Sofya Tsyganovskaya, M.D.

I’m very thankful that I chose Dr. Sofya as my OBGYN. She has successfully delivered both my baby boys and I’m forever thankful to her for allowing me to choose the way I want to execute my pregnancy and my deliveries. She of course gave me the pros and cons but ultimately let me have it my way. She comes from a European standard of doctoring and for some that may be harsh and or blunt, but to me, it was exactly what I was looking for. I want a Dr. to tell me how it is and not beat around the bush. With my first son, I labored for over 20 hours. I freaked out that I would end up with a c-​section. After Dr. Sofya successfully delivered him vaginally, I said OMG I thought I was going to end up with a c-​section! and she exclaimed in the past 9 months, have I ever doubted you?! so happy to report, nope, I had my first vaginal delivery. My second son was transverse (sideways) during my 36 week ultrasound. I of course was worried that I would end up with a c-​section come delivery time. She calmed my nerves and let me know I still have time and the baby will flip. He did flip and come delivery, she calmly and smoothly delivered my 7.5 lb baby boy! Thank you Dr. Sofya.

If they make a movie starring a super hero Ob/​Gyn, Dr. Sofya should be the lead. She is nothing short of amazing. The Madonna of the baby delivery world, people may not be able to pronounce her last name, but that doesn’t matter. She has flawlessly delivered both of my two stubborn babies neither of which wanted to come out without a fight. When things got tricky, (one had the cord around his neck and the other was literally holding on) she never once let it show on her face and without pause stepped up and did what it took to get them out safely. Leading up to the births, she never lets you worry about the ‘what ifs.’ I put my full confidence in her and she batted it outta the park. Also she is not one of those docs that will just give you a c-​section because it’s the easier decision, she was totally on my side and together we were determined to only go that route if absolutely necessary. I literally trusted her with my first and second born and would highly recommend her to everyone.

I don’t usually write reviews but after giving birth to my daughter a few weeks ago, I have a huge amount of gratitude for Dr. Sofya and her entire office staff as well as the amazing nurses at St. Joes. To be honest, it took me a few visits to be entirely comfortable with Dr. Sofya but after an abnormal test result at the beginning of my pregnancy, she was on the phone immediately to me and told me exactly what I needed to do. Ten months later, we have an incredibly healthy baby girl. She was willing to work with our wishes to have a doula present at the birth and both she and all the nurses at St. Joes were willing to work with our birth plan. Of course, things never go as planned so I ended up with an epidural and pitocin but she was willing to let me try «my way» until it was clear that my way (laboring naturally) wasn’t working anymore. That being said, she was really patient and let us discuss it with her before any intervention was started. It hit me later that her concern as a doctor is a healthy mom and a healthy baby and thanks to her, we were. She might not be the doctor you chat about the weather with, but she really is great at her job. She always took the time to listen to concerns or questions I had. It was clear that the staff at St. Joes is fond of her, too. After weekly visits to her office by the end of my pregnancy, I kind of miss the place! William, Lily, Anita and the rest of the staff are incredibly kind and compassionate. I saw Dr. Pearson once, the doctor she shares the practice with, and he was great as well.

Dr. Sofya not only delivered both of my babies, she also took amazing care of me during both pregnancies and I am forever grateful for that. My first tried to make an early exit and Dr. Sofya was wonderful to keep me calm and assured me that everything would be just fine, and it was. Under her care both of my children went full term, thanks to bed rest, both arriving during week 40. She is nurturing, very approachable and keeps it real for you when she has to do so. She is always available for questions I’ve had and made sure to take great precautions with my second child due to the first giving us that pre-​term labor scare. I continue to see her for my annual exams and it makes you feel good that she remembers who you are AND your kids’ names — even my mom she remembers because my mom took care of me on bed rest. That sort of attention to detail is going above and beyond if you ask me. You are not just another patient with a number on your back here, you become like friends and family with this doctor. It really meant a lot to my husband and I. Thank you Dr Sofya!!! You’re the best!

I saw Dr Sofya last May and my experience was very unpleasant. I set the appointment with Dr Sofya because I thought I would feel more comfortable with a woman– wrong. She did a breast exam and checked my uterus. I was 19 at the time and she explained that I needed to do a Pap smear. I explained to her that I was practicing abstinence and that I didn’t think a Pap smear was necessary at least until the age of 21 (As I’ve done my research). She got some what impatient and threw the sterile cup away abruptly. Dr Sofya then blatantly asked me «are you sure you practice abstinence?»… WOW. How tasteless and unprofessional of you Dr Sofya. I’m not quite sure What she was implying but it was extremely disrespectful. After, she then began to examine my uterus/​vaginal area and was very rough. Months later I went with my mother for her Pap smear and Dr Pearson stressed that 21 is a suitable age for a Pap smear when practicing abstinence. I don’t think anyone should have to endure this uncomfortable situation and I highly recommend setting an appointment with Dr. Pearson who is in the same office. He’s a professional giant teddy bear who will not make false insinuations about your «sex life».

I had a great experience with Dr. Sofya. Her staff is very friendly and helpful. I was induced; St Joseph’s maternity staff and Dr Sofya managed the whole process very well. My labor was quick and the recovery was great! The ultrasound machine is old, that’s the only thing I wish they could improve

Dr Sofya delivered my son two months ago and I was very happy with the entire experience. We didn’t always see eye to eye during the prenatal visits like when we decided not do genetic testing or take prenatal vitamins (I drank green juice daily and ate really healthy instead) but when it came down to the delivery Dr Sofya was absolutely wonderful. I arrived at the hospital at 3pm on a Monday and my son was born 10am Tuesday, during that time Dr Sofya visited us 3 times and was completely available anytime we needed her. Most importantly though, was the praise she received from the hospital staff anytime her name was mentioned… It really reassured us we were in great hands and that the hospital staff had a lot of respect for her. Dr Sofya also did the circumcision which was I was really nervous about but after speaking with the RNs they assured us that she does a wonderful job and makes it a priority to keep baby comfortable — our son slept through the entire procedure and everything healed perfectly.

Dr. Sofya is awful. She is uncommunicative when it comes to questions. She is curt and cold when it comes to concerns. Her office’s technology is at least one decade out of date.
But hey, maybe those are just a matter of personality. What makes Dr. Sofya awful is the fact that she punctured my wife’s uterus during an unnecessary surgery — a surgery that SHE kept pitching — and then tried to avoid admitting responsibility for her mistake. My wife had a miscarriage and when the fetus didn’t pass naturally, my wife turned to Dr. Sofya for help. Rather than prescribe a pill to get rid of it — which is what doctors who are actually practicing today’s modern medicine do — Dr. Sofya pushed and pushed for it to be removed via surgery. She promised an in-​and-​out procedure. But that’s when Dr. Sofya — who swore up and down how easy it was — punctured my wife’s uterus. Another doctor had to come in and fix her mistake, and my wife had to stay at the hospital for 36 horus. After it happened, Dr. Sofya also did everything she could to talk around what happened and avoid telling me it was her fault.
Living in the greater Los Angeles area, we thankfully have lots of options for doctors. So whatever you do, DO NOT go with Dr. Sofya. She is not deserving of your business or anyone else’s.

Dr. Sofya delivered both of my daughter’s, she is Amazing! I’m now expecting my 3^rd child and was sad she doesn’t accept my insurance, but I highly recommend her to anyone who’s expecting.

When I was in terrible pain with a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst, Dr. Pearson was out of the office. He assured me that «Dr. Sofia can handle this beautifully» and I was admitted through the ER. I was so out of it from pain and pain meds that I was taking voice memos on my phone to review with my husband when he could visit. I assumed that I must have remembered things wrong until I listened to my consult with Dr. Sofia later.
Let me be clear, I don’t understand WHY she did what she did. By best guess is that it was a paperwork issue so I could switch to Dr. Friedman, who had operated on me in 2011.
She came to see me in my room. She asked basic background questions. Then she told me she wanted to perform a hysterectomy. She wanted to take out my uterus because I had an ovarian cyst?
I asked for a consult with Dr. Friedman. Now keep in mind, at this point I honestly thought, in all the pain I was in, that I might fall asleep on the Dilaudid and wake up without a uterus, I was terrified and in excruciating pain.
When Dr. Friedman’s assistant came for the consult, she had Dr. Sofia’s notes in front of her. Dr. Sofia reported that I have «excessive bleeding with periods» as an indication that I needed a hysterectomy.
But I answered no to that question when Dr. Sofia asked, so she wrote the wrong answer down on purpose. Then she recommended the wrong procedure.
The whole thing still makes so little sense that it’s taken me a long time to write this review. I still have a voice memo on my phone that makes no sense to me. Dr. Friedman removed my cyst and referred me to a pain specialist and a gastroenterologist, both of which were very helpful.

Dr. Sofya is as good as it gets and her support staff are great as well! After going to Dr. Sofya for 2 years as my regular gynecologist I became pregnant with my first child. Dr. Sofya was amazing with myself and my husband as first time parents. She was honest, caring and just what we needed as we began this new chapter of our lives. On our last office visit of our pregnancy we learned that our very large baby was not showing any signs of coming out and the fluid was getting low. After exploring several options we opted for an early morning C-​Section the next day. I had never even considered that we might have a C-​Section, and I was quite nervous. However Dr. Sofya and Dr. Pearson along with the amazing Staff at St. Joseph’s hospital made my delivery easy! We had our little bundle of joy and our fears were put to rest with the professionalism and grace that Dr. Sofya provides. She is an amazing woman and a GREAT doctor.

After reading the great reviews and a friend’s recommendation, I made an appointment with Dr. Sofya when I found out I was pregnant. Our first two appointments were good, but when she told me I was having a miscarriage – she said it was best to go natural and let it happen. I agreed, but a few weeks later, nothing happened, so I asked her if there was a pill I could take to help induce the miscarriage (as a friend had done). She replied, «I don’t believe in that pill.»
(If you want a full account of what it was like working with her, you can read my BuzzFeed personal essay about my experience with her:
So we scheduled a D&C at St. Josephs. I woke up from the procedure and found out that Dr. Sofya had accidentally punctured my uterus! I had to stay in the hospital overnight unexpectedly and they put me in the maternity ward where nurses asked me where my baby was and congratulated me on becoming a mother. Needless to say, it was a terrible experience.
The head of OBGYN at St. Josephs had to take over my surgery when Dr. Sofya punctured my uterus, and I never got the D&C because they couldn’t suction me when I had a hole at the top of my uterus.
Dr. Sofya gave me her cell phone number to call with any questions, but when I called her a few days later while recovering from her botched surgery, she was pushing me to come into her office so she could explain in more detail what happened. I refused. Our conversation did not go well because she didn’t listen to me and demanded to know if I was depressed because I told her that this whole experience was traumatic for me. Her words: «I need to know if you’re depressed. You should be taking antidepressants then.»
After this awful phone call, I made an appointment with my primary care doctor who was very shocked by all of this and helped me make a new appointment quickly with a new OBGYN.
Her office staff and nurse are very nice. But I’m also perplexed that there’s only one ultrasound machine in her office when there are two OBGYNS practicing. Which makes for crazy wait times when you’re pregnant. After seeing a new OBGYN, I finally saw what new ultrasound machine looks like. Dr. Sofya’s ultrasound machine looks something out of the 80s.

She is a good doctor. She is soft spoken and listen to her patient with patience. The one star is missing because sometime she is not very explanatory of a given situation.

Several years ago, I visited Dr. Sofia when I became very ill with a condition that MIGHT be solved with a complete hysterectomy. It was a decision that I did not take lightly. Dr. Sofia guided me through what could have been a very terrifying process with care and intelligence and warmth. I have never regretted the decision to go forward with this surgery as it improved my quality of life in ways I couldn’t imagine before.
Since then, Dr. Sofia has been my ob/​gyn (10 years later) and I couldn’t ask for a more caring and skilled physician.

Now that I have given birth to my son, I need to update. Dr. Sofya truly is an amazing, kind, caring, skilled doctor. I couldn’t have asked for a better birth experience under her care. Thanks to the amazing staff at St. Joe’s and Dr. Sofya, I realize now I never really needed to be scared about giving birth. The staff at the office is phenomenal especially Maureen and William. As long as I live in Los Angeles I will be seeing Dr. Sofya as my OBGYN.

Love Love Dr Sofya
She was my doctor while I was living in Burbank. She took care of me in the beginning of my pregnancy before I moved out of state. Her office runs really tight. Always busy, and the people that work there are really nice and helpful.
Any phone conversations I had with the front desk to schedule appointments were always easy and pleasant.
I reduced by 1 star because it is a small office which was always crowded every time I went there, and there was usually a little bit of a wait.
If you are looking for a wonderful doctor who is honest and to the point I would def recommend Dr Sofya.

My wife and I love Dr. Sofya! She delivered both of our children. After the birth of our first child, our family moved some 40 minutes away from Dr. Sofya’s office, but we so value her skill and expertise that when we became pregnant again, we decided to drive the distance to benefit from her care. Dr. Sofya combined empathy and compassion with appropriate assertiveness to address the ever-​evolving circumstances and complexity of each of my wife’s pregnancies. Moreover, Dr. Sofya individualized her treatment with genuine sensitivity to me and my wife’s deeply held beliefs and convictions. My wife is a principled, determined, strong woman, such that when the complexion of her pregnancies changed (as they do), Dr. Sofya’s assertiveness and straight-​talk proved instrumental in convincing us to change course in order to safeguard the health of both of our babies and my wife. For this we are truly grateful. We are home now, with our 2^nd child, newborn as of Tuesday 4÷2÷14 under the deft care, skill, and authentic compassion of Dr. Sofya.
— Steven Monroe, MA, MFTi Marriage and Family Therapist

If you are insured under Covered California please heed my warning. I set up an appointment via the phone with someone from Dr. Sofya’s office. I told them I was covered by Blue Shield (PPO). I told them I got it through Obamacare. Mind you, I shouldn’t even have to tell them that last bit. Anyway, the appointment was made.
After waiting, filling out papers and finally seeing the doctor — everything stopped. Dr. Sofya informed me that my provider did not give me the correct information. That they do not accept Obamacare and that if she had gone through with the visit I would be charged. I didn’t know any better then — but I do now.
After speaking to my provider they informed me that although doctors can deny taking in people covered under Covered California — it is a PERSONAL choice and nothing else.
What was the lie? If she had gone through with the visit, my insurance would have covered me.
So this was either about politics or greed but it was definitely not about saving me money.
It is bad business to use scare tactics to get people who are covered under a provider you don’t like to go away. The truth would have sufficed.

IF YOU WANT A NATURAL CHILD BIRTH, SHES NOT FOR YOU.
Dr Sofya gets 1 star bc her front desk staff is wonderful.
I went to this office just before I became pregnant for routine check ups which were fine, however, when I became pregnant there were many red flags I now see.
The first red flag that should have sent me running was when I let her know that I would be having a doula during my labor and her words exactly were «oh, your going to have someone hang out with you?» I thought it was an unusual comment but gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Fast forward to my 41^st week check:
That day I was weighed in (gained weight, of course) and the babies heart rate was checked neither of these showed the baby or I were in distress. After checking the babies heart rate she said she didn’t feel comfortable that I was 41 weeks and wanted to check my fluids. She checked my fluids in 4 places (I know she could have taken more time and looked at more) and told me my fluids were below a 4 which if that were true is very bad. She wanted to induce me that night, this was devastating for natural plan. I went with my gut and my gut told me she was wrong and I wanted a second opinion. In her office she tried to sway myself and my husband by scaring us. She said that we could have a stillborn if we didn’t induce and that I should listen to her bc she is a medical professional. I told her I needed 24 hours to think about it which irritated her. Keep me in mind I’m pregnant, crying my eyes out and she’s arguing with me.
I came home and made an appointment for a second opinion for the next morning. Dr Grady’s office was very helpful in squeezing me in.
I took it easy that night and got in as much oxytocin (labor inducing hormone) as possible. It sounds crazy but I believe watching comedy all night (laughing releases oxytocin) did the trick bc I went into labor that night!!!
I labored at home like how I wanted and got to the hospital at 8 cm. I know I was that far along bc I had a midwife check me. I wish I could have stayed with that midwife. Remember that part about my «water being dangerously low» well that wasn’t true bc when my water broke it literally made a crazy loud popping sound and made a splash, it was everywhere not to mention when the midwife checked me I had a bulging bag which also reveals that my water was indeed abundant.
The other thing I didn’t like was when I wanted to squat for pushing and Dr Sofya said that on my back with my knees out is better. Thats not true when you apply the rules of gravity but at that point I didn’t have enough energy to argue with her.
It was also annoying when she wanted to give me an episiotomy bc the «baby would come faster and I was tearing» (everyone tears, its natural) and then the catheter to release urine after the baby was born, I could have just peed by myself.
FYI, due to the catheter I got 2 UTI’s (not to mention she prescribed the wrongs med’s the first time) and now due to the episiotomy, 5 months later, I have scar tissue that has made sex impossible.
Needless to say I have a new doctor.
I don’t like leaving nasty reviews and as a person Dr Sofya is kind but as a doctor she disappointed me ALOT.

I had a 2:45 appointment but didn’t see the doctor for at least 45 minutes.
You can hear the nurses ask personal health questions in the hallways, which concerned me as well.
The doctor is polite and professional, but there appears to be some way they overbook and stagger patients. I guess I should be thankful I was able to see a female OBGYN within 2 weeks of making an appointment, as a new patient.