Magdy Girgis, MD

I will admit the wait sometimes is frustrating but Dr. Girgis is the best gyno I have ever had. I have had some health issues and each one of them was corrected and solved by Dr. G! I have been going to Dr. Girgis for about 21 years and I wouldn’t change doctors at all. Our medical insurance went up January 2015 from $ 220. to $ 550.00 and because of the great doctors I have I feel there is no price on my health!!!

Dr Girgis is great. He is very informative and caring. But this is my second visit and both times I have encountered rude staff at the window. They don’t acknowledge your exsistance until they absolutely have to. A quick hello can put me at ease and I don’t think that is asking to much. I will not lower Dr Girgis rating because of the front desk because once I get called in by his nurse the whole attitude changes from cold reception to being treated like a best friend.

in 2011, i went to see dr. girgis based on Unilocal reviews. he identified a condition that i had and immediately wanted to do surgery to fix the issue. unfortunately the surgery had some risks in terms of being able to carry a child full-​term. at the time, i had no children and didn’t want to take any risks to my body’s ability to carry a baby full-​term. when i presented this information to him, he dismissed my concerns and didn’t even look at other alternatives. he was so confident in his diagnosis that he gave me the results and told me to get a second opinion.
from a friend’s recommendation, i took my results and went to see another doctor. instead of immediately suggesting surgery, she listened to my concerns and helped me find an alternative that fixed the issue and did not have the same risks as the surgery. now three years later, the condition has not come back and i never had to go through that surgery that dr. girgis was so confident about.
bottom line: for some, his approach may work but i don’t want to see a doctor that doesn’t take the patient’s concerns into consideration. especially when it’s obvious, there are other alternatives.

Dr. Girgis is honestly the best doctor I have ever had. He is so understanding with his patients. Him and Maria are literally the best ever! I’ve tried several doctors around the bay area and I have yet to find someone as amazing as him. He is extremely patient and truly listens to his patients. If there was an award that patients can grant Dr. G, he would get it in my book. I hope he is around long enough when I plan to have my children one day!

I just saw Dr. Girgis and his nurse Maria last week. They are still great! I moved away from Oakland some time ago and I had started entertaining the thought of finding a new gyno, but I dragged my feet and I went in to see Dr. Girgis because I needed my annual check up. I am so happy I gave up on looking for a replacement. Dr. Girgis is so caring and patient. He is not judgemental and he listens to all of my concerns. Finding a good gynocologist that you are comfortable with and can speak openly to is just so difficul, but Dr. Girgis is just so easy to talk to. Maria is great too. She’s kind and she listens to your concerns… almost like calming you down before the examination.
I am not going to lie, there is a wait, but it never bothers me because Dr. Girgis deals with such sensitive issues that I can totally understand the extra time he spends with other patients. Although I can be a pretty impatient person, I honestly never complain or even think twice about the wait because he takes so much time with me. He never makes me feel like he is trying to rush me through to get to the next patient. I also love how responsive both Maria and Dr. Girgis are. They return calls when I have questions or concerns and never make me feel embarrased. Just one interesting thing that I appreciate… in every exam room at the office that I have been in since I have been seeing Dr. Girgis, there is a painting on the ceiling. It seems really odd and out of place, but once you are going through your examination, it is nice to have something to focus on other than the slight discomfort that you are experiencing. I will definitely be a patient of Dr. Girgis for years to come.

I’ve been to see Dr. Girgis three times. The first two visits, I really liked him. The third threw me a bit, and at this point I’m not sure I’ll return.
Pros: Good face time. Meets with new patients in his office so you’re not introducing yourself for the first time wearing a skimpy paper gown. Doesn’t feel rushed. Super-​nice nurse. Free valet parking.
Cons: wait times are long. I don’t really mind this as I assume they’re long because he’s doing important things like delivering babies.
The biggest con came during my last visit. Here’s the deal: I walk in, get weighed. Super-​nice nurse tells me my weight is her «goal weight.» I strip down, don the ever-​flattering gown and paper sheet, and wait. Dr. Girgis enters, does exam, we chat. He mentions that my weight is a problem because, in his words, I’ve gained 5 pounds since my exam a year ago, and if I continue at this rate, I’ll be 210 pounds in 10 years. While I’m not disputing his math, I am disputing that conclusion. Here’s the deal — I’m 5’7″ and weigh 160. I wear a size 8. I have been approximately this size since college, 10 years ago, as evidenced by the fact that I can still wear my jeans from that time. I told him I’d joined a gym six months prior and had been going 3 – 4 days a week. No dice — that might account for 1 – 2 pounds, according to him. What about the fact that all my jeans were fitting looser? Nope, no go there either — weight, not pants size, is what matters. (Yes, he said that.) Well, what about the fact that we’d spent the weekend visiting my cancer-​stricken mother, who was willing to eat if we were eating, but otherwise wasn’t putting anything in her mouth? Nope, surely that five pounds could NOT be attributed to post-​BBQ and frozen-​custard bloat.
He summed this conversation up by telling me that I needed to get a scale and «put it in front of the shower, where your options are to either stand on it or jump over it — and I don’t recommend jumping into the shower.» He then told me not to be mad at him. I’m not mad — but I have switched docs. I can’t imagine what the outcome would have been if he’d made these comments to someone with an eating disorder or a history of body image issues. Sheesh.

I needed a new gyn and picked this guy based on Unilocal reviews here. After my horrible experience, as embarrassing as it was, I feel compelled to share what happened, in case anyone else is picking a doctor based on the other reviews. I waited an hour to see him, and when I was called into his office (clothed, which I appreciate for a first meeting) he asked me how I had found him. I cited his high Unilocal reviews. He seemed surprised and said something to the effect of, «maybe you shouldn’t be trusting Unilocal reviews.» I didn’t know what to say!
He proceeded then to complement me on my good health history (also weird…) and begin harassing me about my method of birth control. He was pushing IUD’s, not listening when I tried to explain my concerns about IUD’s (especially mirena), and generally being inappropriately aggressive and judgmental. I tried to rattle off facts from research to assure him that I knew all about it, but he wouldn’t shut up. Finally, he got stern and warned me of the potential emotional impacts of abortion. WTF!!! SO inappropriate!
By then, I wanted to leave, but also wanted to finish the appt. I went to the exam room and waited. When he finally came in, everything proceeded very quickly… too quickly. Nobody wants to linger on the vaginal exam, so I was somewhat grateful, but then… he quickly mumbled that something unpleasant was about to happen and stuck his finger somewhere no gynecologist has been before! And I have had yearly exams for the last 17 years! I was shocked and horrified. I felt violated and angry.
He told me I could sit back up and started to talk to me again. I couldn’t look at him. After awhile he said something like, «you are displeased with me?» I wanted to just remain silent and leave, but I thought to myself, that if I didn’t say something, that I would regret it, and that other women would suffer. I told him I’d had many exams and never had that happen before. I told him how I felt. I told him that he needed to ask permission before he did that, that I didn’t see it coming, and that it wasn’t ok not to have warned me. He apologized half-​assedly and said it was what he was trained to do. I asked him what he might find from such an exam and he answered.
Now that I’ve researched the issue, I’ve found that some doctors do this exam and some don’t. That’s fine. What’s not okay is not giving warning and obtaining consent before proceeding.
Despite this unpleasant incident, Dr. Girgis went in for another round of shaming and judgment before I was able to leave. I’ve had gynos who were great, fine, and I didn’t care for, but I’ve never had such an awful experience as I did with Dr. Girgis. I will not return, obviously.

Huh. My experience was yes a very skilled experienced dr, but would not answer my questions, telling me to «stop that reading». Having gone on to try another couple of drs, I’m extra disappointed at the head patting I rec’d since based on a procedure I had repeated Girgis is light years beyond some of his younger colleagues.

I found him on Unilocal and he more than lived up to the expectations I had from the reviews I read. This man is very kind and he takes the time to talk to you in a really authentic empathic manner. He really covers everything you want to know and more. Answers all questions, great bedside manner, and down to earth. A+!!!

Dr. Girgis is kind, experienced and professional. A truly great doctor. He’ll tell you what he knows and doesn’t know. His office staff is awesome. A lot of people don’t know that he’s also become a go-​to guy for African women who’ve had circumcisions and all the problems that go with that too. Yes, you’ll often wait, but that’s because Dr. Girgis is probably spending time with a patient who really needs him.

The wait times in the office are out of control, but if you can stomach the uncomfortable chairs, this doctor really listens, takes great notes, and offers a lot of options. None of that «I’m your doctor and you will do exactly as I say» business. We discussed my concerns and experiences, and those factored in to the plan we devised. When I had a rabidly uncomfortable reaction to medication he prescribed, he was comfortable talking to me over the phone about it, and what steps we could take next, rather than making me come in and wait for an hour or more while I was miserable and in pain, just to find out what I already knew.
In the end, the problems I had when I sought him out weren’t anything he could help me with, but that’s not his fault. I was just following all leads I could to get to the bottom of my health problems.
Bonus points for being completely nonjudgmental about me being sterilized with no children. Some doctors in the past have had their delicate sensibilities all in a bunch over the thought that someone might not want children and might want to ensure they never have children.

Dr. Girgis came highly recommended by a friend who is a trauma surgeon. I had been with the same OB for 14 years. And, although he was a great surgeon and 5 miles away from home, I had problems communicating with him when I ended up with some issues.
I switched to Dr. Girgis 2 years ago which resulted in a 90 minute round trip drive just to get to an appointment. Dr. Girgis was worth it – I am so glad I made the switch! Dr. Girgis has been in business for years so is very experienced. As others have mentioned, he spends quality time with every patient, he is very knowledgeable and, he is not patronizing. I feel so much more comfortable completely understanding what is going on with my own body so I can make educated decisions and choose my own options. I do not mind waiting to see him. And his nurse Maria is so nice too.
The peace of mind is worth the drive and extra time!

I have been a patient of Dr. Girgis’ for over 15 years now. He has seen me through difficulty getting pregnant, 2 births, 2 miscarriages and a divorce! He even came in on his day off to be with me when I miscarried. to say that he is compassionate would be an understatement. He is caring, knowledgeable and his only focus is on the patient he is with. He runs late because he really takes him time — something I am more than willing to live with. I moved out of the area 12 years ago and still commute to see him. I can not say enough about how much I admire him for both the medical care he provides as well as the compassion he shows each and every visit.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Girgis for over ten years. He did one surgery for me, too. He is first rate in every way. He takes time, listens well and cares about your overall well-​being, not just your reproductive tract!

Although the time of my appointment never seems to actually be the time I go in, Dr. Girgis has always been accommodating especially when I didn’t have health insurance.
He is gentle and to the point.
Finally, a gyno I can stand.

I chose to see Dr. Girgis with a little trepidation because there was only 1 review about him (even though it was glowing, I like to see a few to get a well rounded perspective). The clincher though was that the office could fit me in right away and I had a situation that needed immediate attention. Boy, am I glad I made that decision.
I think my time with Dr. Girgis was about the best medical encounter I have ever had. He took an incredible amount of time to just sit in his office with me before the exam and discuss my family health history and my current concerns. He is kind, caring, and engaged, but also very honest and straight forward. His exam was thorough and he even brought me back to his office afterwards to discuss what he found during the exam and set up a plan for my future visits and care. I have literally never felt like I was in such good medical hands.
It’s not always easy to find good doctors and this one is exceptional.