Dr. Sandra Rose Petersen, MD

I only go to see the Rn Rachel for yearly appointments. Saw Dr. Peterson for one visit and told her my symptoms that appeared to be looking like menopause coming on so I asked for a hormone test. She snapped, "Well unless you are going to take hormone replacements it's really kind of a waste. Are you planning on taking any?" I was bewildered because I didn't know the answer to that question since, isn't she the who should advise me on the pros and cons? So I said, "I'm not sure?" "It's just the symptoms of menopause so you'll just have to get through it", then out the door she went. So over the next couple of years I had symptoms that got worse, but of course I was told this is just the change and would have to tolerate it till it is up. I started getting rapid heart racing and other symptoms so I decided to go to my primary doctor. He asked if my gynecologist had checked my hormones yet? I told him the experience I had and she said that was the first thing she should have done.… That many signs that seem like menopause, are really not. He drew some blood and the end of the story is, I had extreme hyperthyroidism to the point where I had to have it treated through radioactive iodine. All those years suffering and she could have and should known that a test would have been the basic test for anyone that she suspected was in the first stages of menopause so she would have ruled out any other diagnosis. So now I only go there because of Rachel and wonderfully warm approach to women's healthcare. SHe is the best things about Dr. Peterson's practice!

I've been a patient of Dr. Petersen's for over 17 years. She is an amazing doctor. She helped me give birth to two beautiful, healthy children. I had an emergency c-section with my first child (son) and Dr. Petersen took care of everything perfectly. Thanks to her compentence and caring, my son was born healthy and is now 14 years old. She also performed a c-section for my daughter, who was also born healthy 12 years ago. I would highly recommend Dr. Petersen!

I was referred to Dr. Petersen for OB care during my second pregnancy. I actually didn't have a chance to meet with the doctor until my appointment at 24 weeks because she was out on leave. The office staff at the front desk was always very professional and cheerful, but the nurses were always gruff and unenthusiastic. At my very first appointment (before doing any sort of physical exam or requesting any tests at all... and I was in optimal, perfect health) I was told that I had to immediately stop breastfeeding my current son while I was handed a sample bag full of infant formula coupons (a claim I can't find supported by any medical research or any board certified lactation consultant I've ever spoken with). I continued to be totally harrassed about breastfeeding at each and every follow-up visit, even though all my lab work continued to come back absolutely perfect. At my first appointment I was also pretty much scolded for having my first son delivered by a midwife at Kaiser… hospital in San Diego and given a mini-lecture about the practice's views on midwifery (they don't like it) and on malpractic insurance (which I found to be totally inappropriate). They finally dropped the subject with "Well....I hope you at least got an epidural" - which really cautioned me that they might not be supportive of my desire to have a natural, med-free birth (even though I was in perfect health, runnning 30 miles a week before my pregnancy, and had an absolutely perfect, complication-free labor & delivery the first time around). After one of my appointments, the nurse had forgotten to order one of my labs. They called me at work and told me I had to come in immediately for extra bloodwork and asked me to show up at 12:00. I got there only to discover that the lab on-site where they wanted me to have my blood drawn was closed from 12:00 -1:00 every day for lunch. Scheduling appointments with the office was always very easy - but even when I took the first appointment of the day (which I often requested), they were always running at least 15 minutes behind. When I finally met the doctor, she wasn't very friendly. When she discovered I was expecting a second son her response was, "poor you" in a very dry tone. While that's probably just her sense of humor, I felt it was totally unprofessional given that she hadn't yet reviewed my chart to determine if I'd had any past depression issues or pregnancy-related depression or anxiety. I'm sure there are some women who may have been really upset by that comment coming from a medical professional if they were experiencing any level of anxiety about the sex of their baby. The only question I asked during my appointment was if she'd like me to start kick counts before my next appointment. She said no. And although at the end of the appointment I said, "Great! Thanks! It was so nice to meet you." she just walked out of the room without saying goodbye. Surprising. Anyway -- I've heard great things about her and I'm sure she's great at delivering babies -- but if you want to feel like a partner in your own health and medical care, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. Especially when you're looking for someone to help guide you though such a deeply emotional, amazing process as labor & delivery of a child. At 28 weeks I eventually made the decision to transfer to a practice that I felt was much more family friendly and truly celebrated the birthing process. Dr. Petersen seems to be the right fit for many patients - but if you're like me and are looking for an OB practice that you feel is more supportive of breastfeeding (especially tandem-breastfeeding), natural birth or demonstrating that they genuinely value the experience of childbirth beyond just the medical process, it might be worth your while to keep looking.

Dr. Petersen is great! Not to mention her staff. I love going to see her, yes she might be a bit dry but get to know her and she is super funny and charming. She also knows her stuff. She delivered 1 set if twins in 08 and a singleton in 09 and I still go see her for my f/u. She cares about you and your baby will do anything to help you. I love how honest and straigh forward she is, it might be hard on some people but she is there to do her job.

Dr. Petersen delivered both my daughters and continues to by my OBGYN. Her dry sense of humor and practical manner gave me confidence when pregnant and full of fears about the health of my babies (down syndrome, etc.). When delivery time came both baby #1 and three years later baby #2 had sudden drops in heart rate she remained calm and simply gave me oxygen, slowed the delivery. Both girls are healthy and I didn't have to have a c-section with either. I think her experience in deliveries allowed us to do a much more healthy delivery.

This doctor does not have a good bedside manner. Overlooked my labs and was not current on research.