet Dr. Gerdes. Her voice just put me at ease. It was like she knew what I was going through as a first time mother. She asked if I had any questions. She looked deep into my files and knew something was not right. She ordered to have lots of test and work done on me to make sure that my baby was healthy and that I was healthy. I felt that Dr. Gerdes cared about me and my baby to have all these extra lab work done.
I brought up the rash that I had and she knew that it was pregnant related and that all those medications that the previous doctor was no good. She referred me to a dermatologist to get it checked out. Dr. Gerdes felt that it might be possible that it might affect the baby, she had me going to do a non stress test twice a week where they monitor the baby’s heart beat. The rash is doing a lot better now after the birth of my son.
THE BIRTH PART!!!
My water broke and I called the office and was directed to go to get checked out at the hospital. I was admitted soon after. I wanted a natural birth with no drugs or anything. But I couldn’t have been more wrong or way off. Dr. Gerdes understood what I wanted and respected it. She wanted the same thing for me. When the time came, I wasn’t dilated enough and so I had to make a decision. For my baby’s health, I had to get an emergency C-​section and get drugs for that. My son’s heart rate dropped drastically and that Dr. Gerdes and the nurses had to move quick. I didn’t know what was going on but I knew I was in good hands. In tears and fear, I gotten the C-​section and my baby was in my husbands arms in what felt like just minutes.
Dr. Gerdes comforted me and soothed me. She then came to see me every day when I was in the hospital for the week. She wasn’t able to come one day but Dr. Butt came in her place. When I came home, Dr. Gerdes even called me personally to check up on me.
I don’t know about you but I gotta say that Dr. Gerdes and her whole office goes that extra mile for you. You can’t say that about many doctors out there. I’m going to hold onto this great doctor.

Although I was at first turned off by seeing a nurse practitioner on many of my visits, I actually found her very knowledgeable, personable, and great all around!
I found the office waits to be abnormally long (up to an hour in the waiting room!!!), and that Dr. Gerdes was always in a rush to get me out once I did finally see her.
But I was most disappointed with my delivery. I had made it clear that I wanted as natural a delivery as possible, and although I may get the epidural, I wanted no other drugs. I went into labor in the evening, so it was pretty late when they paged Dr. Gerdes. She seemed impatient and ready to leave, and even though I was progressing pretty rapidly (only in active labor for a few hours at this point!) she ordered pitocin to «speed things along.» I wish I had been in the state of mind to argue, but I just let them give me drugs I DID NOT NEED. It made no sense to give me pitocin when I was dilating and contracting very quickly, and this was my third child.
I will never go back.