Kenneth F Grolle, MD

There are simply no words to describe how much we love this doctor. I recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl and Dr. Grolle had a big hand in getting her here in perfect health.
He’s not afraid to tell you the truth, but does so in a manner that is reassuring and in no way condescending. This was really important to me because I’m a plus size mommy and had a host of concerns when I went in for my initial consultation nine months ago. He made sure I knew exactly what to expect, what I could do to make sure my pregnancy was a successful one, and he made sure I knew he would take good care of us.
From office visits to delivery he was always courteous, professional, and did everything he could to ease my anxiety — especially when it was decided a last minute c-​section would be necessary. Not only did he deliver my daughter in perfect condition, but I am now two weeks post op with zero complications, something that is not easy to accomplish with a plus size woman. What’s more, I have sent the doctor several messages since then with various other questions and he still responds quickly and with the same care and concern he has shown us since day one.
I know a lot of women hesitate to trust a male OB, but this man is as good as it gets. His years of experience and excellent bedside manner make him a fantastic guide for any mom-​to-​be embarking on the wonderful journey that is pregnancy.
If my boyfriend and I ever decide to have another baby, we’ll go back to Dr. Grolle in a heartbeat.

After reading the reviews, I was very nervous about seeing Dr. Grolle. (I saw him because he had the earliest available appointment at the office.) I don’t want to discount anyone else’s experiences, as it sounds like perhaps your experience with him depends on the day you catch him or what you’re seeing him for. But with me (and my husband who attended with me), Dr. Grolle was thoughtful, courteous, and thorough in his exam and in his explanations of what he was seeing. I was very pleased with how he handled our interaction.

Seasoned veteran OB-​Gyn doctor!
Dr. Grolle is an experienced OB-​Gyn who takes good care of patients. Enough said.
Dr. Grolle has been serving in the Silicon Valley area since the mid-​1980s and literally has seen it all. With over 1000 surgical procedures under his belt, he is well-​equipped to address any all OB-​Gyn needs for his patients, and does a fine job of it.
His bedside manner may not be everyone’s cup of tea as he is definitely an «old school» doctor who doesn’t mince words. That said, he isn’t mean-​spirited or unkind; in fact, I sense that he’s very kind but not given to b.s. or blowing smoke. He is a straight-​no-​chaser kind of personality who probably puts candor and truthfulness before everything else. When it comes to medicine and your health, that’s what you need.
His advice is sound, his experience and track record impeccable, and he knows what he’s doing. From what I could see, he was definitely the senior staff member at the El Camino Hospital OB staff, and we were very happy to have come under his care.
Recommended highly for surgical excellence and care!

I have transferred from Stanford Medical Centre to PAMF where I met Dr. Grolle. I was 8-​month pregnant when I decided that I wanna deliver in El Camino Hospital instead of Stanford (LPCH).
Dr. Grolle was very open and accepted me as a new patient. He went through my medical records that I was able to transfer from Stanford and the transition was very smooth. I liked the way he explained me everything and that he paid attention to my questions and needs. I was lucky because Dr. Grolle also delivered my baby and it was pretty smooth and pleasant delivery. He was treating me and my husband with respect so as the nurses (who are BTW lovely at El Camino Hospital — all of them!). Glad I met Dr. Grolle and definitely I will stay under his wings. Super Like!

We had a very similar experience to others here who have Dr. Grolle one star. He was the on-​call doctor when we were having some problems with our pregnancy so we had to see him. His bedside manner was sorely lacking, he ordered the nurses around without any respect and he is really obnoxious. Once we told him we were using a doula he proceeded to make fun of us for having one and doulas in general («I prefer to call them ‘don’t-las’ because they don’t understand what I’m trying to say»), reinforcing in my mind why we wanted to have one. He also went on a rant at us about how wonderful episiotomies were after my wife told him that we didn’t want one. My wife was aiming to have a pain-​medication free birth and went on another rant by using the demeaning metaphor that «having a baby is like a woman standing on railroad tracks about to run over by a train, and epidurals are there so the doctor can pull the girl off the tracks». I told him that was the most ridiculous metaphor I’d ever heard.
Basically, if you want to have a respectful two-​way relationship with a doctor, this man is not for you. If you want a super old and domineering doctor to tell you how to have a baby (his way), then he’s your man!

Dr. Grolle has been nothing but kind and professional the times I have seen him. He explained everything thoroughly prior to any procedure or exam he performed, so I knew exactly what to expect. Even though I have a medical background and am familiar with the procedures/​pathology, he still explained everything completely and answered all of my questions. When it came time to having a conversation that is difficult for anyone in the healthcare field to deliver, he was nothing but compassionate, yet did not sugar coat anything which is very much appreciated; he also referred me to a specialist within 24 hours of receiving my test results and scheduled an appointment for me the next day. I would highly recommend Dr Grolle to any of my friends or family.

I have seen him two times. I was singing his praises after my first visit with him. Great bedside manner, great sense of humor, patient and explained everything so well. He did cause an anal fissure that caused pretty intense rectal bleeding when he gave me a rectal exam, but I liked him so much I chalked it up to a mistake. HOWEVER, after the way he treated me on my second visit I COULD BARELY BELIVE I WAS SEEING THE SAME DR. We all have bad days, sure. But there was absolutely no excuse for how brash, insensitive, ridiculing and aggressive he was on my second visit. Considering how all over the place his mood is, I will be finding another ob/​gyn.
I was there to have a Skyla IUD put in. My appointment was at noon. Getting an iud inserted is extremely painful and nerve-​wrecking. He comes in the room and I could feel the storm cloud of the mood he brought in with him. As I consult with him over my decision to get an IUD he is very short with me. And minimizes every concern he spoke of in our previous visit about me getting an IUD, this seems strange to me as at our previous visit, it seemed he recommended an IUD as a last resort. I try to disarm his mood by making a joke and he gripes is annoyed that was just told that he has to go learn a phone system for the office in five minutes. He sits down and starts READING THE INSTRUCTIONS for Skyla IUD insertion and remarks «I’ve never put one of these in». Wait, What? Not professional. If I wasn’t scared before, I sure was scared now. He’s in a horrible mood, snapping at me, and in a rush to learn how to insert a Skyla and actually preform the procedure of inserting this foreign object up inside my uterus. Dr. Grolle says «take this» and TOSSES some information pamphlet from the Skyla across the room at my boyfriend. At this point my boyfriend was starting to get scared too. Dr. Grolle begins the procedure and goes to give me a cervical block (shooting syringes of numbing agent into my cervix. I reflexively close my legs and scooch up the table. He cusses and yells to his nurse in an annoyed and chastising tone that that I knocked some sort of liquid that was being used for the procedure off the table. «YOU CAN’T JUST GO SLIDING ALL OVER THE TABLE LIKE THAT!!», he yells at me. Immediately followed up by him complaining to his nurse about what I had just done, «SHE SPILLED IT EVERYWHERE!!». He’s huffing and puffing. He gets up, takes off his gloves, lectures me about being a bad patient and tells me he won’t do the procedure.
In retrospect, my boyfriend and I are glad Dr. Grolle refused to insert the Skyla. Both of us felt terrified in that situation. It was the sort of thing where an authority figure starts scolding you and talking down to you, and so you just assume that you must be in the wrong and trust that they know what they are doing. Clearly that was not the case. I had EVERY RIGHT to be nervous and scooch up the table with the unprofessional way Dr. Grolle conducted himself during that visit. Who wouldn’t have been nervous?

I’ve been going to Dr. Grolle for at least 9 or 10 years. I have a background in biology and I appreciate that he explains things straight up, the way things actually, really happen. He doesn’t gloss over things or dumb things down, especially if you really want to know exactly how something happens.
He has performed a couple of procedures on me, and each time he told me exactly what he was going to do before doing it. And if you don’t know something, ASK! That’s your job! Ask if it’s going to hurt– he’ll tell you. I’m pretty sure a baby coming out doesn’t give him much time to discuss episiotomy options! It’s your job to ask beforehand.
I recently went for some other issues and he repeatedly apologized and said he wasn’t trying to be mean by presenting the facts. I know the situation isn’t ideal and hearing the details from him wasn’t anything he should have to apologize for just because some people gave him low reviews because he isn’t busy trying to work on his «Therapeutic communication» –whatever that is. I don’t need a buddy, I need an expert.
I sometimes get a slight feeling of disapproval from him (I got married late), but he has never said anything improper, and he has always been very helpful and professional, and you can call him any time with any questions. When he says he’ll call you with results tomorrow, he does. His nurse, Martha, is also an absolute dear.
At the end of the day, I’d rather have an experienced doctor like him doing his job than someone who is so busy trying to be sensitive that he doesn’t tell you anything useful. He is good at what he does and I appreciate that.

I’m glad I didn’t read any reviews prior to seeing Dr. Grolle. I had a great experience and am very grateful he is my doctor. I’m a little different than the other patients that have written reviews. I had my kids years ago with a different OB. Since then my primary dr has been internal medicine. I had a large mass that needed to be removed and I needed an OB. The radiologist report alarmed me because it said it was unlikely the mass was a fibroid and it was possibly cancerous which was the opposite of what I expected. I couldn’t get an OB appt for several weeks and was nervous. Dr. Grolle was on vacation when my appt was scheduled but he called me when he returned, it was still over a week before my appt. I felt so much better after talking with him. I’ve now had my surgery and everything is going really well.
I enjoy Dr. Grolle’s dry sense of humor probably because it’s similar to mine. I’m a pretty low maintenance patient and don’t need a lot of emotional support from my doctor. Dr. Grolle answered all of my questions thoroughly so I had the information I needed to make decisions. He told everything he was going to do prior to doing it. I thought his bedside manner was perfect. He’s very experienced so I felt I was in good hands.

I was a little nervous because he got some bad reviews, but I don’t usually pick doctors based on friendliness, so I went with him anyways.
I just went for my annual checkup, but I have some medical history that needed to be discussed and he was very thorough and knowledgeable. I liked that instead of filling out a huge medical history form, we just discussed medical history and he made notes.
I’m not totally in love with him like my previous OBGYN who was more like a friend than a doctor, but that’s totally OK with me as long as he’s good (which he seems to be). I thought he was very friendly and nice and I recommend him. I won’t even dread going next time!

I’ve been going to Dr Grolle for almost 7 months now. He has been so patient with me, always very understanding. He’s so quick in responding to my questions. He has been one of the best doctors I’ve ever seen. I also love his sense of humor. I really recommend him.

Brash, in-​sensitive, and rough bedside manners. A bit old school and lacks therapeutic communication, proceeds procedures without letting you know when he is about to to do it. Hello? A little warning please? There is such a thing called pain, which I’m sure was taught in medical school.
The dudes and husbands seem to love him. But if you have a vajayjay, stay the hell away from this OB.

The interaction I’ve had with the man is over the phone. My typical OBGYN was on vacation and I was having a very sensitive and lasting concern. The phone call lasted less than 5 minutes and it was enough to defer me form the entire Palo Alto Medical Foundation.
He called me back to simply tell me he has ‘read the notes’ and assumed there was a problem without really asking any questions. Although in my previous visit with my actual OBGYN mentioned that this issue is probably not an issue for me. That it may be something else.
He treated me with disrespect, spoke down to me and then at the end said ‘you can deal with it.’ Which I proceeded question ‘How could you possibly come to a conclusion that this is the only option when you have no idea what’s wrong with me, or have seen me?’ He then came to say ‘Alright, well then, do you want to just come in?’ in a way that made me feel as if he didn’t want to waste his time.
I’m all about straight-​forward doctors, however, his mannerisms [or the lack of] cannot be excused for all his ‘worldly’ experience.
I have never, in my life, had a doctor that is as insensitive and almost cruel as this man was in less than 5 minutes of interaction. It’s unimaginable that he works with women.

I personally think Dr. Grolle has a great bedside manner, I’m a little confused by what other people are expecting who have said otherwise. To me, a doctor who is honest and takes your concerns seriously all while adding a little humor is as good as it gets. Dr. Grolle took me seriously when I came to him with previous bloodwork clearly indicating a disorder that another OB wouldn’t give 2 minutes attention to. As a result, we got the proper treatment and had a healthy baby just over 12 months later, after having tried for one year before seeing him. When I came in for my prenatal appt with an entire page of questions written down, he took a seat and answered them all without rushing me. He replies to my emails promptly as he does my phone calls and he takes the time to go over your results. He consults specialists when he doesn’t know the answer himself. We were lucky that he was there to deliver our little boy — he would like to deliver all his patients himself but it’s easiest for the practice as a whole to keep a rotating on-​call schedule — and I couldn’t have been happier to see him when I was in labor.

Dr. Grolle is about the best Ob/​Gyn you can get, especially when it is a high risk pregnancy. We had one miscarriage while with KP. We decided that we need to choose our own OB/​GYN. Dr. Grolle was recommended to us from a Doctor friend. In our first pregnancy under him, my wife start bleeding heavily at home at 12^th week. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Dr. Grolle came to the hospital within an hour to personally assess the situation — I feel bad for the patients he missed to come to the hospital. He then spent considerable amount of time on the phone with the maternal-​fetal specialist to arrange for a Cerclage. This high risk pregnancy was a success. We also had our second child under his care. Dr. Grolle is just one smart, experienced, and skilled doctor.

He is a great doctor he does not got around it will tell yiu the way it is, and my wife and daughther are happy and healty so thank you very much and i know some people wants you to be like a comedian or nees to be to personable, he is great amd the results are execellent and that is the most important

Dr. Grolle is a great doctor. I have no regrets going to him and would recommend him to a friend. I have only had good experiences with him throughout my first pregnancy; he has shown genuine care at all my appointments and answered all my questions carefully, making sure I felt comfortable and understood all options. I definitely will go to him again if I decide to have another child.

I have been seeing Dr. Grolle for my prenatal visits. I am currently in the process of switching doctors, however. I’ve listened enough to people around me saying, «don’t switch, you don’t have to be best friends with your doctor… he/​she just has to be knowledgeable, etc…)
Dr. Grolle is a nice guy with a sense of humor. However, he seems irritated any time I ask him questions. This is my first pregnancy, so it’s only natural that I have questions. I just don’t feel that he is all that passionate about what he does. Yes, it’s good to have technical experience, but even with respect to this… I don’t know how on the ball he always is. I asked him about the ingredients in a Rhogam shot, and he told me it contained mercury (which it no longer does),…turns out he was referring to the H1N1 shot. I had to call the office on my own time and another doctor was kind enough to read me the ingredients of Rhogam shot. No mercury in the ingredients.
Everyone is entitled to desire different things from a doctor, but for me, I like to be with someone compassionate, personable, and thorough. I don’t want to feel like I have to «grab the doctor’s» coat tails so to speak, in order to ask my last question. Many times, I’ve neglected to ask some questions I came in with, because of his «rushed vibe.»
I think that a truly GREAT doctor, has a combination of being personable, warm, understanding, patient… AND technically savvy, experienced. I have read great reviews about Dr. Takeshi Inouye, and have requested that he be my new doctor.

Dr. Grolle is a very experienced doctor. That being said, he’s not so young he doesn’t have experience, and he’s not so old that he is out of date medically either. He has a funny sense of humor, remember he’s a doctor, not a comedian. I’ve had unusual pregnancies which he had handled with great care. He’s the only doctor to have seen and handled my several odd conditions during pregnancy and through delivery and has never shown a lack of skill or question. This is where experience counts!