I was referred to Dr. Venkat for an ectopic pregnancy after an ultrasound and bloodwork were detected by One Medical. She has always been honest and forthcoming about the situation; appointments are easy to book on the Sutter Health website. Ultimately I am grateful she made a bad situation less horrible. Recently I heard of friends & acquaintances having ruptured tubes, major hemorrhages & pain due to doctors (cough Kaiser) not acting on women's health quickly enough to catch the situation before it becomes a very painful one. I received two failed doses of methotrexate at Alta Bates ER, then Dr. Venkat scheduled same-day surgery at Alta Bates. She did the laparoscopic surgery. I lost a Fallopian tube and healed quickly, am back on my feet and thankful for her Dr. Venkat's treatment of my ectopic pregnancy. Minimal pain, easy to schedule, easy to work with. read more

I had the worst experience with Pavithra. The first time at her office she was very dismissive. She ended up diagnosing me with a serious disease that I never had. Even after confronting her with information she had her assistant write me some excuse of how the results were correct. Still to this day her diagnosis is still wrong. If, you are an African American woman or woman of color of elsewhere. She's very dismissive to certain races. Dismissive meaning she doesn't give correct information, she had incorrect test results and your concerns will not be addressed. She shows a great lack in interest in your health and well being. I will post emails later. read more

I'm glad that other Yelpers had wonderful experiences with Dr. Venkat, but my experience with her was frustrating, disappointing and ultimately the care that I didn't receive from her posed a serious threat to my health. I waited 7 months to post this review, because I hate giving poor reviews to nice people. But I wanted to help anyone else who may be facing a similar issue and are seeking a healthcare provider who will listen and really work with you to address your health concerns She's pleasant enough, but I felt that I was not heard, dismissed and there was zero follow-up (when follow-up was necessary and promised) and 7 months later, I still have the same issue. I went to Dr. Venkat at the beginning of my pregnancy for an ultrasound and initial check-up - though I knew I was going to work with a midwife for my pregnancy. I was new to the East Bay area and really just needed a Gynecologist. I returned to Dr. Venkat 3 months after my DD was born with horrible pain and inflammation in my breast. I had been suffering in silence for 3 months and really needed help when I went to her. When I saw her, I got the feeling that she didn't want to help me (possibly because I had worked with a midwife instead of her during my pregnancy)... That's probably not the case, but I can't think of any other reason for her to be so unhelpful. During the visit I had to suggest possible reasons for the inflammation as she seemed very unconcerned and dismissive (thrush? mastitis? bad latch?! help me please!?) In the end, she said it would probably go away on its own and left. 7 months later (that's 10 straight months of pain), I still have pain and inflammation. Because of my experience with her, I'm now very apprehensive about seeking help from another western medicine practitioner. I'm sure she's very nice, but I would not return to her office. read more

I had a very good experience with Dr Venkat. I had my son recently. She was an absolute delight and really cared for me. I felt kind of bumped to go through everything alone as hospital did not allow my husband to come in with me due to Covid. But She made my experience enjoyable. Thanks. read more

I am an RN and I can be neurotic and paranoid and a bit demanding as a patient. No need to be that way with Dr.Venkat. You'll not regret seeing her. I will also add that I never once had to call her for results because she always beat me to the punch and took time to explain what it all meant. The following is an email I sent to the department head giving Dr. Venkat accolades: Hello, I just wanted to share with you my experience with Dr. Venkat. Initially I had been referred to her group by my primary care physician for a second opinion. I had been seeing a non-Sutter GYN for 7 years. He recommended an abdominal hysterectomy due to "large fibroids" and other reasons that I won't bore you with. From the first visit with Dr. Venkat, I was sold! She was patient, thorough, and very grounded. She gave me options and explained each one. I appreciate that she took the time to make sure I understood. I walked out of her office feeling more armed with information and felt more confident with her opinion than my previous GYN. I decided on a vaginal hysterectomy and I had an endometrial biopsy prior to surgery. I was so anxious and neurotic and not in a good emotional space. She was sensitive to my fears. She was very prompt in answering my messages on sutterhealth online. I got responses the same day which was impressive. I honestly felt as if I was her favorite patient and that it was HER pleasure having ME as her patient. My surgery went smoothly and I will be forever grateful for her attentiveness and expert hands. I could really go on and on but overall her health grade is an A+. Never an eye roll or hint of annoyance or rushed conversation or unpleasant experience. My significant other also commented on her attentiveness to him while i was in recovery. She called once I was home to check in on me. Never along the way did I need to remind her of anything. I often find myself reminding my primary care MD of some detail about me that she should remember. My previous gynecologist told me that my only option was an abdominal hysterectomy and had me convinced that my situation was more grim than it really was. I'm glad that I was referred for a second opinion at a time when I had lost trust in my previous Dr. This is a very significant event in my life. It could have been a totally different experience had I selected the wrong surgeon. It made all the difference in my world that I chose the perfect one for me. I have since had all my records transferred to Dr. Venkat and want to make sure her good work is recognized. Thanks for taking the time to hear about my experience. Gratefully, Sharise C. Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android read more

4 years after my last visit with Dr. Venkat, I've decided to see her again for pain relating to hormonal imbalance. She was attentive and listened to my concerns and helped me navigate the different options I had on pain management. She's easy going and compassionate. read more

Words can't express my gratitude for how much Dr Venkat went above and beyond in caring for me today. I got some scary results on a pregnancy ultrasound, and she got multiple second opinions in one afternoon that were all very reassuring. I'm so grateful to have her as my OB. read more

Dr Venkat delivered my second born son and she was exceptional. She had great bedside manner and she listened to our concerns as our labor progressed. Things didn't go exactly as planned but doctor Venkat was very supportive throughout the whole process. She gave us options and we truly felt that she cared, never once did we feel rushed to make decisions. It was a very positive experience, actually all the OBs that we encountered were amazing. Altabates L&D department rocks!! I can't consider delivering anywhere else (My experience with my first delivery at Kaiser Oakland was horrible!!). Thank you Altabates for having healthcare professionals that understand human decency and respect! read more

UPDATE February 3, 2016: Towards the end of my third trimester, my baby continued to turn from vertex to breech back to vertex back to breech... it was stressful and dimmed my hopes for the VBAC i wanted. Dr. Venkat was completely open with me about my options - (1) scheduled C-section, (2) induce when we knew the baby was vertex with the risk of going into an emergency c-section, (3) wait to go into labor on my own, hope baby was vertex to have a vaginal delivery or end up with an emergency c-section if she was breech. There was never ANY pressure from Dr. Venkat on which option i should go with. She continually stressed that she wanted whatever birth *I* wanted, and I really appreciated her caring about my mental and emotional well-being and MY preferences for the birth of my daughter. She's awesome. I went back and forth, but ended up deciding on a scheduled c-section. Dr. Venkat even told me that if, on the day of the scheduled C, I opted to be scanned by ultrasound and the baby was vertex, she was willing to cancel the c-section and induce me if i preferred. She's the best and truly puts her patients first unlike other OBs who would happily schedule a c-section just for their convenience. On to the day of the c-section, (actually the day before), Dr. Venkat personally called me around 5pm the evening before the surgery and made sure I was prepared and ok with everything planned for the following day. When the time came for the surgery, she was calm, reassuring, held my hand, and comforted me while I received my anesthesia. She talked to me through the procedure, checking in with me, and she and Dr. Madhavan did a wonderful job! When they were done, Dr. Venkat made sure to speak with me before she left to tell me everything went well. She and the other doctors and nurses did such a great job that I was able to walk around that night with minimal pain. My post-op recovery has also been incredibly smooth, and even the postpartum nurses noted how well I was physically recovering after surgery. Other great things to note about Dr. V - throughout my pregnancy, I was able to email her with my questions, and she responded usually within 24-48 hours. She even emailed me on her day off because I was alarmed about a test result. She cared enough to sacrifice time on her day off to reassure me! Also, if I called her office, SHE called me back if I requested (otherwise, her medical assistant or back up OB would)! In a nutshell, Dr. Venkat is the best doctor I have ever had. She cares about you as a person, she knows her stuff, she is responsive, and she is a great surgeon. If you need an OB, I super-highly recommend her. Her medical care is the best. PS - Please read my original review for my experience with her during my first and second trimesters... read more

Just met with Dr. Venkat for the first time and she was great! I immediately felt comfortable with her and was happy to answer my questions. I wasn't due for my regular pap smear but she asked if I wanted to get it done so I won't have to come back again so I agreed. She was swift and gentle, which is helpful when someone's doing a procedure on your lady parts. The entire staff at the office were pleasant and genuinely friendly. Her office is inside the Hilltop Medical Center and the location is convenient for me. I'm glad I chose her as my OB/GYN. read more

This is my first pregnancy and I have been visiting Dr Venkath for 7 months now. So far, I can call her one of the best doctors I have ever met. She is very understanding, cordial and organised. She answers all my questions and helps me understand my current situation and to-do list clearly. She does not get irritated with my million questions (I carry a written list) and apprehensions. Smile on her face and her chilled-out attitude make me feel at ease at my every OB/GYN visit. She discusses all available options and makes sure that I am understanding properly.She is quick with online communication. Her approach is truly holistic. I am glad, I chose to go by my instinct even when there was no Yelp review about her 7-8 months back. read more

I love Dr. Venkat! I feel like she really listened to my lady complaints and made sure I felt heard. She wasn't at all dismissive, and took her time to talk to me about the latest research and therapy - even going so far as to provide me with articles she had recently read about my issues. When I became pregnant and went to see her early in my pregnancy, she was very thorough with her exam and signed me up for some extra tests I had been hoping for. At 20 weeks, Dr. Venkat was fully and completely supportive of my shift into midwife care for my second home birth, and let me know when I should be back to see her as my OBGYN. I am very much looking forward to seeing her again after I deliver! She is personable, caring, warm, and exactly the kind of OBGYN I had always been hoping for, but could never find. read more

Dr. Venkat is a great doctor. She has been my OBGYN for a couple of years now. My experience with her has been nothing but wonderful. She makes you feel comfortable. She explains everything she does and gives you a summary print out of everything that was done after your visit. I recently had a major procedure done which scared the living daylights out of me. She was so caring and answered all my questions .. She even was able to squeeze me in her busy schedule to do the procedure earlier than what was originally scheduled for. I was having major anxieties and she helped me thru it. The procedure was not as bad as I had anticipated and I think a lot of it was because she was so caring and could see how scared I was. She made this scary experience a lot less painful. Thank you Dr. Venkat! See you on my follow up. read more

Love Doc Venkat! She's a sweetheart! I didn't start seeing her until later in my pregnancy but she was very nice and willing to answer any questions that I had. She's very popular for a reason. She's a bit soft spoken but she is very caring. I had no problems with her at all. read more

I love Dr. Venkat. I have seen a lot of Ob/Gyn's in the last 4 years spent in the Bay Area, and Dr. Venkat is one of the best. She really listens and is never dismissive of my concerns, which I appreciate because I know I can be overly paranoid while pregnant! She also sent me a message through the patient portal at 9pm one night just to tell me the results of a test and what they meant, since I had seen her earlier that day and was worried. I was so shocked to hear back from her so soon! She is so sweet, and I hope she is on call when I go into labor! read more

I did not really like the vibe that I got from this woman I don't know if it's because she has certain biasness against certain people or people she perceives a certain way but I felt during my visit with her that she was doing a lot of sighing and rolling her eyes even though I was in there because I was very concerned about having hormonal imbalance she should be very sensitive and I felt as her being a woman she should have been understanding of my concerns and more polite read more

Dr. Venkat is the most amazing doctor of any specialty I have met in a long time. She listens, is patient, gives well rounded options, makes time to discuss those options. Her kindness and compassion are both rare qualities in doctors out there today. She was a fantastic surgeon as well. I can not say enough great things about her skill set. A rare gem. read more

My regular OB-GYN is pretty booked this pregnancy, so I've seen Dr. Venkat a few times instead for routine check-ups and she is lovely! She's quite easy to schedule with (maybe because she's relatively new to the practice), and is the only doctor in the practice who provides me with a printed-out after-visit summary containing my test results, instructions, and a summary of any questions we discussed. She's laid-back and sweet, and gives a lot of positive reinforcement about good outcomes like normal test results and appropriate weight gain. Now I'm kind of hoping she's on call when I give birth! read more

I had a great experience with Dr. Venkat, and would recommend her highly. She was very patient and thoughtful, and has a conservative attitude about medicine which I appreciated. Ultimately I did decide to have (laparoscopic) surgery and she did an amazing job! The whole procedure was about as painless as it could have been, fast recovery, and quickly fading scars. read more

I heard really great things about Dr. Venkat but unfortunately I had a horrible experience. My last prenatal appointment I had with her when I was 6 months pregnant didn't go well. I had been very sick and had a lot of concerns and she continued to sigh and roll her eyes and not even make eye contact with my fiancé and I. About 2 weeks later I ended up in the ER and was told I was not going to survive and had severe pre eclampsia and my liver enzymes were extremely high. I was so upset and I still am 4 months later after all I had to go through because of negligence. I had my baby at 26 weeks via emergency c section and she spent 98 long days in the NICU and was 1 lb 12 oz when born. Im not sure why my concerns that day with Dr. Venkat didn't seem "important" to her but my life and my baby's life has definitely been affected and has changed forever! I hope no one else has to have a near death experience like what I had do to negligence. read more