I'm shocked to see the low star ratings from people, but reading them, I think they're focusing on the wrong issues. The doctors at Commonwealth OB-Gyn are truly life savers. They delivered my 2 children and kept me safe despite some concerns. They gave me all the information I needed without scaring me and led me to make the right decisions in a respectful manner that didn't employ scare tactics or coercion. Every single time I've needed them I have received prompt return phone calls... sure they've taken time to get back to me on less important questions before but I have full faith it was because they were helping a patient with a more urgent need. (I had a weird insurance question that took a few weeks to resolve but I had an allergic reaction to a medication once and you can bet they returned my phone call in under 30 seconds!) You can sort out a billing issue... You can sort out your random prescription issue... you can walk down the hall for a drink of water... You CANNOT get back your life or your child's life. I cannot recommend Commonwealth OB-Gyn highly enough. read more

Woman on the phone had to be one of the rudest front desk people I've ever spoken to. Coming from a healthcare worker to someone in healthcare, you treat people with more sensitivity than that. read more

I'm very surprised with the negative reviews here. I've been with Commonwealth OB-GYN for ten years, four children, and one miscarriage. Two of my kids are twins and we went through some fairly intense issues. Through all of this, the entire Commonwealth team was amazing! Not once did I feel not properly taken care of or treated less than with exceeding warmth and care. With the twins, I had a procedure scheduled, but my husband had to take one of my other kids to the ER, so I was on my own and scared witless. Dr Leigh, heavily pregnant herself, and in between deliveries on the wards, held my hand through the whole thing. I can't say enough good things about the whole crew at Commonwealth OB-GYN. read more

Very unpleasant and unprofessional OBGYN practice. They run over 30 minutes to 1 hour behind for my appointments. Even during a first pregnancy, they come in the room and ask if you have questions and don't do any exam or give you an overview of what to expect or avoid. When taking urine specimens, they give you a dixie cup without a lid and have you write your name on the specimen with the sharpie. I am switching doctors. I expected much more from this practice. read more

I was originally pleased with Dr. Lacy when meeting her, she was kind, patient, and informative. Being my first pregnancy I had a lot of questions. Before my third appointment I had needed some medical advice regarding medication I was prescribed in urgent care.I called and left messages 3 times on 1 day. A week later the doctor called and said I heard you had a question please call me back. In the interim I had sought medical advise from my PC who was more than happy to help. This left me feeling scared, luckily this wasn't a serious emergency. On my fourth visit I expressed to Dr. Lacy my concerned of an emergency and the response time from any staff member to help. She assured me this was an uncommon to not receive a timely response and apologized . She explained that I took all the right steps contacting the practice; it was a one time mistake. Unfortunately I was admitted to the ER at a non affiliated hospital.Luckily my baby was safe; but still needed confirmation from my OB that the care plan for me was safe during pregnancy, and I needed and approval for the medication I was waiting to take that was prescribed from the ER. I called the morning I was discharged around 10 am, again at 2pm to follow up and and needed a approval for a medication that was critical to my healing. I urgently described this in my message. it's 4 days later and again I have not heard from anyone. I would expected a curiosity phone call, checking me even if I didn't call with help and questions that I stayed in my messages were urgent!! To me as a first time mom this is unacceptable. I don't trust this practice with myself, how can I trust enough to deliver with them. Extra stress on my body is unnecessary and stress for the baby. A simple phone call could have solved the whole problem. I do feel like this practice is does not care about the patients just telling you what you like to hear and rushing you in and out for your money. read more

Dr. O'Connor is the best, she takes her time with you and makes sure that your problems are answered and fixed and makes going to the gynecologist not so bad, because it's not exactly the most pleasant appointment to go to. She knows all the most up to date health and information and helped me find birth control that worked best for me and follows up appropriately. I travel all the way from CT to see her because she was my doctor here and I followed her to the new practice. Can't wait for her to be there on my journey of having babies in the future! The phone staff I talked to was also very pleasant and helped navigate me to give all my demographics with a service then make my appointment after. read more

I'm midway into my third trimester and have had nothing but positive experiences with this office. Highlights: -Ridiculously efficient office. RIDICULOUS. I get there, check in, and before I've had a chance to sit down, the medical assistant is calling my name to do my weight. I have literally never opened up a magazine in their waiting room. -Relatively flexible scheduling. My wife comes with me to virtually all appointments, and managing two work schedules is tough! I've been very pleased with the ability to get appointments in the 9 am hour or later in the afternoon to facilitate our commutes. -I really like that the office promotes rotating among the different doctors. There are five docs (all women now -- some reviews mention a male doctor, but he must have left), and they encourage me to schedule my different check ins with different docs so that I have a chance to meet them all. I love that! This way, when I deliver, the doc is guaranteed to be a familiar face. -Great IT. I love that everything is digital and that the medical assistant is on an ipad and the docs are on macbook airs. The practice feels young and "with it," which I appreciate. I'll post an updated review later once I've met each doc. My primary is Dr. Pettyjohn and we've been extremely happy with her -- she is relaxed, chill, and informative. I've also really enjoyed Dr. Marsh. My main beef with the practice is that they don't have a website! It's really frustrating not to be able to see the doc's names and faces together, or to be able to easily look up contact information. read more

If there was an option to review less than one star that is what I would review this place. I accompanied my wife to a fairly important GYN appointment at this place, and left completely appalled by the service we've received. We were seen by Dr Evelyn Marsh who was extremely rude as soon as she entered the room. On top of being extremely insensitive to the situation we were experiencing, she repeatedly made rude comments to my wife. We have contacted the HR department for Brigham & Womens to report what she has said, as it was that bad. Overall, I don't know much about this practice (but Brigham is supposed to be the best). However, Dr Evelyn Marsh is extremely insensitive, rude, and very unprofessional. read more

The one doctor I saw seemed to have no idea how to deal with patients with trauma, and I find that to be very concerning considering many women go through similar traumatic experiences. They ordered me an ultra sound and did not inform the ultrasound practice about my trauma and anxiety. Plus, this was after I told them I had had previous negative experiences with gynos. Extremely disappointed. read more

If you like inefficient prescription refills and shady practices, this is the doctor's office for you. I've been going to Dr. Pettyjohn, my gynecologist, for about 2 years now, and I don't think I've ever succeeded in getting a prescription sent on time to any pharmacy I've used. I use a mail order prescription company (Express Scripts) and this office is either technologically retarded or just hates having to do 1 minute of extra work (faxing a 3-month prescription) to satisfy the needs of their patients, i.e., me. I have called the office and given them the Express Scripts fax number to send over my prescription, and they generally never fax it in. Such that I call back frantic several days later because I get told by Express Scripts that they never received a prescription, so I have to fill it through a local pharmacy (which is more expensive not to mention inconvenient....come on, that's why I do mail-order!) Or, the receptionist sighs when I give her the mail order fax number, as if this is so much harder of a task than calling a pharmacy and waiting on hold for 5 minutes. The tipping point was when I called 2 days ago to request a refill of my birth control. I was told over the phone that I am less than 1 month overdue for my annual exam. I explained that I recently moved to Colorado, and will not be able to come in for the exam. She responded that she would probably not be able to give me a prescription refill because I'm overdue for an exam. I replied, "But I moved, and I don't have a new doctor yet." She said "well maybe she'll fill this for you (i.e. Dr. Pettyjohn). I'll call it in and you should have it filled tomorrow." I gave her my pharmacy information. Two days later, I call my pharmacy, and the order isn't there. Shady. I have never had a problem getting any of my doctors to fill a prescription, even when I'm overdue for an annual exam. This is just a shady way of making sure patients come back so that the office gets paid. In doing so, you're hurting your customers (patients) - and making them never want to come back. Clearly I didn't learn my lesson 6 months ago when Dr. Pettyjohn withheld my birth control prescription until I scheduled a follow-up visit after a test. I was angry then, but stayed with her office because it was inconvenient to find a new doctor. Ladies, please leave if you have these same problems. IMO, it's unethical for a doctor to refuse a necessary medication when a patient is unable to see her doctor for ANY reason. There are WAY better practices out there, and trust me, I'll find one that doesn't blackmail me for my pills. :) Lastly -- I blame you, Commonwealth OB/GYN and Dr. Pettyjohn, for this PMS. read more

Dr. Ackerman and the other doctors in the practice are wonderful. They open each visit with my questions and answer them carefully and thoughtfully. Referred my husband and me to a good genetic counselor. On the big day Dr. Ackerman walked me through my labor decisions patiently and respectfully. I ended up having a c-section and the healing wasn't bad. Very concealed scar. read more

I've been coming here for about two years now, and I've only ever had good experiences. I see Dr. Pettyjohn, who is very prompt, nice and has a great bedside manner while still being professional. I've never had to wait longer than ten minutes in the waiting room, and I'm always out of there very quickly. If you are looking for a new gynecologist or OBGYN practice, I definitely recommend Commonwealth and Dr. Pettyjohn. read more

Dr. Ackerman monitored my wife's first pregnancy. She is an excellent doctor. The group is great, too. I am only writing this review to respond to the above comment. Parking isn't a "pain". It's expensive at the 1 Brookline Place garage, but not a "pain". There is free parking on Pond Ave (and in the park), and there are always spots. It is a 5-10 minute walk to Commonwealth OBGYN, depending on how fast you walk and the lights. read more

I came to my last doctor with pain and he completely ignored it. After three visits, he neglected to find the endometriosis or fluid in my fallopian tube that Dr. Pettyjohn found on the first visit. The process was quick, prompt, and I was able to get all of my tests and ultrasounds done the same day. The ultrasound, visit, and blood work that I needed took less than 3 hours. I also really enjoy that copies of your medical documents are kept online (if you opt-in for it). I highly recommend Dr. Pettyjohn and almost didn't want to post this review -- I kind of want to keep her to myself. However, I just finished blasting my last obygn and you gotta balance your bad reviews with good ones. read more

My daughter and I have been seeing Jessica Euler, NP at Commonwealth for three years and we really love her. We would give her 5 stars. Unfortunately, the receptionist/billing manager, Diane, is not competent and every experience we've had with her has been negative. She doesn't seem to have a grasp on technology and client service seems to be the least of her concerns. Recently her lack of care resulted in my old insurance being billed, my address not being updated in their records and my bill being sent to collections. I have spoken to her manager about this, but the behavior and attitude remain unchanged. I am hoping that Jessica will leave this practice and join another. read more

Overall I my experience at this practice was a let down. I had my first baby with these ladies. I had my apprehensions throughout the process but remained with the practice because it was convenient. Looking back I wish I had not. Some of the doctors here project a caring bedside manner and some do not. Some are better trained and better educated than others in the practice as well. When I delivered luck was not on my side and I did not end up with the better doctors. I saw the doctor who delivered me for a minimal amount of time. Towards the end she turned into a football coach becoming stern and yelling directives at me. Finally, she plainly stated, that at the 3 hour mark (pushing) I would have to get a c-section. This was never talked about in our office visits and birth plans were not encouraged (reluctantly I was told I could have one if I wanted). Anyways, it felt out of the blue, threatening, and scary. There are other annoyances that came with being a patient at this office and the labor story had other problems as well. I just wanted to get out the basic idea and let some of you know this was not even an average experience in my case. read more

Dr. Ackerman is okay for routine matters. I find the rest unprofessional. With a history of early preterm labor and unknown cause she suggested I have the option to think about progesterone cream only. Went through a miscarriage, my first. Didn't know what was happening. I kept calling them back and she finally called me 4 days later, seemed annoyed. Switched doctors and am much happier. They did a much thorough examination and testing, was put on progesterone shots, which later found out are much more effective for preterm labor, and had a great pregnancy but I don't think it would have gone that way if I had stayed here. They've also been working on their website for 3 years now. Seriously? You need to research who the other doctors on the team that might deliver your baby are. If you have had issues priorly and don't feel comfortable with a rookie you need to look into this ahead of time. That's another reason I left at the time. read more

I'm also surprised about negative reviews here. We dealt with several doctors from Commonwealth OB-Gyn over the course, and we never had even a feeling they were not competent or anything. They left very good impression. I would recommend these guys. read more

I'm honestly shocked to see any bad review about this practice. After two miscarriages, I came to Commonwealth early in my 3rd pregnancy. I received nothing but the best care here and loved all the doctors I met with. I will second that the wait time is ridiculously short for a greater Boston medical office. And having the ultrasound facility in the same building was a major plus. Along with the usual pregnancy questions and concerns, the office never made me feel uncomfortable for calling about the slightest thing. When I had a complication late in my pregnancy, these doctors were on top of it. I think I saw 3 of them over the course of 2 days in B&Ws and each was responsive, kind, helpful, and put my mind at ease through that difficult experience. The delivery was managed very well and both Dr. Ackerman and Pettyjohn were present as luck would have it. I have nothing bad to say about this practice and am looking forward to seeing them again soon with number 2! read more

It is surprising to see those few good reviews here on Yelp. My experience was quite different and surprisingly bad. I have been to the Commonwealth OBGYN four times in total. Every time there has been a problem. It is really hard to build up any kind of trust in this place. The first time: lt was my first time to meet the doctor( Dr Ashley Ackerman). Everything seems to be rosy and fine, so l decided to stay with this practice. However, the upcoming experience gradually chipped away my trust in this practice. I had very bad cough and morning sickness and even abnormal weight gain starting from the 8 weeks. I called the nurse line 3 times. They couldn't care less and didn't give me any useful information. They were so cold and impatient on the call. l wasn't able to schedule any appointment with the Doctor(Dr Ashley Ackerman) until 15 weeks. I was also told l had to meet nurse practitioner first. The second time: l met the nurse practitioner. She rushed through the whole appointment. Occasionally, she would look at me and ask whether l have any other questions. But her answers had less information than any article l can easily find on google. Meanwhile, l said l had a few questions for the doctor. She insisted that she could answer all my questions. Downstairs, l went to the Quest. The nurses tries 4 times and couldn't get any blood. They lost confidence. l decided to go somewhere else. I went to the Tufts. The nurse there succeeded on the first try. The worst part was that the nurse practitioner forgot or neglect one of the blood tests l have requested. I didn't figure that out until l moved on to another practice. The doctor there reminded me but l was very far in my pregnancy process at that time. The third time: l had a test there. On the test tube, my name was spelled wrongly. To avoid any confusion, l corrected them. Ironically, l was told that it is common and it doesn't matter. The fourth time, l can finally meet the doctor. I was already 15 weeks pregnant. I contacted Dr Ackerman when l was 6 weeks pregnant. Before the appointment, l called the doctor Dr Ackerman to mention very politely all the concerns about the nurse and the practice. My intention was to keep the communication open. Let the doctor know what l experienced there. Her answer was simply either l could choose to stay or leave. So l decided to leave. She did very politically say sorry but you don't even need to be socially savvy to tell that it was not genuine. Later on, l also learned from my current doctor that l had abnormal weight gain. I gained almost 30 pounds within 2 month while l was with the Commonwealth OBGYN. When l was at the Commonwealth OBGYN, no one even mentioned this to me. Now my weight and health is finally under control. I cannot feel happier about my decision to move on. I wish l did that earlier. l also did some research about the practice and their affiliation with Brigham and Women's Hospital. The interesting part is that Commonwealth OB is more like a franchise. It outsources everything to other practices such as ultrasound, billing, blood work or other tests. The quality of the service is really a concern. I am also worried that if something goes wrong ,no one is there to take responsibilities. It seems to me that they are just renting a place and equipment from the Brigham and women's hospital. I personally do not buy in this kind of operating model. read more

I just delivered my third baby (technically Dr. Pettyjohn delivered her!) and can't say enough good things about the office. My primary doctors have been Dr. Pettyjohn and Ackerman and they have been nothing short of amazing. I am a multiple loss mom with varying complications in each pregnancy and the doctors have always been extremely supportive and even more important, they have been able to deal with the issues that have arisen quickly and efficiently each time. The NP has also been awesome and always available to answer my (many) questions and take the time to be sure that I understand everything and am comfortable with what is going on. I recommend CW OBGYN to all of my friends and family having babies and they would all agree that the doctors and staff are wonderful. I truly don't think there is a better practice in Boston. read more

Dr. Pettyjohn is fantastic and greatly missed now that i have moved out of the state:((

The entire office, from administrative staff to doctors and NPs, are excellent. I had a wonderful experience with prenatal care and delivered a healthy beautiful baby with them. I was always given all the information I needed and was treated with kindness and respect. I highly recommend this office (any and all the doctors!) for prenatal care as well as regular gyn visits. read more

I switched to Dr. Ackerman 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child and have not been disappointed. I just had my second child and had a wonderful experience. Dr. Marsh delivered my daughter and I couldn't have felt more comfortable!!! There are plenty of OB/Gyn's closer to me, but Commonwealth OB/Gyn is worth the ride. read more

I'm so surprised to see any negative feedback about this practice. I love all the doctors there, and was thoroughly and completely impressed with the care I received throughout my first pregnancy and delivery. Dr. Randi Leigh is incredible - I truly believe that her patience and stamina helped me avoid a c-section. They are caring, skilled, compassionate doctors who go the extra mile. They also draw on their strength as mothers in understanding their patients. For example, Dr. Parker said to me recently, "I know how you're feeling, I've been in the position you're in." That's really nice to hear. read more

Simply the best! After being unhappy with an ob/gyn office in Danvers, I decided to switch to an office closer to work. I am so glad that I did. I have seen 5 different doctors from this group and I liked them all. I typically see Dr. Ackerman and Dr. Pettyjohn. Both doctors are very caring and saw me through two pregnancies. On one occasion, I had to contact Dr. Ackerman while she was on-call and she was very supportive and even called me back later on to check on me! The front desk staff and NPs are also wonderful. PS: I have never had an issue having a mail ordered script being filled here. read more

I have gone to this practice for both of my pregnancies and had a great experience both times. The wait times for office appts. was very minimal and all the Drs. in the practice were nice and easy to speak with. Dr. Pettyjohn ended up delivering both my sons and she was a wonderful Dr. and everything went smoothly and she had a great bedside manner. I wholly recommend this practice. read more

I can't believe Commonwealth has only 3.5 stars. I was referred to their practice by my primary. From the moment, I walked in I felt safe with them. Dr Pettyjohn is my ob although I saw everyone in the practice and had no complaints everyone knew my medical history and were always helpful. I found out the day before I was having my son. Dr.Pettyjohn said "okay,tomorrow's the day, another doctor will be doing your csection" instantly I started to cry; I felt comfortable with dr Pettyjohn. She looked at her schedule, and said "okay, I'll do it you need to be there early" hands down the best ob! read more

This is a wonderful Ob/gyn group. I used them for my first pregnancy and am returning again for my second. They give you great attention and if needed same day appointments. read more

Not enthusiast about what they are doing. I was not comfortable with them and am switching asap.

I switched to this practice (Dr. Ackerman) just before I got pregnant with my first child 3 years ago. The practice is great. Starting when you walk in the door the receptionist is wonderful. The office is efficient, I've rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for my appointment. You can get your blood work done downstairs at the Quest and your ultrasounds done upstairs. Although I prefer some doctors to others (you meet them all before your due date) I would have been comfortable with any of them in the delivery room. I read some other reviews about prescription issues and I've had no such problems. In fact I asked them to fill out some paperwork (a note of medical necessity) and send it to my insurance so I wouldn't be charged a fortune for a branded drug and they took care of it promptly (saving me hundreds of dollars). A great practice! read more

I saw this group for my second child and am a huge fan. Dr. Pettyjohn is wonderful and has such an easygoing, non-alarmist manner, which was a huge contrast to my OB with my first child. Dr. Pettyjohn delivered my daughter and was such a great coach. My labor went really fast and by the time I got to the hospital it was too late for an epidural and she coached me through an unmedicated birth beautifully. I saw most of the other docs along the way and they were all very warm and engaging. Just lucked out that my provider was on call on the big night. Their on-call service is also really responsive and the two times I called with concerns they were really helpful and supportive of my instinct to err on the side of caution. Last, you can get ultrasounds and bloodwork quickly and easily in the same building. The only reason I give them 4 stars instead of 5 is that the routine visits are quick to the point of feeling almost rushed. That was OK for me this time around, but with my first I don't know if I would have felt I had enough time to think and ask questions that came up along the way. read more

Overall had a pleasant experience throughout my second pregnancy here. Visit's were routine & doctors usually run on time..especially Dr. Pettyjohn. Had a scheduled C-section and Dr. Pettyjohn did a wonderful job. All of the staff and doctors are friendly and pleasant with the exception of the male doctor (Dr. Roan I believe is his name) When I was released from the hospital with an RX for pain meds Dr. Ackerman had forgotten to sign the RX so no pharmacy would fill it and I was in alot of pain. I called the practice after-hours and the male doctor covering called me back about 5 minutes later..I told him the situation and he literally said to me "Well I'm not Dr. Ackerman or Dr. Pettyjohn so there's nothing I can do for you." I argued with him for a minute and began bawling my eyes out (I was not only emotional but in alot of pain). Point blank he is the rudest man I've never met in person but that shows what a snob and insensitive soul he is. Working for a doctor myself I've learned that with patients (especially those in pain) you never say what you can't do but rather "what I can do for you." He apparantly never got the memo. Aside from that my experience with Commionwealth was great. I ended up having to wait until the next day to pick up my RX from the office. read more

I ended up at Commonwealth OBGYN after finding out I was pregnant and my regular OBGYN had just retired. Dr. Pettyjohn was my primary OB, and I grew more and more unhappy with each visit. I'm sure she is an excellent OB, however she was extremely dismissive of my plans for an unmedicated birth (going so far as to say "oh lots of women think they want that, you'll change your mind when the time comes" and when I inquired about recommendations for birthing classes she told me "do them if you want to, but they are usually waste....women have no idea what to do when the time comes". I am in the medical field and have expereience with labor and delivery, but I felt as though she dismissed any questions I had about my pregnancy or with my birth plan. I also had appointments with Dr. Ackerman and Dr. Marsh. I found both of them to be much more willing to answer questions and supportive of natural birth. There are 2 NPs there as well, the first one I delt with during my intial visit (I think her name was Nicole?) was miserable, however the other one (her first name began with an R, can't remember now) was AWESOME! She had an excellent bedside mannner and put me completely at ease during a brief bleeding scare in my first trimester. So, if you are considering a natural birth I would highly suggest NOT using Dr. Pettyjohn (I switched to a CNM at 33 weeks). The office staff is pleasant but not always very well organized, it took me multiple phone callls and "reminders" to have my records sent to my new provider despite being repeatedly assured that it had been done...only to be told the day before my appointmentment with my new provider "oh, I just found your request in the pile. We'll get to it as soon as posssible" read more