Berkeley Parents Network: East Bay Perinatal

Berkeley Parents Network

East Bay Perinatal

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Health & Medical > ObGyns > East Bay Perinatal

Dec 2006

HI, I'm wondering if anyone can share their recent experience with any staff at East Bay ob/gyn medical associates. I'am looking for an OB for a high risk pregnancy. All the postings are rather old. Any info, good or bad is very much appreciated! anon

I loved East Bay Perinatology Medical group...I went to the office in San Ramon. I saw Dr. Weiss. Did not like so much Dr. DiPalma, but the other MDs that I saw while in the hospital were excellent. Overall, good. They have another office in Oakland that I went to once. They deliver at alta bates. The NICU there is terrific (if you need it) sue

Nov 2005

Dr. Johnathan Weiss East Bay Perinatal for CVS prodedure
I have decided to have a CVS test done and Johnathon Weiss is the only Dr. who seems to provide this for women within the East Bay Perinatal /Alta Bates Medical Group. I haven't been able to find out much about him and am very nervous. Other friends and doctors have recommended Jim Goldberg at CPMC in SF but my insurance won't cover him. I'd love to hear more about Dr. Weiss.

I was in your position this summer. I had had a CVS for my first child two years ago at CPMC with Dr. Goldberg, who appears to be universally regarded at THE guy for CVS in the Bay Area. We have since moved to the East Bay, and with my second pregnancy (and insurance with Alta Bates Medical Group) I went to Dr. Weiss in Aug. for a CVS for my second child. I, too, was concerned about the skill and experience of the physician who would be performing the procedure, and we really grilled my OB about Dr. Weiss. We were prepared to pay out of pocket to go to Dr. Goldberg if necessary, but my OB, whom I trust, urged us to save the money and put it towards our kids' education (his words.)

I was worried up until and through the procedure that perhaps we had made the wrong decision. In retrospect, at CPMC they clearly perform many, many more invasive diagnostic procedures on a daily basis than at the East Bay Perinatal group. It is just obvious by the # of staff and patients cycling through the office. Dr. Goldberg is wonderful, funny and very reasuring. Having said that, for my second CVS, Dr. Weiss seemed equally competent and had a great ''bedside manner.'' I think he does enough CVS procedures to be well skilled; it was just clear that CVS for them isn't a large percentage of what they do routinely. (For example, the nurse/tech had to go back to his office to get the equipment to perform the procedure...it seemed odd that the tools were stored in his office.)

My procedure was uneventful and quick, I had no bleeding or cramping following the procedure, and I had the results (all good) back in 6 days (they had estimated 7-10.) So I would feel comfortable recommending Dr. Weiss, although given the choice (at no additional cost) I would choose Dr. Goldberg.

I had a CVS with Dr. Weiss about 3 months ago and it was as painless and comfortable as this procedure can be. (I was going to say it was great, but that seems a little odd considering what happens.)

He seemed very experienced and professional, and not only was he very gentle and explained everything he planned to do (and calmly informed us of his process when he ran into a difficulty), but I was surprised to see he was wearing hospital bracelets: his wife had twins that morning and he came in to take care of my CVS anyway. What a guy, I was really impressed. And no cramping afterwards at all.

It was a huge contrast to my first CVS at a big hospital in the city. Maybe I got him on a bad day, but while the (well known) doctor radiated competence and professionalism, he was neither gentle nor informative. I had a lot of cramping immediately afterwards and was laid up for the full 48 hours. When some guy is sticking a very, very large needle that close to your baby, it makes a big difference (or at least it did to me). Jenna ------------------------------------------- Dr. Weiss did my CVS about 6 months ago and he was pleasant, professional, quick and seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Given that he is one of few if not the only doctor doing CVSs in the East Bay, that means he does a lot of them, which is what you want. The nurse there was nice and professional too. kw ------------------------------------------- Dr. Weiss performed my CVS last September. All went well. I can't say it was the most enjoyable medical procedure of my life -- I'd gotten myself in a fair tizzy about the risks of it, although I remained confident that it was the right choice for us for a number of reasons. I was also disappointed that my insurance didn't permit me to see Goldberg, and that was part of what went into my anxiety about the procedure. At the appointment time, East Bay Perinatal will first have you meet with a genetic counselor, who will go over what the procedure involves, what you can and can't learn from it, what the alternatives are, what the risks are, etc. I'd already extensively researched it myself and gone over it all with my OB, so this was a little unnecessary for me (and more than a little strange that they do it all right when you're there for the appointment, but I understand why they do it). It did have the effect of making my husband quite nervous, since he hadn't done all the reading and research I'd done ahead of time, and it was a little upsetting to me to have him suddenly sitting there and saying ''are you sure this is the right thing?'' (I know I'm veering away from sharing an experience that was unique to Dr. Weiss, but I hope this is still useful)

Then, the procedure itself was *remarkably* quick and painless. The most uncomfortable part about it was the speculum (and I will say that about Dr. Weiss -- he needs to learn some better speculum manners. Although it might also be part and parcel of the procedure, since they really do have to crank it open, I guess). You get a nice long u/s before the procedure, and then the procedure itself lasted all of about 30 seconds -- which is also about how long Dr. Weiss was in the room, so don't expect handholding. I didn't have any spotting or cramping at all, and we got a message one week later from the testing lab to ''call for some good news.''

Bottom line, I would do it with East Bay Perinatal again for another pregnancy. I loved having the results that early in my pregnancy. Good luck to you! Anne

East Bay Perinatal - Amnio by Dr. Mitra

Sept 2005

I found out that I am a carrier for Canavan's Disease and am not sure I can get the donor screened (quickly or at all). I have decided to have an Amnio to see if the baby has the disease. Does anyone have feedback on Dr. Mitra at East Bay Perinatal, or East Bay Perinatal Amnio's in general. They say their risk for miscarriage is 1 in 200, versus the national average of 1%. If you have any Jewish ancestry I highly recommend genetic testing before you get pregnant, so you don't face this issue. Thanks, Anna

I saw Dr. Mittra in April of this year when I was pregnant with my twins. I was going to East Bay Perinatal on a monthly basis just as a precaution and ended up seeing him the day I found out the amniotic fluid was low on Twin A (turned out to be nothing at all). Having never met him before this time, I found his style to be very abrupt. He did not answer any of my questions, he did not explain why he was putting me on ''modified'' bedrest and, after consulting with my ob-gyn, he made me much more concerned than I needed to be. I was also very upset when I found out that the fluid was low and he basically told me ''not to cry about it''. To sum it up, I would not recommend Dr. Mittra to anyone. I WOULD highly recommend Dr. Marinoff who has a wonderful way with his patients and is very reassuring. Good luck! dms

I have a experience with Dr. Mitra. During my amnio he detected an irregular heart beat. He gave me very little comfort and information beyond that it ''could lead to heart failure'' and I should come in to see him again in 6 weeks. I know now that irregular heart beats are very common and often self correct as I experienced with my baby. He told me about the heart right before sticking the needle in for the amnio. I cried afterwards and he gave me no comfort. In fact, when I asked how to learn more about the heart condition he replied ''the internet'' and left the room. I hope you can avoid him... Sadie

Amniocentesis at East Bay Perinatal

Sept 2005

I've got an appointment next week for an amnio at East Bay Perinatal (formerly Alta Bates Perinatal?) on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland. I'm 35 and will be starting week 16 of pregnancy the day of the procedure. The doctor that is currently scheduled for the amnio is Dr. David Marinoff. Any info about this guy? Did he seem very experienced/competent, etc.? I know the risk for a miscarriage w/ amnio is relatively small (I don't know the exact rate for East Bay Perinatal, but I hear the national average is something like 1 in 200); it's just that I had a miscarriage w/ my prior pregnancy, so I'm trying to be cautious. Thanks for any help/advice you can give.

FYI- the risk for miscarriage is based on the office and doctor's ratio performing the amnio. Ask the doctor what his ratio is as that will ease your mind a bit more. Also, remember the amnio is completely elective (you don't HAVE to have one just b/c you're over 34)-- if you don't have a high risk for any issues (based on your sonograms and/or MSAFP, which btw has a 90% false positive rate) and you aren't comfortable with the procedure, you don't have to do it! LogicalMama

I don't know if you can change your amnio appointment, but if you can, I would go to Cal Pacific's clinic in San Francisco. I had a CVS last year, and can recommend the doctor and the staff there very highly (sorry, I don't remember his name). My OB/GYN recommended that I go to San Francisco for the CVS because she said the doctors at UCSF and Cal Pacific all have more experience (and therefore a lower miscarriage rate) than the doctors she would recommend in the East Bay. Lori

Hello, I totally understand you being cautious about having an amino. I had a scary experience with mine, the tech didn't have the right syringe when Dr. Marinoff was ready to do the draw. Dr. Marinoff was great, very patient and comforting for me. The next morning, I had a lot of cramping and spotting and feared that there were problems, I called and spoke to Dr. Marinoff - he asked a lot of questions and we decided to just hang out at home and if it got worse to go straight to hospital. He then called me back in the afternoon even though the office closed at noon since it was Christmas eve. Everything worked out fine for me! :) anon

We had our amniocentisis done at Alta Bates four years ago so it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure that the doctor who did it was Marinoff. We were very happy with him. He was very competent and also very personable and supportive, willing to answer all our questions and address our anxieties. I have heard that the national average for miscarriages from amnio is 1 in 200 but the average for Alta Bates is more like 1 in 400 because they are so specialized. Good luck

Dr. Marinoff was the perinatologist present when trisomy 13 was diagnosed in our 12 week old fetus. He was very empathetic in delivering such horrible news. He performed an ultrasound during this pregnancy to confirm the ultrasound diagnosis, which was unfortunately correct. He was also my wife's perinatologist for her subsequent pregnancy (which ended up being high risk) and he was always extremely cautious. My wife was induced two weeks early as evidence suggested that the fetus may be IUGR. In the end my wife gave birth (delivered by our midwife and a great nurse) to a healthy boy. Through it all Dr. Marinoff was always deeply interested in our and our child's wellbeing. If there's a doctor to see in that group, it's him. Good luck. jonah

Dr. Marinoff is terrific. He performed multiple amnios on me, due to a triplet pregnancy and a complication around the birth. He is knowledgeable, caring, compassionate and... well... I can't say enough. Email me if you want to know more. Isabelle

Aug 2005

I recommend Mickey Adams at East Bay Perinatal. She did my amniocentesis as well as a nuchal translucency test. I was nervous about these procedures and made sure to find a perinatologist who is highly experienced and well regarded by her colleagues. Dr. Adams came highly recommended by my OB (Dr. Lanner Cusin) In addition, my husband, who is a surgeon in the East Bay, asked around and found that she was well regarded among other physicians. Finally, she did her residency in Texas at one of the busiest OB units in the country, and has practiced here in the East Bay for more than 15 years, which means she is highly experienced at performing perinatal procedures. My personal experience was that Dr. Adams seemed calm and very comfortable performing the procedure, and my amnio hardly hurt at all. rani

As a follow-up on the Mickey Adams recommendation - she is no longer at East Bay Perinatology, reportedly she has moved to Highland Hospital. anon

April 2002

Re: Doctors who do CVS
I had my CVS in the fall of 1999. My midwife (Hsiu-Li Cheng of East Bay um, Obstetrics? down the hall from EB Perinatal) sent me to Dr. Weiss for the CVS. After I made the appointment, I asked what his miscarriage rate was. It was slightly higher than the average rates I'd found online. I also asked how often he did CVS procedures and when he was trained. He had been trained 8 years earlier and did 1-2 per month. I was not comfortable with that. Fortunately, my insurance (HealthNet through Hill Physicians medical group) covered going to UCSF to have the procedure done. Dr. Musci, who did my procedure, had been trained 3 years previously, and was doing SEVEN CVS procedures *that* *day*. I was much more comfortable with that. He was very gentle and it was relatively quick and painless. My son is perfect. :) Jennie

I had an amnio with Dr. Weiss and I found him to be personable and professional. It took only a few minutes and really was no big deal.even though the needle is real large. He has a good reputation. I also understand that Perinatologists are hard to come by. I do not know why. Leslie

I had a CVS last year. I was referred to Dr. Weiss at EBPerinatal and went to genetic counseling and a meeting with Dr. Weiss. I was surprised to learn that EB Perinatal only did approximately 30 of these procedures a year (at least that's what the counselor told us when we asked--it may have changed since then). We expected (hoped) to hear it was much more routine. After some research, we learned that the top Dr. in the Bay area for CVS ( and seemingly the top place too) was Dr. Mary Norton UCSF. Supposedly, Dr. Norton learned from the Dr who brought CVS to teh Bay area. At UCSF, they did approximately 30 a week (again this was over a year ago). We also learned that they had a .5 % of problems (this includes miscarriage) compared to a higher than 1% rate at EBPerinatal. Even though, this was our second baby, I had miscarried prior to the birth of my first baby--so we were incredible concerned about not causing a problem by getting a CVS. I expressed this to Dr. Weiss, who I'm sure is perfectly competent, but he wasn't all that sensitive, and suggested that a CVS would be no more uncomfortable than a Pap smear (it always ruffles my feathers to hear this from a man anyway--since I've had some doozies in terms of Pap smears!) Anyway, the bottom line is that we went to UCSF, (see UCSF recommendations for the rest of this review.)

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