This exam was the most painful. She didn't talk a lot or really connect to me. I had to raise my voice and say stop because the way she was conducting the exam was so painful. She seemed indifferent to my pain. Even though it was my first meeting ever with her, she didn't seem to interested in my health. She did ask about my job, what I did, etc. But not much about health. I guess things have changed in the past few years. :(

Dr. Soma is Excellent!

She made sure to ask me about everything pertinent about my pregnancy & to check if there were any new concerns. Friendly & personable.

Dr. Soma is the best! she is caring & thoughtful and gives great advice.

Over the last few years, I have shared my anxiety about pregnancy with Dr. Soma due to a pre-existing condition. I left my recent visit even more anxious and scared. She had not reviewed the notes from the specialist I saw and did not adequately address the concern I raised about their mentioning of the possibility of needing to have a trach during pregnancy. What was most upsetting was that DURING the pelvic exam, Dr. Soma listed numerous complications of getting pregnant and gave me the impression that it was a poor decision for me to get pregnant because my advanced maternal age increased the risk my baby would have genetic abnormalities and I would likely face infertility struggles and that my weight would cause me to develop diabetes and other pregnancy complications. Given that I have been consumed with thoughts/concerns about getting pregnant for years, I am well-aware of these risks, yet I had no opportunity to process the emotional burden of what I was being told in an incredibly vulnerable position (while I was quite literally trying not to pass out). The interaction ended with a yes/no question, "Do you have any questions about all that?" (to which almost every patient will say, "no") instead of an opportunity to address the rush of emotions I was feeling in that moment or get reassurance that people like me can also have healthy pregnancies. This conversation should've occurred before or after the pelvic exam and not while I was in a gown, laying on my back, receiving an uncomfortable pelvic exam. I have a PhD in health communication, I am faculty at a medical school, I teach trauma-informed care, and I left our visit in tears feeling incredibly vulnerable, dismissed, and defeated. I would recommend that this practice consider requiring trauma-informed care education for the clinicians to ensure this does not happen in the future.

Dr. Soma is a wonderful listener and always gives great advice.

I had been experiencing a lot of troubling symptoms. Dr. Soma took care to document each one, explain what I could do to mitigate them, promptly ordered the appropriate tests, and explained clearly what I needed to monitor (symptom-wise) and what was okay. I felt heard and went away with more confidence in how to handle my health concerns.

After failing the 1 hour glucose test, it would have been nice if the provider came back into the room to describe next steps, rather than the nurse/assistant telling me I failed and simply handing me a paper with instructions for the 3-hour. Some patients take this news seriously and have follow-up questions in cases like these. In addition, if I mentioned having perinatal depression/anxiety at an earlier appointment, normally I would expect the provider to follow up on this issue during subsequent visits. Luckily, my personal situation has improved and I have fewer symptoms, but I was surprised this was not brought up during the visit.

I love Dr. Soma. She is very professional and kind.

Dr. Soma was thoughtful, thorough, and very patient.