I had a negative experience with this OBGYN doctor's office and would urge caution to those considering using their services. I was a patient there for 1.5 years and encountered several issues: 1- During my first appointment for a pre-pregnancy consultation, the doctor immediately suggested a genetic screening test without even taking my family history into account. The test was not covered by insurance as promised and I had to pay $350 out of pocket, which felt like a scam. 2- My pregnancy was complicated, but the doctor at this office was not equipped to handle my case. Despite my requests for a referral to a high-risk specialist, they were reluctant to do so. I had to fight with them for weeks before finally getting the referral. Unfortunately, I experienced a miscarriage at 19 weeks before being able to see the high-risk specialist. It was a terrible experience and their support during the miscarriage process was lacking. Overall, I do not recommend this practice and will not be returning

I have been a longtime patient of Downtown Women’s for both ob and gynecological care and have always had a good experience with both their doctors and their office, though I did feel that the quality of care had gone downhill in recent years. However - I feel it is very important to other women for me to write this review and explain why I will not be working with Downtown Women’s anymore and why I strongly recommend you also look elsewhere. The incident started after my wife (who, prior to this experience, was also a patient) had an IUD insertion at the office. This was her first experience getting an IUD and when she inquired about the insertion procedure and any possible pain or side effects of this procedure, she was told by the nurse who did the procedure, that there was nothing to worry about and the pain should be mild. She was never told about (what we now know are) the widely documented experiences of women who have reported the insertion to be the most painful thing they’ve ever experienced and akin to childbirth or the option that other offices offer to be put under anesthesia for the procedure. During the insertion she was right away in excruciating pain, which continued throughout the day and into the night. She tried repeatedly to call Downtown Women’s as her pain progressively increased to the point she was concerned of perforation or infection and wasn’t sure if she should go to the hospital. We have a young child and no family nearby or childcare, so making the decision to go to the hospital is a big one. Eventually, after repeated calls to Downtown Womens and no calls back during business hours, we decided to call their after hours line before making the difficult decision to go to the hospital. Right away, the person on the online answering service was rude, curt and strongly dismissive of mine and my wife’s concerns. He acted both genuinely annoyed to be bothered and reproachful with us when the on-call physician could not get through to our cellphones, despite both of us sitting right next to them and waiting for the call. After several tries of the on-call physician attempting to reach us and with both my wife’s distress and the answering service representative’s unprofessional attitude increasing to a fever pitch and desperate to talk to someone and find out what was going on, I used some choice words with the representative that I’m not proud of in order to express my emphatic frustration and severity of the situation. That said, this was after at least four calls of being disregarded, dismissed and frankly, yelled at. When we finally reached the on-call doctor, who I believe was Dr. Buxbaum, she too seemed annoyed by the back and forth and essentially told my wife she was fine and to call the office in the morning if she still had concerns. A few weeks later I received a letter informing me that I was no longer a patient of the practice, based on the words I used with the on-call representative (to be clear I think I called him a d*ck) despite my repeated prior attempts at calm and professionalism with him. I want to punctuate this last point to make clear what I believe are Downtown Women’s values. They would rather prioritize a disrespectful and unprofessional vendor rather than a patient who was repeatedly trying to advocate for her loved one in the face of their extreme pain and fear, they claim a patient-first mindset while taking no accountability for not providing informed explanations of the risks of procedures, their persistent inaction, their lack of empathy and their systemically poor communication process. In a country where maternal mortality rates rose 40% in the last two years alone, where 84% of pregnancy-related deaths have been proven to be preventable and where medical gaslighting is at its worst among female patients, it is clear that women can and should seek only the most ethical, professional and - most of all - safe medical facility for their OB and gynecological care and this office is decidedly NOT it.

This place is amazing. Dr Whitehead is phenomenal. She's patient understanding and truly cares for your well being. Highly recommend her

Please know I am speaking from experience and truth here. I’ve gone to this practice for many years for GYN care and have seen several of the doctors. The basic care is good. But if it gets complicated… go elsewhere!! Rather than just complain, it’s very important to let people and the doctors know what went wrong. And I am doing that and I did that! Bottom line, if you know that something seriously isn’t right with your body, do not stop until you seek the right treatment. I think this practice is okay for regular GYN visits. But *anything* more serious- go elsewhere AND get a second opinion! Dr. Kolton is one of the founding doctors. She and a newer younger doctor BOTH were “asleep at the wheel” and treated me medically in the wrong way and I had to see two other doctors until I found a fabulous, no nonsense male GYN! And I needed **MAJOR** help and I got it. I won’t be going back to their fancy Soho office. Really, I think maybe the practice just got too big? And they can’t keep track of everything? If I wouldn’t have spoken up several times and messaged them I would have been in more serious trouble. Thankfully I am now in good shape with this other doctor. I’m not going into all the details here but I said what I needed to say.

Disappointed that when booking this appointment through Zocdoc, it confirmed that this doctor took my insurance. At no point during the check in for my appointment (or any point during or after) did the front desk staff alert me that they in fact, did not take my insurance. I came to this doctor because my normal ob-gyn no longer took my insurance. Got a lovely $350 bill.

I came here with high hopes but have had the worst experience and am switching practices. Let me say first I am a person who generally loves going to doctors and have seen quite a few in my time in NYC. The doctor I saw was very impersonal - no warmth or bedside manner. On another occasion I asked for a callback from a different doctor; when she called me back she had an exasperated attitude - like it was such a chore to call me. (As if she wasn’t billing my insurance hundreds of dollars for her 2 minutes of time). She was very condescending. I’ve called the practice for simple questions. I’ve left voicemails that no one has responded to. Wait times are long (20+ minutes) just to speak with a nurse or even a scheduler. This is unacceptable. I’m on hold as I write this review! DW brands itself as a positive inclusive space but I’ve found it to be very condescending, impersonal and not very affirming. I’m switching practices.

I’m horrified. I was in the middle of my pelvic exam and another doctor walked in WITHOUT KNOCKING. Literally, my worst nightmare come true. I felt violated, disrespected and unsafe, and I will never come back to this place. I’m beyond angry. Update: I’ve filed a formal complaint with NYU Langone.

Without going into details due to a pending complaint with the health board, I urge people to avoid this practice. I’m happy others have had positive interactions, but I experienced gross negligence resulting in a potentially negative life altering diagnosis.

I don’t know why this practice has a 3.0 average review because my experience here has always been awesome. The staff are always so helpful and friendly and Dr. Whitehead is so warm, profesional, and affirming. I never feel rushed or ignored; Dr. Whitehead is a great listener and eager to help me address any issues I may have. I generally hate Pap smears but my experience with downtown women makes my annual visit so much better because of the high quality treatment I receive. Highly recommend this practice!

The doctors here are wonderful. Love them. Their admin and backend staff make me feel sorry for them. I was laid off and have been calling and emailing to try to make a payment plan and no one ever responds. They just want to send you to collections. I stopped going here because they also stopped taking my insurance. I’ve heard this place is just money hungry. Which is why their backend staff is miserable. Sad — This is an update to my previous post above. Finally somebody in accounting has contacted me and said I can make a payment plan however they don’t have a safe or convenient way to take payments and want me to send my credit card information via email. They will save this information and then charge me every month until my payment is complete. This is crazy it is 2022 every business should be able to take payments in a safe and easy way. Since they can’t make my life easier I will make their life more difficult and send various checks with post dated payments until this is completed. Downtown women’s you guys take premium insurance make lots of money get it together!

The doctors here are great. I am a long-time patient of Dr. Min and also a patient of Dr. Buxbaum and wouldn't consider going elsewhere. Don't let the other reviews scare you away. I have gone here for a long time. Yes the administrative aspects can be challenging at times (just like at virtually every other doctor's office in NYC), but there is a great portal and lots of online options now to communicate with the team. The quality of care from the doctors and their expertise in their fields is what is truly important at the end of the day. The doctors spend a lot of time with me and answer all my questions. All of my concerns are always addressed and then some, and I use the portal for follow-up questions, etc. I wouldn't go elsewhere!

There were a few things I found unsatisfactory about my overall experience with Dr. Mechlovitz. First, she had me wait a total of 40 minutes before I got to actually see her, and she did not seem at all apologetic or phased by that. Second, she didn’t seem all that knowledgeable when I asked her follow up questions about basic, over-the-counter tests and vitamins that she was instructing me to start taking. Third, her overall demeanor struck me as very fake and making up for genuine confidence and ease in her role. Last and most importantly, she was extremely pushy in trying to have me and my husband come in to get a genetic blood test, and was visibly upset when I told her I wasn’t interested and even tried sending the nurse in to do it after I said no. UPDATE: After my last review, Dr. Mechlovitz stalked my instagram. This is extremely unprofessional and predatory. Feeling really sorry for the medical community right now, who’s reputation she’s being down with this kind of childish behavior.

I’ve been with Downtown Women OB/GYN for over 25 years. Dr Buxbaum is attentive to all of my questions, concerns and has a great bedside manner. I started with her as an OB patient and have continued to go to the practice for my GYN care. I have also received excellent care from the nurse practitioners.

I had great experiences with Downtown Women OBGYN until I ran out of birth control and needed the prescription refilled and literally had to call 14 times in one week // multiple times each day to get my prescription filled. All of the nurses knew I was calling daily, and they literally could not get it together to just simply call a prescription in. I was left with no birth control for multiple days. Highly recommend avoiding Downtown Women OBGYN as they do not have any sympathy or care for their patients.

Office was okay first few visits between 2019-2021. Since then, the quality of service has declined. Rushed exams, poor communication about billing/services, rude front desk staff. Only good thing here is Dr. Whitehead who is mostly booked up for months at a time, unfortunately. I’ll likely have to find a new practice due to my last experience being handled extremely poorly 🥲

Avoid at ALL costs. I avoid giving bad reviews but I’ve had one bad experience here after another with multiple doctors, and don’t want others to have to go through the same. Doctors disregarded serious medical issues and told me I was “overreacting” (I then had to beg for blood tests which confirmed I was right), a technician diagnosed me with another serious issue with no testing and directed me to WebMD to learn more after she added it to my medical chart (again, I had to beg for testing which confirmed they were wrong), I was told to get imaging which I got referred out for due to my bad experience with the technician and was then told by the doctor there that I was not eligible for that test because given my medical history it was considered dangerous (this was one they would have gladly done at Downtown Women). If you care about your health and your sanity, find a different practice

I'm leaving this practice as it's just too much of a pain getting an appointment. I reached out three times over the last two weeks and I still haven't heard from them, both online and by phone. If they could just send me a message saying their clinic is full that would be one thing, but it's really not okay just to ignore people. I really liked Dr. Whitehead but it's not worth the hassle to see my own damn doctor.

I don’t understand how this office can be rated so low. if you want an excellent medical team that is gonna deliver your baby safely this is your team. I had my daughter with them almost two years ago now. I was a high risk pregnancy and these docs are literal life savers. I had another procedure that required a hospital visit before delivery and both times I got to see how tight of a ship they run at NYU. I saw multiple doctors in action while on their shifts at all hours of the day and night. They call the shots and collaborate seamlessly within NYU. Both visits i felt seen and heard. Specifically, my delivery just didn’t go the way I had hoped or planned and the doc really talked me through everything and consulted with me on my options and/or told me what was non negotiable. Finally, earlier in my Pregnancy I had middle of the night scares and they have a doctor ON CALL. They kept in touch with me via Phone throughout the night as we decided if/when I needed to go to the ER. I no longer live in NYC but I think about this team often with great appreciation.

I was shocked to see that they only have a 3 star rating. I love all the doctors at Downtown Women. Dr. Whitehead and Dr. LaJoie are wonderful. I’m pregnant and Dr. Whitehead came highly recommended from my nurse friends and midwives. I’ve always felt seen and heard. They really take their time during my visit and I never feel rushed. With any concern I have, they listened and address it appropriately.

The doctors are wonderful, including Dr Buxbaum. However they are so disorganized that it's hard to get good care. They put my emergency contact information in as mine so I never receive updates and cannot access the portal and never get phone call reminders. I've asked so many times, in person, in writing and by phone to have it switched. It's actually a violation of HIPAA. Someone else gets my health information! Beyond that it's just a really hard to get the front desk to be in sync with the information in the system. They often have or give wrong information. It's the most disorganized front desk staff I've ever encountered in a doctor's office. I don't know if they need to pay better, hire better or train better, but whatever it is it impacts people's healthcare and the ability of the doctors to do their jobs.

Such amazing doctors. Every doctor and support staff in this practice is beyond wonderful. They are supportive and helpful and make you feel beyond involved in choosing your care. Their offices are very nice and more importantly their staff is amazing. If you want quality care look no further.

Dr. Min is amazing but the office staff is and has been atrocious for years - rude, lacking in empathy, and rushed. Also, I have mostly in recent years been shuffled off to nurses who lack both the bedside manner and expertise of Dr. Min and who seem to be making calls based more on office visit fees than clinical indications. I was a patient at this practice over a decade and I truly love Dr. Min and will follow her if she ever leaves this practice but today’s experience with the support/nursing staff was the end for me. I won’t be going back.

I have gone to Downtown Women for over 10 years, specifically Dr. Min, who is wonderful. I recently went through a pregnancy, so I saw most of the doctors on rotation, and had generally really great experiences as well. Dr. Whitehead delivered my baby and she was wonderful as well. It's a great practice with qualified staff to help with everything.

I just delivered my daughter with Downtown Women at NYU hospital and it was a wonderful experience. During my pregnancy, I met with each doctor so I felt very comfortable on delivery date having any of the doctors deliver our baby. Each visit, I had multiple questions that I would write in advance and each doctor spent time with me answering each question. In addition, I loved using the patient portal to ask questions directly to the doctors. I used both this tool or I would call the nursing line. I always received an answer within 24 hours. I really liked the office experience as it was quick, always on time and clean. Also, the location was super convenient right in SOHO. IF we decide to have a 2nd child :) i will 100% deliver with Downtown Women at NYU.

I called in with a question regarding my health and test results and left a message for the doctor. After 2 months I finally get a call back not from a doctor but an assistant,. Wow. Glad to hear my health was a priority. I asked them point out if they treat all their patients like this OR do you do this to just minorities. I found the service is not at par for minorities patients. You don't get the same equal treatment but worse. They couldn't answer me. I truly suggest check somewhere else for check-ups. Simply not worth the time. Probably get better service elsewhere.

I really don’t understand these reviews. The office is never packed and I am always seen on time and certainly no one is ever rude. I love all of my doctors here, especially Dr Kolton and Dr Buxbaum. The care and treatment is top notch and the respect and listening is of the highest order.

I have been going to Dr Buxbaum for about 8 years and she is incredible. I have never had a more thorough and thoughtful gyn before—and I have been to many practices over the years. She is a brilliant diagnostician and is concerned with my overall health —not just her specialty. If I need to see someone urgently, the office is great and I can see another doctor/nurse practitioner —usually on the same day. There is some waiting involved when you see Dr Buxbaum because her check-ups are so thorough and she answers every single question. I think it’s worth every single minute.

Have been going to downtown women for years and have reco’ed many friends. The absolute best patience care! Dr Buxbaum was so wonderful— incredibly kind, extremely thorough and knowledgable, comforting. Every doctor I’ve seen over the years as been great!

I cannot speak highly enough of this practice. It's the first time I've felt heard and seen by an OB/Gyn. I can be real with Dr. Mechlovitz. So real, that I have found myself, lying there as I get my pap smear, think ... "we could be friends! is it inappropriate to ask your gyno if they want to get happy hour drinks?" In all seriousness, this practice advocates for its patients. Actually listens to my concerns, and is so helpful and accomodating in expediting issues that are concerning while easing concerns at the same time. I never write reviews. But I'm writing this one. Because all women-identifying individuals deserve the kind of care this practice gives.

I am so surprised by the ratings. I have been visiting Downtowns Women’s health for 4 years and never had a complaint. The staff is efficient and friendly, and appointments run on time - 10 minute wait at max. During appointments I find each doctor gives me their full attention and hears my concerns earnestly. Would recommend to anyone

Very surprised at the low ratings as I've been coming here for 18 years and I've been very happy with them and recommend them quite often. Staff are great, they typically get you in and out pretty fast, nurses line is very helpful, and Jessica Safier is the best!

I’ve consistently received really great care here over the course of 8 years. Everyone has been kind, thorough, and professional. When I had a situation that required being seen urgently, they made room for me immediately. I’m a huge fan of this practice.

I have been coming to this practice for years. Always easy to get an appointment. The front desk is always pleasant and there to help. I have called many times desperate to get in and they always will squeeze me in. The doctors are also all amazing. Especially Dr. Cara Dubroff. She was maybe the best doctor I've had there this far! Could not recommend more!

This place is a complete scam. The Medical assistants are running around like chickens without heads struggling to take blood and settle patients in. Don’t even get me started on the unprofessional behavior of the doctors, I witnessed a rude doctor berate one of the nurses right in front of us while we were waiting in the waiting area for over an hour. The doctors and nurses are so busy gossiping and being cliquish that they can’t even see the negligence going on with their patients. This place is only interested in taking insurance money but can’t even come to work to make us patients feel warmed and welcomed when being checked by our providers.

If I could give less than one star, I would. DO NOT GO HERE. I visited back in April because it had been a long time since I received a regular checkup. Once I arrived, I was told my insurance was cancelled in 2018, (I had literally just paid for it the day before so this was impossible and untrue). I then proceeded to call my insurance to make sure my policy was still active, it was. The receptionists kept telling me that it's not an active policy and that if I wanted to proceed with the appointment it was going to cost me $350 out of pocket, which I wasn't going to pay if my insurance stated that they completely cover the visit. An hour went by, I was sitting in the waiting room for the receptionists to figure it out, and they finally confirmed my insurance, not sure why it took so long if everything was fine, so I proceeded to go into the back room. I waited another 15 minutes in my gown laying on the bed only for a nurse to come in and tell me that my original doctor couldn't see me because she was playing catch up with her patients and I was "an hour late" (which isn't true, I arrived 15 minutes early since I was a new patient) and there was only another doctor who could see me but she was about to leave. Another 15 minutes go by and the other doctor comes in, with jeans and a t-shirt, not even a white coat or scrubs, not very professional. She goes down the list in less than 30 seconds asking me all these questions about my health, puts gloves on, doesn't wash her hands, does a breast exam, and then does my PAP-SMEAR says if I don't get a call back with the results it means nothings wrong. The doctor was in there for less than 5 minutes. Her bed-side manner was absolutely non-existent, and I felt as if I was being treated like a mannequin that they exercise on in school. Appointment ended, I left, and the next day- I get billed $350. RIDICULOUS. I was so mad, I called them and they said "Your insurance isn't active." I rolled my eyes so far back. I explained to them, "yes it is, I wouldn't have proceeded with my appointment if my insurance wasn't being accepted." Fast forward 3 months (today) and I am still being billed for this visit. I called my insurance monthly, they never received a claim from this practice, I've called their office repeatedly, emailed, and they. still. have. not. filed. a claim. If you made it this far, please know that I never write reviews on anything, I'm writing this because I don't want a single person visiting or receiving "care" from this practice with what I have experienced and what I'm still going through. I'm shocked this place hasn't been shut down.

My only issue with the practice has been scheduling appointments because Dr. Whitehead is that good! I've shared her information with my network because, I’ve never encountered a GYN that’s so kind, patient and knowledgeable! She always makes me feel heard and seen!

I've been going to Downtown Women for many years and tho there might be a bit of a wait, I LOVE my doctor, and everyone seems awfully nice. I had an off-year with a different insurance (which they didn't take) but I paid without the insurance.

Dr.Buxbaum is exceptional. She is knowledgeable, understanding, and provides first-rate care.

I’ve been going there for over 20 years. Dr. Kolton is wonderful. Very smart, knowledgeable and warm. Dr. Lajoie, whom I recently saw, was the same.