Dr. Beth A Helgerson, MD

I brought my 20-year-old daughter to see Dr. Helgerson with concerns that her symptoms might be related to endometriosis, especially given our family history. Unfortunately, we left the appointment feeling dismissed and frustrated. Dr. Helgerson spoke to my daughter in an overly simplified, almost condescending manner—drawing pictures and making generalizations like “every woman goes through this,” despite the severity of her symptoms. It felt like our concerns weren’t taken seriously. I had to insist on lab work being done, which she agreed to only to “prove it wasn’t an infection.” Ironically, the results showed that it was an infection. Suggesting ibuprofen and exercise as a solution for someone who experiences such intense pain that she vomits and collapses is not only inadequate—it’s dismissive. We expected a more thorough, compassionate, and informed approach.

I had a horrible experience with Dr Helgerson. First of all she rushed me through my entire experience, gave me absolutely no time to explain my pain or history, and rushed me into what felt like an invasive vaginal exam. She did not listen to me not did it seem like she was familiar with what I had explained to the nurse. I was having pretty severe pain and GI issues that seem to come and go with mensuration. She made me feel dismissed and that my only option for this pain was to treat it with ibuprofen or birth control. My pain is not normal period pain and I felt very lost as I have an intolerance to birth control. I was improperly diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being put on birth control 10 years ago. Probably the worst part was that I felt generally unheard and rushed. She identified me as Bipolar which I had to correct her that I am not bipolar, she also very inappropriately asked me if I had to terminate my pregnancy last spring because I was molested. I cannot believe… how horrible I felt leaving her office. I brought up a family history of endometriosis and she seemed to think all I could do for it was take birth control with or without a diagnosis. She may be practicing inside what we know and making the standard or care recommendation, but her crap bedside manner, her rushing me, and her not knowing my history, even the short conversation I had with the nurse made my vaginal and rectal exam feel invasive.

she did not address any of my concerns or pain issues. she dismissed all of my pain and instead tried to turn it into a conversation about how she thinks i’m depressed, even though she has known me for 2 minutes. she came to this conclusion because I cried due to the pain that I was being seen for. this became even worse when she examined me and did not stop when I continued to cry in pain. all she told me was to exercise more even though I am unable due to my pain. I left my appointment frustrated and in tears because I came looking for help and was dismissed by dr. helgerson.

Dr. Helgerson was my OB-GYN here in Grand Forks, North Dakota for several years. She delivered our youngest two children (now ages 13 and 11). What a big heart she has. She was always as excited about the births of our children as we were. I never felt rushed at any of my appointments. Dr. Helgerson took time to make sure that all of my questions were answered and concerns were tended to. Highly recommended.