Stanley Friedell, MD – Northwestern Women’s Health Associates SC

I only have good things to say about Dr. Friedell. I was referred to him by another gynocologist who thought that my abdominal pain might be caused by adhesions from past surgeries, and since fixing this would require surgery, she needed to send me to a surgical OBGYN.
When I went to go see Dr. Friedell he took the time to listen to my entire health history, and preformed the necessary tests to rule out other possibly explantations for my pain (blood tests, ultra sounds, CT scan), before resulting to surgery. With each test he made sure to call me himself to tell me the results, and eventually he discussed with me the next and final step which would be an exploratory laparoscopy to look for, what he thought, might be adhesions and endometriosis.
He was able to get me in pretty short notice for the surgery, and leading up to the procedure was there to answer any and all questions that I had. Throughout the entire process I felt very listened to and assured that he was going to do what ever it took to figure out what was going on, which is so comforting when you are trying to figure out what is causing pain and discomfort.
The day of the surgery Dr. Friedell came in to talk my husband and I through the procedure step by step, and before I knew it I was waking up to Dr. Friedell telling me that they had indeed found scar tissues and endo, and he had removed it all.
I am 7 days post op — just had my stitches removed (btw these incisions are so much smaller than the other laparoscopic procedures I have had done!!) and am feeling 100% better. Even 3 days after my surgery I was up and moving around amazed at how little surgical pain I had, and I attribute that to Dr. Friedell’s work.
Dr. Friedell is someone I would recommend again and again, definitely top notch service!

As you can see, I don’t write many reviews but if this can help any woman out there who is dealing with a fibroid and need an exceptional doctor on their side…
On my first visit, Dr. Friedell diagnosed me with a fibroid the size of a grapefruit. I was shocked. I think he knew I had a massive fibroid just from his thorough 30 minutes of «getting to know you and your past health» conversation we had in his office. I thought I was just getting that «pooch» in the belly bc of my age. I appreciated the health history rundown because he is looking at the big picture. What other doctor takes so much time to learn about their patients in a meaningful way? I spent 4 hours there the first visit taking tests, ultrasounds, etc. Before this, I didn’t even know what a fibroid was. He took the time to explain it, all my options and what he believed the best treatment plan would be for me as a 39 year old woman who wants to have their first child in the next year. He is thoughtful, real, and easy to talk with. He is also very frank with his questions and answers which was highly important to me. There was no trying to «sell» me on options that weren’t in my best interest (insert my second opinion doctor located in Lincoln Park who ‘specialized in fibroids’. Nice guy, but just trying to book a procedure. Didn’t really care about my ability to have children after the outcome.).
So, now on to surgery with Dr. Friedell. After reading too many articles on the internet about fibroids, I wasn’t confident if I should go with a laparoscopic procedure or myomectomy. Dr. Friedell called me one evening after he was able to get my surgery scheduled almost a month earlier because of my personal timing and helped me to go through (again) the pros and cons of each procedure option. At 9pm, he was SO PATIENT with me. After we hung up, we had our strategy and I felt 100% confident. About a month later, Dr. Friedell performed my myomectomy at Northwestern flawlessly. His clinical expertise is exceptional. He sewed me up BY HAND because he said it would be more ideal to carry a future pregnancy. I told this to a family member who is a clinician and she was blown away. She said doctors don’t do this anymore. When he told me about his surgical work, he was glowing at the positive outcome! I don’t know who was more excited, me or him. :) He would stop in my recovery room early in the morning before his other surgeries started to check on my status. He was always happy to answer any questions or concerns I had. He made a difficult time run smoothly and stress free.
Now 3 months post-​op I am feeling fabulous and am having a successful recovery. During the 3 month period, Dr. Friedell and his office remained engaged during my follow up post-​op visits and made sure I was on the best route to healing as possible. I even came in on the Thursday before labor day as I got an unexpected low grade fever. The staff got me in to see him that day and even out of his medical coat on his way out the door to enjoy the weekend, he took the time to make sure I was ok and that this fever wouldn’t mean I was going to have a problem over the holiday weekend. He even took the time to introduce the on call doctor personally and gave her all of my clinical information first hand because he wanted her to know my case in case something happened to me and he wasn’t there.
I am so grateful for Dr. Friedell. Not only for his expert clinical experience, but also for his caring and honest demeanor (he has a fun sense of humor too). He will be my doctor going forward. And also, I totally appreciate his candor regarding fertility at age 39. He helped me to clarify some other fertility visits I had in the past couple years with other doctors to get a sense of «where I stood». He is a solution oriented professional. When I get pregnant, he will most certainly be my doctor.

I got pregnant in October, and was directed to another hospital/​OBGYN group because of insurance. I was 38 years old at the time. Thankfully I only had 3 appointments with them — during which time I was constantly terrorized with «high risk pregnancy» mantras, and swayed towards tub birth.
Enter Dr. Friedell. Our first appointment (my husband came with) was almost an hour long, during which time Dr. Friedell took a thorough medical history, reviewed my tests, and referred me for other tests needed. I also explained the kind of birth I wanted — no tubs, no chanting but a hospital room with lots of epidural!
He was amazing! He explained everything, looked at my tests, and concluded that the only reason I was being scared by my last Dr. was my age, and further reassured me that I was healthy, and just because I was 38 I would be fine. He also assured me that I would have the type of birth I wanted, unless something unexpected came up. Most of all he assured me that I was in capable hands!
And I WAS! I had a great pregnancy! Every time I had a question, I would call Dr. Friedell, and true to the other reviews, he called back in the evenings and even on the weekend.
My labor was great!
Even though Dr. Friedell was not on call, he showed up at 5:00 a.m., and I had my baby by 9:40! He knew how terrified I was of labor, and he was amazing! He was funny, honest and extremely professional! My baby was born in 26 minutes, and we were all cheering for Dr. Friedell’s skills. I joke with my husband that I could do this 10 times again if Dr. Friedell is the one to guide me through it and deliver the baby.
By the way — he also circumcised our little boy — and did an amazing job!

I have been a patient of Dr. Friedell for the duration of my pregnancy and I’ve had a great experience with him. I definitely hope he can deliver my next baby, if I should have one.
I was referred to Dr. Friedell by my regular gynecologist when she suspected that I could be having a miscarriage (which would be my second in a row). Dr. Friedell fit me in for an appointment the same day, which is very unusual for any practice, and ended up guiding me through a successful pregnancy that ended with the birth of my son about a month and a half ago. Dr. Friedell has a fine demeanor but he does not sugarcoat anything. Some people may be used to a more sweet approach from their doctor, but I really appreciated Dr. Friedell’s approach. I knew that he would always give me his frank opinion and that if he told me not to worry about something, I could rely on his opinion. It definitely helped that Dr. Friedell is extremely thorough and really knows his stuff. Dr. Friedell is also more responsive than any doctor I’ve ever had. He reads laboratory results and returns calls in the evenings and on weekends. I’ve never had a quicker response time for rest results or questions than I experienced from Dr. Friedell. I definitely always felt that Dr. Friedell was concerned about and would go above and beyond for his patients.
As some people have noted, there can be quite a wait to see Dr. Friedell. However, this is due to Dr. Friedell spending quite a bit of time with each patient in the office and having to run to the hospital for deliveries and other procedures. Dr. Friedell never made me feel rushed at appointments and I felt comfortable asking questions. When I had my son, he stopped by the hospital several times and stayed with me once my water broke. To manage the effects of any delay, I usually checked in with the office about an hour before my appointment to find out if Dr. Friedell was running behind, and if he was I would come in a bit later.

Great doctor. He takes his time to get to know you, answer your questions, and really understand what it is you need. He very much wants to provide quality care, and definitely does that. His follow up is amazing– he called me at home at 9pm to check on me after I saw him. Nice man, interesting personality– in a good way. He is honest, caring, and really a great doctor.

Dr. Friedell is an amazing doctor in many ways. This is long overdue but a few years ago my other doctor felt a fibroid tumor during a routine physical exam. Dr Friedell went out of his way to fit me in to a late hour appointment for an exam and consultation. He spent a lot of time explaining options and procedures. In the end we decided to try laparoscopy even though the fibroid was very large. He did tell me he may have to go with the incision if it was too big during the surgery. He performed the surgery with laparoscopy even though it took at least twice as long. It was important to him and to me that the recovery period was much shorter and very close to painless. He is an expert in his field and highly skilled. I came out with 3 very small incisions that are barely noticeable. His passion about his work is obvious. He is caring and compassionate. Even my husband was thrilled with his update and explanations after the surgery. I can’t say enough good things about him. He is committed to spending time with you and along with explaining things in simple terms is friendly and easy going. In the end I’m not sure if he or I was more excited about the laparoscopic success.
As a follow-​up he counseled me on options for hormone therapies. I felt like I had a say in which path to follow based on his advice.
I can’t say enough good things about him and I would highly recommend him to any woman. My only regret is that it took so long to write this.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Friedell’s for about 15 years. Two months ago he delivered my first child. Dr. Friedell is an exceptional health care practitioner. Over the years, he was always attentive and always clearly communicated results of test and/​or procedures. My husband and I started our infertility plan with Friedell a couple years ago, and again, he was clear and direct and always compassionate about our particular situation.
He referred me to a fantastic fertility doctor and after becoming pregnant, Friedell took over my pregnancy and labor. My labor and delivery were perfect because I had him as my doctor. We had a couple hiccups along the way, but he continued to be supportive and didn’t leave our room (even though he had patients waiting) until my son was delivered.
An hour after my delivery, I was asked by a nurse how it went and if I thought I would be back. I would deliver a baby every 9 months if I knew Friedell would be there!
The only issue I ever had was about the office was that he’s always running behind. After going through a delivery, I understand why. He sticks by your side and works through any issues in the delivery room. He doesn’t tag out and let another doctor take over. I’ll wait patiently going forward, because there may be another mom and baby he’s helping out.

After spending the winter in Florida and me being pregnant, my husband and I decided that it was best to move back to Chicago. Prior to our return I received a referral of two doctors from a close friend of mine, and after some online research I decided to go with a very capable man named Dr. Friedell. After making initial contact with him I faxed him my medical records and I was pleasantly surprised how quickly we were contacted by Dr. Friedell to let us know that we would now be under his care upon my return to Chicago. As I was already at thirty-​one weeks in my pregnancy, one can imagine my relief at receiving this phone call. From this moment we knew that we were in good hands. It was very reassuring indeed.
From the beginning my pregnancy went very smoothly. And then at 36 weeks we discovered that our baby was breech. I had hoped all along to avoid giving birth by Caesarean Section unless of course it was completely necessary. Luckily Dr. Friedell was on hand to explain and walk us through all the options that were available to us.
Through careful consideration and from examination of Dr. Friedell’s previous success rate in dealing with similar situations to ours we decided to go with his recommendation, a procedure called an External Cephalic Version. I’m glad we did.
It was a complete success. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Friedell for his sound advice.
Even on the night of my daughter’s delivery, and when my labor progressed very quickly indeed, there was no guarantee that Dr. Friedell would be there in attendance but he made it with plenty of time to spare to deliver her safely.
Hands down this was a wonderful experience with a very capable competent and caring doctor. Due to the diligence and professionalism displayed by Dr. Friedell I highly recommend him.

Dr. Friedell was my OB, and we were very happy with the whole experience. He’s everything that a good doctor should be — professional and competent. I thought that his office staff were great too — courteous and professional. My husband and I would ask for him again for sure!

Dr. Friedell delivered both of our children and we had such a smooth and pleasant experience both times. Dr. Friedell and all of the other doctors and nurses at his office were extremely kind, professional and flexible during the pregnancies and deliveries. I would recommend Dr. Friedell hands down.

Dr. Friedell was an easy choice for me when I decided it was time to get pregnant. About 7 of my co-​workers had seen Dr. Friedell, and sang his praises. I was told he was the «best in Chicago,» so I was anticipating great health care, but I wasn’t anticipating such a character. From our first meeting he joked with me, lightening the mood and continued to make every appointment carefree as if I was seeing a friend on a monthly basis. I have to say, though a lot of people wonder why I didn’t have a C-​Section (my son was near 9 lbs, and I pushed forever before Dr. Friedell used the forceps to get him out.) I am so glad that Dr. Friedell allowed me to deliver my baby the way I had told him many times I wanted to. I was severely scared of a C-​section and yes after 30 plus hours of labor it seemed like the obvious choice but as long as my baby was doing well, and he was, he let me work at it myself the way I wanted. But this is exactly why you want to have Dr. Friedell on your side, because so many things could go against your plan, and he is as my husband describes «The Man». Dr. Friedell was a hero, he kept me and my son safe healthy and alive and at the end of the day, I still get choked up thinking about that incredible experience. Im now expecting my second son and all I can say about this past 28 weeks, is his staff has been so helpful and loving toward me as Im now a familiar face and I would highly recommend them all!

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Stanley Friedell – it is so rare that a doctor be able to provide not only top-​notch medical care, but do so with such warmth, humor, and kindness. He is EXACTLY the kind of care that you hope and pray that you will be able to find in a city like Chicago.
I originally found him simply by searching through the OB/​GYN doctors on the Northwestern Medical website when I became pregnant. I selected him because he had by far the best credentials that I could find – Pritzer School of Medicine, Northwestern residency, and chief resident before founding his own practice.
To my pleasant surprise, my first appointment showed that not only was he beyond qualified to care for my baby during my pregnancy, but he is a very nice, down-​to-​earth person with a good sense of humor! He has a wife and two kids, with pictures of them everywhere in his office. We had a nice conversation every time I came for an appointment, and I felt I was getting the best care each time. His nurses were friendly as well (I never felt judged when it came time for the dreaded pregnancy weigh-​ins! ha). In my opinion, having a great relationship with your OB/​GYN is a must in order to comfortably discuss your wants and concerns. (I think a lot of women think that it is better to have a female doctor for this, but studies have shown that male doctors are generally more sympathetic to their female patients than female doctors!)
But the real reason I write this is that when it came time for my labor and delivery. There I am, in labor at 4 a.m., expecting the doctor in his practice that is on call to arrive… imagine my surprise when Dr. Friedell arrives in my delivery room! For those of you that don’t know, it is generally unlikely that your doctor will be there to deliver your baby in the middle of the night, it is always the physician on call. But there he is in the middle of the night, monitoring my baby’s vitals. Sparing the details of what happened next, there were some complications and I will just say that Dr. Friedell’s experience and knowledgeable care is the sole reason I was able to deliver my baby safely without cesarean.
It was also fun watching him teach the residents various things. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have the teacher than the student as my doctor. I’m so glad that he’ll be there to deliver my next one!
Posted this on Google+ too, but think this might be a better place to put the review!

Dr. Friedell delivered 2 children for me. My first delivery was rough and ended with forceps (but I was pleased I did not have to have a c-​section). 1 weeks later I got an infection and Dr. Friedell personally call me over the weekend to check up on my status. I also had a lot of scar tissues due to the delivery. He prescribed physical therapy which amazingly improved my pain.
Then for the second pregnancy I had low platelet count and he called me to explain the result and tell me what specialist I should see and when it came time for the delivery, he took a very personal approach in ensuring that I pushed less and also took extra time in stitching me up.
I would recommend him.

My story starts with abnormal bleeding and periods lasting more than 3 weeks and beginning another period 3 – 4 days later. I became a patient of Dr. Friedell on August 26^th 2013; he spent over an hour and half with me on my first visit. I was tired each and every day at work and I am naturally a very highly energetic individual. I wanted the procedure called an «Ablation» it seemed to work for some others but as we know, what works for some is not always the case. Dr. Friedell did not rule this out Ablation process out altogether he took timeout for phone calls and visits to explain why this process would not be my best option.
After several visits and an ultra sound that showed the story of why the Ablation process would not work, he suggested a Partial Hysterectomy. My initial thought was my periods aren’t really this bad. But they were and they getting progressively worse each time and caused a critically low immune deficiency in iron.
Upon researching I decided to have the procedure and now just six days after the Da Vinci Robotic Partial Hysterectomy performed by Dr. Friedell, I feel better than before the surgery, I am regaining my energy that I once thought was lost. The surgery was uneventful, pain has been minor soreness so I opted not to take a prescription pain killer (OTC Advil worked just fine), I can even sneeze and cough without the use of holding a pillow to the abdomen.
As I create this blog I am on my way to FFC for my morning «walking» workout. I can with the consent of the Dr. Friedell regain running, Pilate’s and yoga in another 5 weeks.
I recommend this procedure and Dr. Stanley Friedell, more information can be found at

Dr. Friedell has been my doctor for about 15 years now. Coming here from NYC years ago I was very nervous about whom to choose for my first pregnancy yet my sister in law raved about Dr. F therefore I knew I should be in good hands. 2 children later (each child not interested in making an on time appearance and Dr. F handling that expertly), at 40 years old I found that I had fibroids, one giant, and they had to be removed by surgery.
Dr. Friedell was very candid with me about my chances for robotic surgery vs incision. He was helpful explaining all of my options and the pros and cons of each. I interviewed one of his pharma reps who told me if she ever had surgery she would go to him. Last Tuesday I had a very successful robotic surgery that he performed. He knew that I had a new job and vacation planned and that I was very focused on having robotic surgery vs a larger incision (longer recovery time.)
I feel great. I am up and walking 2 miles a day less than a week later. Everything is working! I would recommend Dr. Friedell for my daughter when she is old enough to need a gyne. I trust him with my life and in return he’s made my quality of life so much better for me. Thank you!
I would also add that he staff are very professional and courteous. I was very nervous about the surgery and Ariana, his assistant, put me right at ease, talking me off of the ledge repeatedly.

I had a great experience with Dr. Freidell. He was given my case in late December/​early January, and had scheduled a pre-​op visit and tentative surgery date in early January. I made several trips to the office, but he was helpful in finding previous ultrasounds and made sure we were proceeding correctly prior to surgery. My surgery at Prentice went smoothly. I definitely pleased with the care I have received.

Dr. F was suggested to me by an old friend who is diligent about her medical care. I can’t really speak to what the other negative reviews were about but they seem to be of the «bedside manner» variety not Dr. F’s ability or expertise. I switched providers and saw Dr. F for the first time in my second pregnancy yesterday (about 18 weeks along) and he was great. He was extremely knowledgeable and answered questions. More importantly, he was THOROUGH. He asked probing questions about my prior pregnancy and history. It was clear he’d bothered to look at my records before first seeing him. My last doctor was sweet and hand-​holdy but it always seemed like she was getting to know me for the first time-​each time. I am not looking to get my hand held and have a doctor treat me like he’s my best friend so I interpreted his demeanor as not aggressive or aloof, but assertive. You are trusting a person with your life and your child’s, shouldn’t the person be assertive? I need a pro who knows what they’re doing and checks out every angle, not a therapist. Take your husband/​partner with you to appointments if you need emotional support.
As to the office, it is staffed with lab people and ultrasound so you don’t have to run around different places for all that. The place is big but that’s because everything is conveniently situated under one roof. I had an HMO before and thus was sent to a ghetto clinic where I had to run around different places for everything– blood work, ultrasounds, etc., and it SUCKED.
The staff at Friedell’s was friendly and capable. They even squeezed me in for an ultrasound during the visit so I would not have to come back for a second appointment. I will update this after baby number two is born, but so far, I like what I see.

I will never go back to see him. Terrible exam and he never
explain to me what’s he’s next step. He’s only
answer was” if I have to repeat the test, I will“
Who wants to go back to have a finger in …
Sorry, but don’t go to see him.

Maybe Unilocal didn’t like that I left this review for the practice, too. I have so much appreciation for this practice, especially Dr. Friedell. He took great care of me through two pregnancies, each of which had different challenges. He literally sprinted from his office to Prentice to be the one to do my emergency c-​section, and both my husband and I have trusted his guidance at every step.
There are a lot of reasons to choose this practice, but one thing I really appreciated was the lack of «doctor of the day» approach. They don’t rotate doctors for delivery so if you deliver during the week or the one weekend a month your doctor is on call, you are guaranteed that your doctor will deliver you. It’s great comfort knowing that person you partnered with for almost 40 weeks will be there for the big moment. They also have an ultrasound technician on site so you can avoid the pain of getting to Prentice for monitoring. I also liked the nurses and office staff a lot. The whole practice gets a high recommendation from me!
If you don’t believe me, check out healthgrades and vitals.

Dr. Friedell has been my gynecologist for many years and I have always found him to be friendly, informative, professional and quite literally a lifesaver. I had unknowingly had cancer. I had a strange symptom that other doctors had not been able to diagnose and Dr. Friedell nagged me to IMMEDIATELY get a mammogram that was the start in diagnosing my disease. I had treated my symptom casually, but he picked up on a problem and I am now in remission.
He is very busy and because he is dedicated, he will sometimes return a call at 9:30 at night rather than let me worry all night. He is a wonderful doctor and a terrific, caring person. His nurses have always been top-​notch. I wouldn’t switch for all the chocolate at Fannie Mae.