I'm currently 16 weeks pregnant with a baby girl thanks to Dr. Ratcliffe's thoughtful and effective approach. She didn't recommend PGT testing in my case, and instead transferred embryos on day 3 rather than day 5--choices that made all the difference. One embryo implanted, and it's the one that gave us this pregnancy. I know some reviews mention her being serious or not overly warm. But she's not here to hold your hand--she's here to help you succeed. She's not a miracle worker or a god. She applies her expertise and does what she believes gives you the best chance. Your body does the rest. I've seen some reviews criticizing her for telling patients to lose weight before proceeding. But honestly--what's wrong with that? Don't we want to be as healthy as possible for pregnancy? I personally lost 10 pounds in the months leading up to our transfer because I wanted to give my body the best chance. Dr. Ratcliffe doesn't sugarcoat things--but that's because she's focused on outcomes, not comfort. If you're looking for results over fluff, trust Dr. Ratcliffe. We're so grateful we did! read more

This lady is very rude unprofessional and She should not be a DR. She told me I can't ever have a baby in this life. I did get worried and did check with Kaiser and spoke to someone in San Francisco and wasted my time getting test done. They told me I was fjne not listen to this dr. Please don't waste your time and money with this Crazy lady. I do now have my own baby now and she was wrong. read more

I wish I could give ZERO stars. Run away from this place as fast as you can. I am extremely traumatized from this doctor and clinic. Failed! Failed! Failed! False hopes. Rude! Treated like another animal in line. I'm surprised she isn't shut down yet? I pray all of you have some success and or healing in your fertility journey and pray that you don't go here. Waste of money. But most all...time and heartache which is very precious for older women. read more

I was recommended through my OBGYN. Friends of mine also recommended her but warned me of her "horrible bedside manner". I had to have the intake appointment over the phone due to COVID. She kept talking over me, and was very dismissive of my experiences. In person, she doesn't look you in the eye, seemed impatient if you asked any clarifying questions. After our fertility tests, we had to call several times to receive our results. I then had the most horrific condescending conversation with her office manager over requesting copies of my test results for my records, and no apology was ever given. I understand she is very qualified and supposedly has a high success rate, but for working with such vulnerable patients you would think she would be a bit more respectful and compassionate towards them. Needless to say I will never go back. Her knowledge does not excuse the disrespect you show your patients. I will NEVER recommend her to anyone ever. read more

We had a wonderful experience working with Dr. Ratcliffe and her team at Advanced Fertility Associates. After a little over a year of treatment - multiple IUIs and an IVF cycle, we are pregnant with our second child. I'll be honest, I was nervous to work with her because I had seen some negative reviews and some personal references given to me by others in the lesbian community weren't great. But, the positive outweighed the negative and we decided to do a consult - and I'm so glad we did. It was immediately apparent that she is extremely intelligent and well versed in infertility treatment. She's confident, knowledgeable and direct. And she has a great (although dry!) sense of humor. I appreciate this in a provider. I immediately felt comfortable that she would do her best to get us pregnant. During treatment, she and her staff were wonderful to work with. Unlike other providers we'd worked with for our first pregnancy, she works around your body and cycle - meaning if you need to have an ultrasound or procedure on the weekend or even a holiday, they're available. That speaks volumes. They were always available for any questions or concerns we had. Everything is done right there in their office - no trekking all over town to different clinics. All in all, we had a great experience and I would and will refer anyone who's looking for infertility treatment in the North Bay to Dr. Ratcliffe and her team at AFAMG. read more

Dr. Ratcliffe can be very cold and rude. I would prefer not to be spoken to at all instead of being treated with disrespect. The only silver lining is that I only have to go to her monitoring, not my entire cycle. If you don't agree with something that is fine but as a medical professional you should keep your opinions to yourself as they are unnecessary. She referred to my situation as a "nightmare" and I tore one of her disposable gowns a little bit and she said, "if you don't sit on it it won't rip." She has said worse things that I don't care to put in print. She definitely needs training in bedside manner and compassion. She also says unfavorable things about other clinics. Jealous much? When I did get pregnant at another clinic and went to her for monitoring she said, "I never thought you'd get pregnant but of course you did IVF." read more

I had a bad experience with this doctor. I did IVF, had terrible results and found her to be dismissive and avoidant. I wrote a full review on the clinic's (Advanced Fertility Associates) yelp page if anyone is interested in the full story. I'm in no way a needy or demanding patient, this is the only doctor I've ever worked with where I had a bad experience. read more

As an update: Everything she said was BS. I got pregnant the old fashioned way less than a year after I saw her. My pregnancy was non eventful, I gained not even 20 lbs and I had a wonderful waterbirth at home. So glad I never went back to her. I feel like she hates her job and should find a different career path. read more

Dr. Ratcliffe is a brilliant scientist and doctor. She is widely respected in the RE community and was recommended to us by other RE's in the Kaiser system when they could not help us. She cites research and does not suggest treatments or tests that are not absolutely necessary, I believe that she has saved us thousands of dollars by providing no nonsense advice about the reality of fertility treatment and the reality of our infertility condition. Often her reports were upsetting because trying to get pregnant was so emotional for us. But I believe she always had our best interests in mind and I believe she is absolutely passionate about her work. We have other MD friends who have now used her to get pregnant and are very impressed with her expertise. Having extensive medical training myself I have learned to recognise when I am in the care of someone who is superior in their methods, their thinking and their recommendations. She is a true expert in her feild and her office provides high quality care in a full service environment at a reasonable price. Also every year she hosts a HUGE party for all her patients that now have families. There is live music, a clown, games, tons of food and she even dresses up in costume and runs around playing with all the kids and parents. There is no doubt that she is on a mission to help our community with their fertility problems. read more

I love Dr. Ratcliffe. I came to her at a time when I was incredibly sensitive- I was 27 years old and had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I had very little time to make a decision about freezing embryos or eggs and it was a LOT of information to process- which back in 2014 was secondary to starting my treatment for the cancer itself. But Dr. Ratcliffe was amazing. She explained everything, didn't sugarcoat anything, and was incredibly up to date with her information (no 20 year old studies cited by her!). She also worked with me financially as my husband and I were not at all prepared to start this process. She is a no nonsense, intelligent, thoughtful doctor. I can understand that her demeanor might be a little forward for some- but I appreciate my physicians being frank and honest and concrete with me. Side note- she is incredibly funny! Maybe there's a disconnect with some patients but she had me laughing every time I visited. Oh and what I'm sure everyone wants to know- I had a healthy little boy this December with my first attempt of IVF! read more

Dr. Ratcliffe helped us get pregnant. This is after 8 unsuccessful prior treatments, including IVFs, with another clinic and in Europe. I'm also a very hard case being in my 40's, but she changed our protocol and I'm now 14 weeks pregnant after one IUI cycle with her. She absolutely knows what she is doing, and I'm very grateful that we found her. You'll find that she is an excellent doctor, very knowledgeable and precise. She is also very direct and honest, she told us our chances were very low. It's a small office, with her as the only doctor but she has a team of other really lovely lady doctors who covered for her when she was on vacation. Her office staff are also very professional and supportive, something that I really appreciated as I was prepared for a not-so-great outcome. read more

Dr. Ratcliffe is great. She has an excellent approach to the very sensitive area of medicine that she practices. She keeps up to date with the latest medical studies, she knows what she is talking about, and she gets results. I really appreciate the honest, straightforward, and educational way she communicates with her patients. read more

Ratcliffe Jennifer V MD PHD - Obstetricians & Gynecologists Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Dr Ratcliffe may be qualified, she may be the only fertility specialist in Santa Rosa, She may be the DR we need for some of our fertility challenges, however she IS rude and insensitive, She does NOT have compassion for clients that is noticeable, She is NOT respectful and considerate in manner or conversation. She is not kind toward other practitioners in her field, We walked out of her clinic, feeling glad that we did. I would not recommend her if you want to be treated like a decent individual. read more

-disclaimer - we're pregnant so obviously happy with the results.. Initial appointment -yes we paid for the Drs time. I prefer that to feeling obligated after a free consult. We found Dr Ratcliffe to be factual and direct (not rude!). During the initial appointment, she explained how metformin works for PCOS patients, something no other doc had done despite prescribing it. We were advised to reduce my weight (metformin helped with this) and contact them when we were ready to proceed. We gradually worked our way through the options from least invasive to IVF over a 18 month period. We trusted her guidance on when to go to the next step and always felt like she had carefully considered the options and was on our side. The office staff and nurses were always polite and returned calls in a reasonable time frame. read more

I had my baby after my first IVF Cycle! I highly recommend Dr. Ratcliffe, she is honest and professional. I travelled 100 miles to be treated by her and her team of extremely competent professionals. Fertility is an emotional issue, understanding the science and treatment available can illicit deep feelings. My emotional needs were addressed by Dr. Ratcliffe in the best way possible, she provided the extra emotional support by having a team member that addresses that specifically. I was provided amazing counseling through this difficult process by a very supportive mental health professional who specializes the emotional issues surrounding fertility. At the time of my treatment there was a free support group and the counselor provided support appt. and by phone. Dr. Ratcliffe explained the process, my options, and the odds of success with each options (written also, so I fully understood them). Dr. Ratcliffe's keen understanding of current medical science and straightforward honesty helped me face the harsh reality of my fertility options. I was able to make an intelligent decision about what fertility treatment my case warranted, full IVF with all the extra help the lab can give . I liked having many people on my team and that is what AFAMG is, a team. Dr. Ratcliffe is smart to have specialists to deal with each area. Dr. Ratcliffe led the medical science, a counselor supported me emotionally, the lab took care of my fetus, everyone was courteous and helpful at the office, and referrals provided by Dr. Ratcliffe led me to other excellent doctors who helped in the fertility process. I can't recommend Dr. Ratcliffe enough. Did she tell me I needed to lose weight to provide the best in utero support of my baby? Yes. Was it hard to hear? Yes. Was it hard to do? Yes Did she tell me that my odds were much lower than I'd hoped when the lab results came in? Yes. Did she tell me some negative things about his health and my health? Yes. Did she tell me that some embryos weren't of a high enough quality? Yes. Did she sugarcoat my medical reality? No, she told me the truth, and provided a team to help me accept my truth. I can't imagine it is easy for Dr. Ratcliffe to tell people these things, but I see telling them the truth is the best thing and ultimately the kindest thing. If she hadn't told me the truth time could have run out for me. If you need emotional support get it, but get it from a counsellor specializing in fertility issues they really "get" it and can help us. I know of a good one in Santa Rosa, and Dr Ratcliffe's office is so great I bet they'll give you her name even though you aren't her patient! read more

Dr Ratcliffe is very direct and speaks from a factual point of view. I have sought out advice from her on a numerous occasions, and she has always been correct. She is a results driven medical doctor with a Ph.D. in biochemistry. She works very hard for each patient, reviewing back health history in debth, creating a unique treatment plan for the patient. Her main goal is to deliver the results you want. read more

I honestly couldn't rate Dr. Ratcliffe any higher! She got me pregnant almost immediately, she is so knowledgeable, so honest and straight forward. I have PCOS and she was more knowledgeable than any other reproductive specialist I have ever met with. She was kind, celebrated my pregnancy with me and truly a person I would recommend. At my work, we know many ladies who have gotten pregnant with her. Go visit her, I promise you- she will get you pregnant and her rates are affordable. So grateful. read more

I have another Yelp account, but because this is a very personal issue, I am posting it anon. I'm sure Dr. Ratcliffe gets the job done. I'm also sure she isn't the ONLY Dr. who can do so. Our first impression of this office was great! The front desk assistants are absolutely lovely in the way they answer questions and schedule appointments. Our first appointment (testing of the man fluids at our GP's request) went swimmingly (haha). The next appointment was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my adult life. We met with Dr. Ratcliffe, and she proceeded to explain the basics of fertility - she's very matter of fact, and I can appreciate that. When she found out who my GP was, she said, "Oh, Dr. X knows nothing about this stuff." Rude much? Let's be clear - we went to see her to help us with a problem, not become friends. So, I just figured she was a bit cold and abrupt, but if she could help us, I could deal with it. A lack of bedside manner is one thing, but Dr. Ratcliffe takes it to a whole new level. When she started talking about treatment options, she mentioned that I'd need to take BC pills - She did not say how long I'd have to take BC pills, only that I'd have to take them - When I expressed my concern and hesitation, due to my bad experiences with BC pills in the past and the fact that my cousin (who was 31 and healthy) died from a stroke due to BC pills, she actually said "Your cousin probably would have died anyway, maybe even while pregnant, and isn't it better that she died before she got pregnant?" DID YOU REALLY JUST SAY THAT??? Wow. Just wow. Somehow I managed to keep it together long enough to complete the appointment. Before we left, she gloated about how she was getting donuts the next day and that her staff has to bring donuts every time they mess up... and that she gets donuts often. All other things aside, Dr. Ratcliffe is seriously lacking in professionalism to make disparaging comments about her staff to potential clients. She also kept trying to push us into going downstairs and getting our tests immediately without giving us an evening to process and think about it. Ugh. Finally we were out of there. We didn't even get to the car before we decided there was NO way we could work with someone so rude and uncaring. One other thing. In the letter she sent to my GP, my name was spelled wrong and the content was just as pushy and rude as she is in person. It's beyond matter of fact - she's patronizing and judge-y. I wonder if it's because we aren't a married couple and she is clearly very Catholic as evidenced by the decor in her office. (Also posted under the office Yelp page) read more

Dr. Ratcliffe is a straight shooter. She is honest, precise, and direct. I am reading on here that some folks are put off by her level of directness. I have never found her to be rude at all. She is merely forthright and genuine in her information and interactions with people. She is very thorough. Unlike some medical professionals, she thinks outside the box and has a good imagination. She can see beyond the obvious and is creative when coming up with treatment solutions. Dr. Ratcliffe is committed to getting results and she is talented at what she does. read more

After this bad experience with doctor Ratcliffe We went to doctor Zouves (free phone call) and we had oustanding care , we got pregnant!!!

Borderline abusive with her lack of emotional competency. No one with this type of bedside manner should be working with people who are struggling with infertility. Find another doctor. She is arrogant and speaks down to her clients and staff. She actually helped me get pregnant with our first child, but as we have tried with our second I've had to see her more and found her to make my emotional situation worse and she doesn't take time to hear people out. Find another doctor. read more

I highly recommend Dr Ratcliffe. We were told by other ivf docs that our perceived success rate would be 10%. She told us 30% but of course we carefully chose her from a CDC ranking. She was ranked #6 in CA in success for my age group and fertility problems. We got pregnant 6 weeks after meeting her and this was after 4 years of struggling with treatments and trying. I never felt like a number or statistic -- and she was warm although direct. I'm a scientist and I appreciated her explanation of my the treatment plan. read more

I don't want or need to be coddled by medical professionals. I'd rather get in and out and do what needs to be done without a lot of hand-holding. It often makes me feel uncomfortable if a doctor is overly empathetic; I'd much rather keep things professional. Having said that, there is no good reason for the way Dr. Ratcliffe treats her patients other than the fact that she is obviously unable to take a moment to consider a less hurtful way of phrasing her opinions and information. At our initial consult I was listing my miscarriage history. She waved her hand dismissively and said, "Oh those don't matter. They were early." I understand that they may not matter to her, medically, (though pardon me for thinking they might!), but there had to be a different way to phrase it that didn't sound so callous to her patient. Or how about not saying it at all, if they didn't matter? This was just the first in a long line of situations where I left her office feeling like garbage, not because of what happened medically but because of her brusque and often cruel choice of words and tone. It doesn't take a ton of effort to get the exact same information across to patients in a way that doesn't make them feel terrible and small. The worst part is that sometimes she was quite friendly, so you never really knew which Dr. Ratcliffe you were going to get. I dreaded going to every appointment. Also, over the course of 2+ years she never got me pregnant. We spent $30,000+. We got pregnant on our own less than two months after taking a break from her practice for our own mental health. She has very good stats, so I'm sure she works for some people. I just wish there was an alternative to her practice in Santa Rosa for those who would rather be treated with the basic respect expected of a doctor-patient relationship. read more

I wish I would have read these other bad reviews BEFORE I saw this Dr. Everything these other ladies have said (negative) is completely accurate. This "Dr." is the most uncouth, tactless, insensitive, money-hungry, plain-out-mean, human beings I have ever come across in the medical field. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS "DR."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have been emotionally traumatized and REALLY don't want anyone else to experience what I have went through with her. I was seeing her for lack of ovulation, and was given clomid for two cycles. On my second cycle, I was informed that this was the last chance clomid would be given before I would need to move on to IUI (MORE MONEY FOR HER OF COURSE). Im only 23 years old so was really hoping success with that second cycle since I didn't agree that I should yet skip to IUI. I did end up pregnant on that second clomid cycle, and shortly after finding out, started bleeding profusely. After attempting to contact "Dr." Ratcliffe and not receiving any call back, I went to the ER. The Dr. I saw at the ER immediately contacted "Dr." Ratcliffe, who told him that she had already discussed my situation with me (she absolutely HAD NOT discussed anything with me, she had REFUSED to call me back!) and that I had no reason to be at the ER. So I was sent away without further observation and told that I was already in good hands. I did not know what to do, so I showed up at Dr. Ratcliffe's office, assuming she had confused my name with someone else. I was initially ignored at the front desk while the Dr. and her assistants continued chatting and not making eye contact, but after standing there long enough was finally acknowledged and was relayed the message from Dr. Ratcliffe (who was standing right behind the counter refusing to talk to me directly) that "I was TOLD to CALL BACK ON MONDAY and that THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY!" I was humiliated for apparently being such a pest (not to mention that by that point I was bleeding through my pants right there in her waiting room). Luckily I was able to see another Dr., because the pregnancy was eptopic, and "Dr." RATcliffe had not even bothered to follow up on me.... PLEASE SEE SOMEONE ELSE. I would not wish my experience with this office on my worst enemy. She does not listen to her patients, she treats you like your an idiot for asking any questions, and she will make any treatment recommendations she needs to in order to sponge out all the money she can from you.... read more

I posted on the other site as well. I have been receiving treatment with Dr. Ratcliffe for a few months so for a I don't have any success stories to share yet but what I will share about is the type of service I have been receiving. Since the first day that I walked into the office, my husband and I were treated so well!!! After reading some of the negative reviews online, I was honestly scared about my visit and how I was going to be treated. DON'T LET THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS SCARE YOU!!! Keep in mind, that it's normal for people to only post negative, which is minimal, and usually those with negative reviews are negative people who have reasons for their infertility. Yah, its tough to heard bad things. Hard news It's not Dr. Ratcliffe's fault for bringing those issues to individuals attention. Many forget to log on to post the positive, however. I'm not wealthy, I'm slightly overweight, I'm not 20 anymore; but she is here to help and treated me and our situation with nothing but respect. Dr. Ratcliffe is SO nice, reassuring, respectful and has a totally normal and good sense of humor. She is very professional, intelligent and makes us feel welcome. Not only that, her MA's Jamie and Patty are SO NICE and as much as I call to ask them questions or 'bug' them, they are always so pleasant and helpful. Even the front desk clerk, Ashley is awesome! Yes, during the initial consultation, Dr. Ratcliff will 'tell it like it is' and yes, sometimes I can see for those that the truth hurts... But if you want to get pregnant, accepting the truth and working out a plan is what is needed. Optimal health is very important for conceiving and pregnancy. It's very obvious with her manner, enthusiasm and dedication that she enjoys what she does and that she is good at it. I have shared some stories with her about some of my local doctors and not once has she ever bad mouthed another practice. I have tore a gown and they laughed and said it was ok, its only paper.. The matter of the fact is, she is the real deal, she isn't mean and scary as people say and they are all very friendly. It's ignorant of people to say she is money hungry. Let's get real, fertility is like cosmetic surgery... It's a luxury to be able to do and it cost a lot of money! That doesn't mean that Dr. Ratcliffe is money hungry. She works in a profession where wanted services are expensive. Bottom Line. 4 of my friends have had success through her and I hope to be the 5th of our group. Please don't let negative reviews keep you from seeing her. She is on of the best and just remember that people forget to post all of the good stories. Its only the negative who feel the need to jump online and post. I wish more people would post how amazing her and her team are. read more

I worked with Dr. Ratcliffe for about two years. I did two IUI's and then moved to IVF. I was successful with twins, but unfortunately miscarried. I went back a few months later and used my frozen embryos and are am now pregnant with one. Dr. Ratcliffe is very knowledgeable. If you are emotional, as I was initially, she may be off-putting due to her directness. She tells it like it is and does not tip-toe around the facts. Once I became less emotional and accepted I needed IVF, I appreciated her directness immensely. She tells you what you need to do and how she will assist you in becoming pregnant. Which is the whole point of seeing a fertility specialist. Between my miscarriage and frozen transplant, I had needed two surgeries to remove fibroids. It was amazing how thorough she was and how aggressive she was to ensure I was healthy before implantation. I know not all doctors would not care enough to do so. Bottom line, she is a fantastic fertility doctor and Santa Rosa is lucky to have her. read more

We saw Dr. Ratcliffe after three years of trying to get pregnant and having tests done to figure out why I couldn't get pregnant. We went in hopeful and excited, but after our first encounter we left feeling very disappointed in her lack of empathy and compassion. In fact, when asking questions about possible options and procedures, her dismissive attitude toward us made her come across as tactless and incompetent. We stuck with her for a few more appointments, hoping we could get past the differences in personality, but when we only saw increased rudeness toward us, as well as incompetence in the way she practiced, we finally had enough and never went back. In that final appointment with us she told us we'd never get pregnant without her help, to which we replied that we might also look into adoption. Her scoffing was way over the top and so offensive. I sobbed the whole drive home, devastated at her claim that I'd never get pregnant without her help. As it turned out, I ended up getting pregnant completely naturally with identical twins, we adopted, and then I had two more natural, unexpected and healthy pregnancies. I'm so glad we walked away from her office and didn't pursue anything further with her. She didn't deserve our time, our energy or our money. read more

We are pregnant, so the practice was ultimately successful, but the experience of getting to this point was one of which i would prefer to forget. Each time i stepped into this office, i felt like i was giving away a small piece of my soul. From the moment i met this doctor, i got a cold and uncomfortable feeling, however, i chose the convenience of her office being the only local office over my feelings toward this practice. I had heard that she was a bright and knowledgable doctor with high success rates. What i learned while i was there was that this doctor is downright rude to her patients and to her staff. I have observed on several occasions her talking down and ridiculing her staff in front of her patients. Beware if you need to reach her about something after-hours and she is the one on call, she may just bite your head off. Looking back, and even though we got pregnant there, i think taking the extra time to drive to a more compassionate and feel good office would have been the way to go. Fertility treatments are stressful and liking your doctor helps to make it bearable. I think i will regret having these memories attached to getting pregnant. Hopefully soon i will be so absorbed in this pregnancy and this new life that i will forget this experience. For right now, negative feelings about IVF still resonate with me. If i knew then what i know now, i would have chosen a different doctor for a better experience. I cringe when i think of how much money i spent on multiple procedures at this office, supporting a practice that treats people like specimens. read more