Dr. Amy J Kesselman, MD

Saw her in 2020 at the Bethesda location and vowed never to see her again. - Bedside manner: overall, she seemed rushed and fake. She seemed to hope I had no more questions, and that the visit would end soon. When I asked prospective pregnancy questions, she abruptly cut me off and said she was no longer an OB, just GYN. Ok, lady, how I was supposed to know?! She said it looked like I had a certain fungal infection (I won’t mention which), but didn't take a sample to test. She recommended an over-the-counter drug if I had symptoms. She gave general answers to my questions (take folic acid and probiotics, wear cotton underwear, check out the CDC website for Zika - I was visibly unimpressed when she mentioned the CDC and said I knew the website, but she just reached her hand to shake mine and basically said goodbye. The exam felt rushed, she didn't tell me to take a deep breath when inserting the speculum, didn't tell me when she'd swab, etc. - Holding my prescription hostage: this was… the most egregious issue, in my opinion, and one of the most unbelievable experiences I’ve ever had with a doctor. In short, I called the office to renew my birth control prescription (it had expired) and the nurse told me I could just message my doc through the portal and tell her I needed birth control renewal. Dr. Kesselman messaged me back to tell me she WOULDN’T RENEW MY PRESCRIPTION UNTIL I came in to get the colposcopy she insisted I needed. This was in the middle of the COVID pandemic, when many places were still closed! I explained that I didn't feel comfortable going into any medical offices for now, especially for non-essential/non-urgent exams or procedures. She compromised by renewing my prescription for 3 months, but said she wouldn't again until I got the colposcopy. I have never had a doctor hold my BC prescription hostage in order to get me back into the office for another procedure (especially one that is optional!). In most offices (incl. Planned Parenthood), you don't even need a pelvic exam to get a BC prescription. This was unethical and clearly connected to financial/billing quotas she wanted to attain. - Atypical exam: they apparently didn’t take urine samples, but I had arrived prepared to give one (I am usually asked to give one), so I kept telling them my bladder was full, but the nurse didn't offer to let me go use the restroom. When the doctor offered it, it seemed impossible (I was naked, barefoot, and had my legs in the straps). Nobody told me to undress, just wait in the room. - Nurse: Was ditzy and had an attitude problem. Huge fake nails, chewing gum, asking me to remember my weight because she couldn't remember if she had written it down, etc. - Disorganized reception desk: When I left, the front desk seemed puzzled when I asked if I'm all set ("yeah, unless you need another appointment". No, do I still owe you anything? Money, documents, information? Would never consider seeing her again, and I would advise everyone to steer clear.