Here is a story about how I avoided unnecessary surgery recommended by Dr Levine on my first visit. In 2006, I had a very long period of bad coughing, probably adult pertussis - bad enough to be on short term disability. I would cough all the time and when I felt a bout of heavy coughing coming, I would go sit on the toilet because I could not hold urine while coughing. Such episodes of urinary stress incontinence had happened to me in the past - say, in 1999-2000 when I was pregnant with my third one, who emerged at 9 lbs (the previous kids were lighter and the pregnancies with them, compact, without a big belly), and even before children - I first noticed some leakage when I was a teen, while laughing hard. At the PAMF Los Altos clinic, a nurse faulted me for sitting on the toilet while coughing during pertussis. She said I should instead tense the muscles to hold urine in. I could not do that - it was not possible. In 2007 I went for a well woman exam to my then provider, the midwife Olga Libova. I told her of what had happened. She asked me to perform a Kegel. I have very strong pelvic floor muscles and Olga said: "That's a Kegel", looking perplexed. She then referred me to Sari, thinking that since the problem was not gynecological, based on the impressive Kegel, it must be urological. I went to see Sari. She told me that I should tell my kids about the price I had paid for having them - urinary incontinence. I reminded her that kids were not to blame - I had incontinence starting in my teens, occasionally. She performed tests/exam and determined that I have a short urethra. Average female urethra is only 3 cm and mine was even shorter than that. She wanted to operate! And my insurance would have covered it. My luck was that my then husband who suffered from pelvic pain was seeing Laura Fraser, the physical therapist in Los Altos whose specialty is pelvic floor. Thanks to him, I went to see Laura and... never went back to Sari. Did not do surgery. That was in 2007. In 2013 I saw Laura for follow-up and she commented that in her practice, which is of course not a representative sample of the population, I had the strongest Kegel. In 2014 I saw Dennis Siegler, a GYN. He explained that I have a retroverted uterus that is hidden somewhere deep and that with such architecture, prolapse is not possible, incontinence is not possible, and no aging problems would occur. I looked incredulous as incontinence had been occurring occasionally, but then realized that that simply came from having a short urethra. I feel my pelvic floor muscles very well and can tell that there is basically no there there - the bladder almost opens up on its own because the urethra is so short. Dr Siegler noted that I should avoid triggers - coughing, for me. Indeed I have not been sick respiratorily for several years and no bad incontinence has been happening. All without surgery. After seeing Dr Siegler, I analyzed the situation. So I have the pelvic floor that is extremely advantageous in gynecological terms (3 short vaginal deliveries, never any pain or discomfort during sex, and, as explained by Dr Siegler, a good outlook in old age thanks to the fortunate architecture). I have occasional incontinence due to purely structural reasons - a short urethra. Eliminating triggers it is essentially gone - no coughing, no incontinence. If I ever end up coughing again, I will stay home, sick, so there would not be potential embarrassment. What would the surgery have achieved for me that would have improved my quality of life? NOTHING. As TMI relevant to the review, I am fortunately and easily multi-orgasmic, so the rich innervation of this area works its wonders well. Why risk ruining that by surgery? (I read up on the potential risks.) My new OB-GYN Mary Parman, D.O., at PAMF, recently inserted the IUD Mirena and noted just how incredibly far and high the cervix is, having not descended at all, and often the cervix descends - makes me wish, among other things, that I had had more than 3 children, being so perfectly set up for multiple pregnancies and deliveries. The point I am making here is that Sari likely makes surgery recommendations to everyone with good insurance coverage. I am a unique edge case in just how much I did NOT need surgery and how surgery could have rendered this divinely innervated area less responsive to sexual stimulation. If Sari (who did not even ask enough questions) wanted to operate on me, she would want to operate on every woman who is naive enough not to question Sari's self-serving "recommendations". As my last point - so I have a structural abnormality in the form of a short urethra. Does it cause any FUNCTIONAL impairment? It does not. Why operate to change the system structurally if it functions so well? My advice for everyone who is considering surgery by Dr Levine is to see Laura Fraser, PT, in Los Altos. You'll be glad you've obtained a second opinion. read more

Dr. Sari is the best. Kind, sweet, hard working. Thanks for everything. Enjoy your retirement!

**** This office for Urology has some great Doctors, (Dr Karpman and others specifically) as well as the most friendly and amazing staff working the front, as well as back.*** I can say this with absolute with conviction! Everyone may have different experiences, but from my subjective interactions, and experiences, I love this office, and its amazing staff. However; i had an interesting run in with this doctor levine, and this is where my issue comes into play... she does not know me, yet somehow, managed to jump into a conversation that did NOT include her, and she felt the need to imply me wear a mask while in the office. **Keep in mind, it's post June 15 with folks being able to be indoors maskless should they be vaccinated according to CDC guidelines.** this lady "tried" to force her political views down my throat as if her views are absolutely correct, and what i had said was irrelevant and less than. ***please Note, I understand we are in a time where a lot of information is readily available, and there are differences in viewpoints.*** and I want to be respectful to those whom are reading this, and their viewpoints. The story goes as follows: I am in the office, chatting with a staff member (Not levine), and levine somehow manages to interrupt and state that I need to put on a mask... (keep in mind again, its June 15th, and according to CDC guidelines, folks whom are vaccinated dont need to wear masks) i mentioned this, and she proceeds to tell me in the snootiest tone, "its unvaccinated people who are dying." I gracefully listened to her little rant, & accepted the mask that the amazing young lady whom I was originally working with had given me. I then encouraged levine to look into the VAERS Reporting [(Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (managed by the CDC)] on the folks whom have passed away - both Vaccinated and unvaccinated. I mentioned this because there were a few fallacies in her short rant. She had zero clue as to what I was speaking on ‍ yet wanted to tell me, I'm "misinformed". As if she's right and I'm wrong. ma'am, have several seats, your ignorance is prominent. Just because you're a doctor, does not mean you are qualified to speak on subjects you have not mastered. Any "student' can get certified in a course, collect a piece of paper, and still have no clue as to what they're doing (Not saying this is levine's case, but for context). I do not come into her place of work and tell her, she is incorrect in her approach of diagnosing urethras, prostates, etc. because that is not my place to speak, nor am I qualified to have that educated conversation in such depth she and others may be able to have. I digress... I respectfully replied, "I too am in the medical field; however, I am not an immunologist, nor am I a virologist, but you are entitled to your opinion". She definitely got butt-hurt when I rebutted with the quickness... as if I'm supposed to bow down to her because she has an "MD" by her name She then "tried" to go on another tangent of how I'm somehow less-than of a person, instead of catching the hint that no one cared to hear for her political views. And to top it off, her earlier premises had several fallacies in them. A waste of energy to converse w/ her any further. Instead of having a healthy debate (which I am more than open to do), she had to make sure that i felt as if I knew nothing, and she knew it everything, and proceeded to imply how I'm this bad person because her values got challenged Not one supported study or fact was mentioned out of her mouth. Last I checked, she is not an immunologist, nor is she a virologist, But some facts are below: - The vaccine is still not FDA Approved, and it has not been out for more than 2 years, yet all of a sudden, she's an expert? . - The vaccine manufacturers are still not reliable for any deaths or adverse incidents that may occur post vaccination, meaning no one can sue or go after these manufacturers should something go wrong. - Even if you're professionally fitted with a K95, or K99 mask, aerosol particles can still get through. -*Viruses need human hosts in order to mutate. ie, the masks aren't doing what folks hope they're doing.* -What levine eats, won't make me sh*t . Again, i realize there are different viewpoints surrounding this COVID time, and I try to be as cognizant and understanding of this matter. This review is not to challenge anyones viewpoints, but merely, to point out this lady's lack of humility, her arrogance, bedside manner, her approach with people, and her energy... I am in NO WAY speaking on how she is as a urologist, more so sharing my eventful encounter. The disgust and embarrassment on her colleague's faces after her little rant spoke VOLUMES. Looks like I'm not the only one with some constructive criticism for this entitled woman. read more

Nightmare on Hospital Drive. Get the feeling she's completely disconnected from the painful diagnostic procedures performed. Totally insensitive to the the human being she's treating. You wait forever and then she blows in and out, not communicating anything about any of the torturous tests she or her nurse are about to administer. By the way, neither of them knew how to use one of their in office diagnostic devices. However, I was still charged for a bogus test. Her attitude is aloof, arrogant, overbearing and rough. All that would be tolerable if she made up for it with medical brilliance...she doesn't. In fact, she's mediocre at best. Consider using Dr. Christopher Payne at Stanford for kind, caring, gentle, compassionate treatment. He gets it right! read more

I had the worst experience ever here. I had surgery- bladder lift that probably didn't need to be done. One year later when my symptoms were worse than before surgery I went back for testing. I was told that it would be covered by my insurance. There was no information shared about what the tests would be. They were horrible- I had to pee in a bucket with a man monitoring all the details. I never saw Dr. Levine. It was humiliating and I have had 4 vaginal births which seemed easy compared to this. The icing on the cake was receiving a $2600 bill that was not covered by insurance. I called to discuss and I was never called back. I was sent to collections. Stay away from this office! read more

We could not have experienced better care than Dr. Sari Levine provided. Competent, thorough and compassionate. She performed a surgery and it went smoothly, issue fully resolved. She's knows her field inside and out and we were very well cared for throughout an exceedingly stressful process. Follow up and bedside manner as impeccable as her level of skill and knowledge. read more

Dr. Levine is a caring, thorough physician. She is extremely well-read and current on all clinical studies re: urology, let's cut to the chase-she knows her stuff. And she cares about her patients. The office, despite it being extremely busy, is very efficient. I was sent a follow up appointment, called by Dr. Levine's nurse re: my lab results two days after my appointment and my prescription was called in to the pharmacy. You may have to wait to see Dr. Levine. I waited almost an hour before I was called back to a room. Oh, I'm sorry; Dr. Levine is a SURGEON; DUH, all the people that complained about her-urologists are SURGEONS who specialize in the urinary tract???? She was in surgery and apologized about her tardiness when she announced herself strolling into my exam room; she's pleasant and funny. And, when she knows it's game time-she gets really serious and does not mince any words! Hey, she's a straight shooter and communicates very well! I would trust her with any of my family members. She's a great doc! read more

I have a very different experience with Dr. Levine. I had been suffering from what my doctors thought were chronic UTIs. After seeing Dr. Levine, I was diagnosed with bladder irritation; she prescribed some blue pills that I only need to take occasionally and cleared up the problem. I found her to be very caring and knowledgeable. I have been telling my friends that she is my best doctor since she is not only competent but has a very nice bedside manner. I highly recommend her. read more

Will not go back to this MD. I don't believe having to wait 2 hours for a doctor. My time is just as important as theirs.

Dr. Sari Levine has been my Urologist for 20 years1 Through surgeries, biopsies, and a continuing degenerative neurolgical illness that affects almost everything, she has patiently and professionally handles all the bums in the road. Yes, sometimes you have to wait, as emergencies in this area are not uncommon. But when she does come into the examining room, she acts like you are her only patient that day. read more

Dr. Levine helped save my life by monitoring my PSA after prostatectomy. She is very experienced, and has always taken time to thoroughly answer all my questions. She really cares about her patients and the outcomes of her treatment plans. read more

Dr. Levine has seen me through a long list of issues, including biopsies, surgeries, and UTIs and now is providing care while going through a degenerative neurological illness. Yes , she is direct and does not mince words, but she is professional and caring as well as highly skilled. I have changed medical groups and primary care doctors to stay with Dr. Levine. read more

I cannot imagine a better person to take care of me! Dr Levine is high energy so you need to like such people in order to like her, so make sure there is a match between what your personality and her - and do not blame HER for being whom she is! Beyond that, Dr Levine is very professional and thorough. She referred me to get a second opinion, and when the second opinion did not match her recommendation, she was not defensive, she was willing to go over the test and re-evaluate my situation. The "second opinion Dr" was not open to discussion at all. Once I decided on the plan - Dr Levine was personal, supportive, and I ended up with wonderful outcome, unlike a previous unsuccessful surgery. I hope all my encounters with the medical profession would be so wonderful! read more

Another doctor who closed up her practice recommended my wife to Dr. Levine. My wife saw her 2-3x before giving up. While I will credit Dr. Levine for doing a ultra-sound that the previous doctor did not do, she did not find the fibroids that another doctor found that turned out to be majority source of the issues affecting my wife. The Appt.s tended to be as such: Dr. Levine would fly into the room where we waited and talk very fast and loud (and I mean LOUD and my hearing is lousy!) and rattle off ideas or suggestions then fly out of the room. My wife ended up getting recommendations from friends and finding a OB/GYN who helped her greatly. read more

Great doctor as an alternative to all the male pervs that are in Urology. Downside--don't expect any mercy when she has a cystoscope in her hand. read more

I saw Dr. Levine a couple times over a couple years. The first visit I needed pre-medication for a test they were going to to, but they didn't tell me---or provide the prescription medication until after I'd waited an hour. Then I had to wait another hour for the meds to take effect. The appointment went ok after that, but on two subsequent visits, I had long waits and she was abrupt and treated me like I was uneducated. She actually told me "you don't need to know what kind of kidney stones you have". She then had me undergo a couple other tests in her office and told me to get a third test done that cost over $1000 out of pocket---it was just to see if I could possibly develop diabetes in the future! Expensive and useless advise! I decided I did not need to be subjected to her attitude and found Dr. Phonsombat. He is kind, caring, understanding, listens, explains and has a wonderful staff. read more