Samantha Feder, MD

Throughout my wife’s pregnancy I referred to this person as Darth Feder.
This is all you need to know.

I had my first and last visit with Dr. Feder in August 2015. My previous OB/​GYN Dr. Simon left 1090 Amsterdam Avenue and I was left to choose a new doctor. I am familiar with one other OB/​GYN there but she didn’t have any availability until September.
I suffer from anxiety with these exams and Dr. Simon had built a rapport and understood my history. I entered Dr. Feder’s office and she was on her phone and computer looking up her daughter’s class list. I told her I was also a teacher, trying to share some commonality. She seemed disinterested, instead she harped about how her daughter was in a class with another student who she thought was a problem. Then she began to try and send her daughter the class list but for some reason it wouldn’t go through. This went on for about 5 minutes. She then zoomed through my history, not taking any time to preview my file. I explained to her that I suffered from anxiety with the exam, she was unphased and didn’t bother to ask why. I didn’t have a good feeling about her.
While waiting in the exam room for about 10 minutes, she entered and basically rammed the speclum in me. I became a nervous wreck. She then stopped and told me she would stop the exam because I wasn’t cooperating and she didn’t have time. She said «I’m going to try one more time and then I’m done» This was after 2 minutes. She then went on to say how she didn’t understand my anxiety «you had a baby and you have sex» she said. I was mortified. I got through the exam, thankfully but felt as if I had done something wrong.
I then asked her for remedies to prevent BV and she seemed disinterested and advised I take a probiotic and walked out. I have never seen someone lack bedside manner in this way. I don’t ever plan on seeing her again and I don’t recommend anyone else waste their time.

This woman is an absolute nightmare. Stay the hell away from her.

I have had a great experience with both Dr. Feder and her staff (especially Anna). I was referred to her by my endocrinologist to manage my hormones and thank God for that. I had been taking pure estrogen for the past two years (for POF or «premature menopause,» which occurred in my late 20’s), which turns out to be every kind of cancer-​producing. She also performed a liver function test before prescribing any further hormones and insisted I stop smoking ASAP given the risk of DVT while taking estrogen. You don’t want a doctor who is going to equivocate about that stuff. This is not to say she has a harsh bedside manner — on the contrary. Her use of «sweetie» and «honey» is calming, in my opinion; being from the South, I rarely find that kind of talk condescending.
Her staff has also been exceedingly friendly, gentle and helpful. Anna is just amazing — she gave me a totally different perspective about an empirically depressing situation and I am so grateful for that. Both the check-​in and check-​out staff members are excellent too (e.g., the check-​out nurse approached Dr. Feder personally to confirm that a refill would be called in for me while the doc is on vacation).
I highly recommend Dr. Feder’s practice to all seeking a new gynecologist/​OBGYN.

I am giving her 1 star but what she really deserve is a BIG ZERO.
She does not listen. She does not ask. She, simply, does not care,
I met her at St. Luke’s. Hospital. My doctor was off and I had an emergency.
Dr. Feder acted totally unprofessional at all levels. She did not screen me in any way. I still can’t believe that nowadays we have doctors like her. Just look for someone else.
…
(follow up of a really bad experience) After that first visit, since after a week she never returned my calls and my pain and other symptoms remained, I looked for another doctor. I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids –big enough that will need to be removed.

Be prepared to wait a minimum of one hour, only to have her rush through your check-​up/​reason for visit. Unbelievable.
And I have never encountered a less competent support staff (not the nurses — they’re great!) who completely mess up the billing process by deciding to by-​pass billing your insurance and just sending you a full bill, and then being completely useless when you call them up and explain to them that you have, like, you know, health insurance, and that they were fully aware of that.
Never going back.

Couldn’t be happier.
This is my first child and we are both complete novices. Dr Feder is supportive to my desires and clear with her advice. I trust her to do everything right for my baby and me, she trusts me to know my body and do things as naturally as possible.
She answers all my questions honestly and directly and makes me feel confident to ask them even if they may be obvious to most. I feel completely empowered to have to birth I want with her support.
She also takes her time, even over holidays, to personally call me with all test results.
Her staff have always been lovely and helpful to me. They also managed to draw blood without me passing out which is a complete miracle.
Sometimes the weight is a little longer than we’d like but otherwise I am so pleased to have her on my team!

We have been so happy with our experiences with Dr. Feder and her practice, and feel so fortunate to have found a great fit for our first pregnancy! My husband and I visited a few other OBGYNs during my early pregnancy, but out of all of them, both of us immediately liked Dr. Feder and felt very confident in her care. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and nurturing, very direct and straightforward, but also very receptive to any and all questions we have had along the way.
We have also experienced long wait times at the office, but it is a busy NYC practice. I’ve experienced similar wait times at other doctor’s offices — it’s nothing unusual. We have also found the staff to be very friendly, helpful and informative.
The practice itself is smaller than others we visited, but we actually found that to be a plus — it seems to allow for a more personal approach than some of the other larger practices, where you can feel like a number instead of a name.
Overall, this was the best experience we had in visiting OBGYNs in the city, and we couldn’t be more satisfied!

Dr. Feder has been really good to us. We went in last year because we were pregnant and we found out we would miscarry. Throughout the whole process Dr. Feder has been so kind and there whenever I had questions. She never made me feel bad for calling (even if I was afraid it as a dumb question) and she was so compassionate through the process. I also credit her for finding out what the problem was. She had sent me to get a better ultrasound before deciding I was going to miscarry. In that ultrasound she saw something odd and then sent me to a RE — where he diagnosed me with a uterine septum. Had she not been through I might not have been diagnosed so fast. Her whole office is so kind — nurses and assistant (ps her assistant Kristy is the best!).
If you’re looking for a very through OB/​GYN I highly recommend Dr. Feder. I will say she is very honest and to the point, but I like that about her. If you have a question she’ll always answer it.

I am shocked at all of the negative feedback for dr feder. She delivered 2 of my babies and was amazing. She carried out all of my wishes and the second delivery was completely natural without any drugs which she supported me all the way. She is very warm and caring. She went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure me and the baby were ok. She is very straightforward and doesn’t sugar coat anything. She always spent plenty of time with me during each visit. I found her staff very pleasant especially her nurse Anna! I did tend to wait for almost an hour every time but I expected it. I’m not planning on having any more children but if I was I would trust Dr Feder with my life and my babies life!

I wish I read the reviews before making an appointment with Dr. Feder. I actually never saw the Dr. because I waited more than an hour and when I asked how long it would be before I would be called I was told I was next. After waiting another 10 mins I told the girl at the front desk I was leaving. She asked the nurse to speak to me. The nurse told me that their standard wait time is 60 – 90 mins, and I should have been told that when I booked the appointment. REALLY… why would I go to a Dr that as a standard practice keeps patience waiting over an hour.
I never did meet with Dr. Feder and made an appointment with another Dr in the area.

After reading all of the comments below, I felt compelled to write a review, although I never really do this.
The negative comments below are very surprising to me.
i find Dr. Feder to be a great doctor. Not only is she pleasant to deal with, and seemingly very knowledgeable, but she don’t fluff the facts — which I like.
If you’re looking for a doctor to sugar coat results or procedure preparation, and hold your hand, don’t go to Dr. Feder. But, if like me, you like a great doctor who is careful, meticulous, honest, and straight to the point — she is definitely the one to go to.
The wait time in the office does not exceed any other doctor’s office I have ever been to. If you make an appointment during peak hours, what do you expect?

I dont mind Dr. Feder but I agree with some of the other comments here on the thread about her staff. They are so unhelpful and whoever picks up the phone over there is extremely rude. I’ve actually been trying get all my records faxed over to a new doctor because its impossible to get an appointment with dr. feder and when I do get a slot, I end up spending 1.5 hours at the office– half of the time just waiting. Also, getting my records over to my new doctor has been an absolute ordeal. I was transferred about 3 times and on hold for 20 minutes to get through to her assistant. And when I finally did get through and they said they were going to send it, they never did. I’m so relieved to have found another doctor but am currently STILL working to get my records over to my new doctor.

Samantha Feder has no respect for her patients and is seriously lacking in any sort of professional courtesy. I only returned for a visit to Dr. Feder’s office after being told I had not been in recently enough to have my birth control prescription refilled so hesitantly I used my lunch hour one day to travel to see her. Just as I expected, she was already running 45 minutes late, which was the third time I would wait an hour for a check up and the final straw for me. I walked out and have never returned.
Just to prove my point further, my mother also has been with Dr. Feder for some time and decided to give her one last chance considering she already has her past gyno history there. She made it in to the room, and then waited an hour to be seen when alraedy in the exam room, and Dr. Feder never even bothered to pop her head in once.
She is unprofessional, flakey and is more concerned with herself than respecting the patients who have tried for years to give her the benefit of the doubt. She has 2 stars rating on her, and its almost too high. Dont waste your time or money.

I first went to Dr. Feder in the summer of 2012 first for a routine annual exam appt, then a follow-​up appt, and an appt for a yeast infection.
I thought she was great. I really disliked my previous doctor and Dr. Feder was a nice change. She seemed like a friendly person and a good doctor. She asked me a lot of questions (at my first appt anyway) and asked throughout if I had any questions.
I had such a good experience that I even recommended her to a friend.
From my memory, I don’t believe the wait times for those appts were too too long. I expect to wait up to 30 minutes at any doctor’s appt, even though I don’t think it’s right that that’s the norm.
Today I had an appt for an annual exam at 2:40 pm. I was called into the exam room at about 3:30 and the nurse came in after a few minutes. She was friendly but not overly interested. She told me Dr. Feder would be in shortly. It was absolutely ridiculous, because she finally came in at about 4:15.
She asked me maybe 1 question. She didn’t even ask when my last period was, which is routine even if you’re just at a general physician’s check-​up or getting checked out for a cold.
The exam itself took all of 2 minutes, which I’m not complaining about. No one wants to be in the stirrups for ages. BUT she didn’t ask me if I had any questions nor did she stick around to see if I would ask any, unprompted. She just told me my prescription would be at the front desk and walked out of the room.
I really didn’t appreciate that she must’ve spent a lot of extra time with previous patients to be so behind, made me wait a full hour and a half to see her, and then spent 2 minutes with me.
Also, though the front desk lady is very nice and helpful and this is not her fault, she had told me over the phone of their 50 $ no-​show policy. Meaning that if I didn’t show up for my appt, then they would mail me a bill for 50 $. Fair enough, except that they obviously only value their own time and not mine.
I’m graduating from college in May and probably won’t stay in NYC, so hopefully I won’t have to endure another appt with Dr. Feder.
DO NOT RECOMMEND.

The staff working at this office is incredibly rude. The employee known as Dr Feder’s assistant always has an attitude and is never prepared to answer questions. The nurse (who I don’t know her name because she has never introduced herself) is so unprofessional and has been over heard discussing patients test results in an open area with other employees. Dr Feder herself is okay, but does not spend time with her patients. She is always rushing through and has cut me short on several occasions when I’m asking questions. Overall the office and exam rooms are filthy and filled with dust. The office has signs posted to Excuse the appearance while they are renovating. That’s no excuse though not to clean the exam rooms while the renovate is not taking place.

I was not a patient of Dr. Feder’s (I go to someone else in her practice and absolutely love that doctor) but Dr. Feder did deliver my baby at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt. I ended up having a high risk pregnancy and delivered my baby 5 weeks early. Dr. Feder was so calm and knowledgeable throughout my delivery… I felt completely comfortable in her care. I would recommend her and the other doctors in her practice to anyone who needs an OBGYN!

I ended up seeing this doctor in the triage area, in active labor, as she was covering for my usual OB. In addition to having a serious apparent behavior problem, my partner and I doubted her competence to the extent that I went home, slowed down my labor until the next morning, and went back to be delivered by my usual doctor.
To begin with, there is something really wrong with her behaviorally, to the point where it’s frightening. I was sent in to triage by my usual doctor over the phone. Once I got there, Feder exclaimed angrily, «I don’t have any idea why she sent you here, you’re too early.» After a cursory review, she ranted a bit more on the dubious judgment of my usual doctor, and then said «Well, if you really want, you can stay, but you will HAVE to go on pitocin. We don’t just let women hang around here unless they’re on pitocin.» She was absolutely floored when I declined her invitation to go n pitocin and made motions to get ready to go home. When she got the hint that we were perfectly happy leaving — my husband asking when our usual OB would come on shift probably made that clear — she ventured that «maybe you will have to stay if I find something wrong on the monitor.» After we told her that we would consider her evidence and make our own decision, she stormed off and the nurse came with my discharge orders.
In addition to her bizarre behavior, my husband and I doubted her competence and professionalism. She chewed gum while speaking to us – in the maternity triage area. Who does that? Her rantings about why I came to the hospital were doubly strange as I met the usual prenatal-​class criteria for coming in.
In any event — I really wonder why anyone would voluntarily choose to see this person. If she’s the on-​call and it’s deliver with her or deliver in a cab, that’s one thing (but even then)… but with so many OBs in the city I truly cannot fathom anyone using this person by choice.

I am shocked to read all of these comments. Dr. Feder is the best OBGYN i could’ve had. Because she was so «agressive» she saved my son’s life. I was in the hospital for 2 ½ months, and during that time she stopped by on regular basis just to say hi. She even brought me a book she thought i would enjoy. She was always pleasant, and at the same time straight to the point, which i apreciated.
After an amazing experience with her, she became my partner’s OBGYN and that was a wonderful experience as well.
As for wait time — it took awhile too. But perhaps i was used to NYC doctors. I was never seen by one on scheduled time.
I am grateful to Dr. Feder every time i look at my beautiful boys!

Dr. Feder is the worst doctor I’ve ever visited. The appointment took three months to get, and when I finally was in there, I waited an hour to see her for approximately 4 minutes, during which she was cold and curt.
She called a few days later to say that an STD test had come back positive, and when I protested that it must be a false positive, she said, «False positives don’t happen. Your partner must be cheating on you,» gave a few instructions on what to do next, and hung up. This, of course, caused obvious strain on our relationship for the next month. It also forces us to take antiobiotics (which turn out to be unnecessary for both of us), although his test came back negative. When I finally go in for my follow-​up and cry on the table that his test came back negative, she says, «Are you sure? Did he just tell you that, or did you see the test? He could be lying again.» I finally convince her that there was no way for me to have gotten it, and she says, «Well, I guess I can run an antibodies test. If that’s negative, then you never had it, and it was a false positive. But I’m just warning you, you might not like what comes back.» She runs it, and a few days later, she calls and says, «I have good news, it looks like you were right! False positive. Funny how that happens sometimes, isn’t it?» I hadn’t found it funny at all, and then she said goodbye without apologizing for the six weeks of anguish she’d caused with her terrible treatment of the situation.
I realize this probably doesn’t happen a lot, but I found it to be absolutely unforgivable, especially combined with her lackluster bedside manner during the appointment, and the availability of other doctors across the city. Given this and the other terrible reviews she’s received, I would definitely run the other way and look for someone else.