Dr. Maria Elena Arias, MD

Ok, so I never even though of writing reviews for doctors but here I am because months after my appointment I still think about how weird this doctor made me feel. She was just so cold, kinda rude, and not willing to discuss some birth control options. I was thinking about changing my birth control but not ready to pull the trigger and this seemed to annoy her like I was just wasting her time. It's like she has the attitude of a bored sales clerk. But she's a doctor. I don't get it. I'm a feminist, I'm not saying she should have been glowing and smelling of freshly baked cookies or anything, I don't even need a warm smile just some candid exchange of basic health information from doctor to patient would have sufficed. I had just moved to the area and was getting a general check up, needless to say i will be going elsewhere from now on.

I was getting my Paraguard IUD removed and replaced with another IUD. I had done lots of research on different IUD options, but just on the internet and I wanted the informed opinion of a health professional. Enter Dr. Arias. She was completely unwilling to have a dialogue with me about my birth control options. She made me feel stupid for even asking. Among other IUDs, I mentioned I was curious about Mirena. She gave me a Mirena pamphlet, said "This has everything you could ever want to know" and left the room. I was dumbfounded. Then one of the nurses came in and told me my insurance didn't cover an IUD and that I should get dressed and come to the front desk to settle the issue. Again, dumbfounded, because I specifically researched an insurance plan that covered this exact form of birth control, I got dressed only to have the nurse reappear and tell me she had made a mistake. I was crying at this point. I work two jobs and it was a struggle to get the day off to come to the doctor… so I tried to pull myself together since I knew it could be a while before I could get another appt. The removal was painful, Dr. Arias bedside manner was offensive with at one point her vocalizing confusion about what was happening which made me extremely anxious. I couldn't help but cry my way through the rest of the procedure, and thankfully it was eventually over and the nurse sweetly brought me tissues and gave me disposable heating pads to take home. I know most of these reviews are based in Georgia, but this doctor now practices in Durham, North Carolina within the Duke Medical System and the Durham reviews are completely bogus (and what I relied on previously) so here's a dose of the truth. Maintaining your sexual health and being an active, informed birth control user should NOT reduce you to tears, it should be empowering.

Dr. Arias performed a LEEP Procedure on me without anesthesia. It was excruciatingly painful! She misdiagnosed me with Cancer and recommended a hysterectomy. I had an OR Nurse with me and she could not communicate her surgical plan. She has a horrible bedside manner. The friend that recommended her to me simply wanted a woman to perform her surgery. Dr. Arias nicked her bowel and caused months of treatments.

Dr. Arias told me I would never be able to have children and that I should have a hysterectomy at 22. She told me that if I wanted to keep my uterus my only hope was a drug called Lupron. Google the side effects of Lupron on women and you'll know why I decided not to take it. Well... An extremely healthy pregnancy later, I have a beautiful and healthy baby girl. My current OB reviewed my op report and informed me that Dr. Arias was completely wrong in what she told me. I guess it always better to get a second opinion. Had I listened to her I would not have my daughter.

A few years ago I developed heavy bleeding and frequent periods beyond my norm. Dr. Arias discovered that I had polyps. She wanted to simply remove them. Unfortunately, I had a friend who'd had a hysterectomy who praised it to the skies, so I was insistent that since polyps sometimes grow back, I should just have my uterus removed and be done with it. (I was exhausted from the bleeding and periods and wanted to avoid other rounds of it.) She asked if I was sure and I said yes, and that was pretty much it. She did a vaginal removal, which is considered safer than going through the abdomen. I found after I'd recovered from the surgery that I was having great difficulty achieving orgasms (not a problem before), and further that my orgasms had severely changed to something much less satisfying and complete. When I mentioned this in the post-op appointment, Dr. Arias said "Yes, about 10 percent of the women report this as a side-effect to the surgery." I WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED KNOWING THAT… BEFORE THE SURGERY, BECAUSE IT WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE AFFECTED MY DECISION. I also discovered that I now have internal vaginal scarring that sometimes causes pain during intercourse. All in all, my sex life has been permanently altered, though I've done my best to compensate. Note to the doctor: be sure that your patients are informed of *all* potential side-effects before going ahead with a procedure... they don't know as much as you about them, and certainty on the patient's part may mean ignorance is at play.

Maria Arias has been my doctor for 20 years and I would not go to anyone else. I had female problems for 5 years and went to other Ob GYN Doctors. They could not find the problem till I went to see Maria Aries. I had a rare tumor on my ovaries, It was benign and she took it out with no big in-cessions. She called me that night at home to see how I was doing. Not once but twice. I have never had a Doctor do that. She listens and you do not have to feel like you are rushed out. I have never had to wait long for an appointment. The only time was when they try to fit you in. I would recommend this Doctor and have to all my friends and co workers. I would rate her a 10!!!!!!!!

I would not recommend Dr. Arias at all. I came in for an annual exam and wanted all std testing done. She tried to talk me out getting the tests that i wanted. She was rude and showed no compassion at all. She made me feel stupid for even asking. Its 2013 and I care about my sexual health and wanted to get tested for everything possible in part because I wanna make sure I don't have anything and also because I'm looking to start trying to have a child. She made me feel so bad and dumb I started crying. She did offer me a tissue so i guess that was nice of her. That visit honestly still haunts me to this day. I would never ever want to see this women again.