What happened during your visit to Clinic for Mother and Child?

I visited the clinic in a critical situation, and what I got was a bunch of unqualified specialists who seemed more interested in taking my money than helping me. I was bounced around from one department to another, with no clear plan.

Were the staff at the clinic friendly?

Some of the staff seemed friendly, but that's about it. They seemed completely unbothered by my situation, and that's just not what you want when you're in a critical state.

Did you get a diagnosis during your visit?

Yes, I did get a diagnosis, but it was a long time coming. And to be honest, I'm not even sure if it was accurate.

How much did you pay for your visit?

I paid almost 10,000 rubles for my visit, and that's not even counting the ambulance service.

Would you recommend Clinic for Mother and Child to others?

No way. I'd warn others to stay far, far away from this place. The price tag is unpredictable, and the staff seems completely unbothered by your situation.

What do you think is the biggest problem with Clinic for Mother and Child?

The biggest problem is the lack of qualified specialists. It's like they're more interested in taking your money than helping you.

Did you feel like you were treated like a person in need?

No, I was treated like just another number. It was like they didn't even care that I was in a critical state.

Would you go back to Clinic for Mother and Child if you had to?

No way. I'd rather go somewhere else, even if it's not as convenient.

What do you think is the best part about Clinic for Mother and Child?

Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe the building itself looks okay?

What do you think is the worst part about Clinic for Mother and Child?

The worst part is the price tag. It's completely unpredictable, and that's just not what you want when you're in a critical state.

How long did you have to wait for an ultrasound?

It took a while, but I'm not even sure how long. It felt like an eternity.

Did you have to pay extra for the ambulance service?

Yeah, I did. It was a pretty hefty fee, if you ask me.

Traumatic Experience at Clinic for Mother and Child - A Warning to Others

I still remember my experience at Clinic for Mother and Child like it was yesterday. Honestly, a lot of what happened there still leaves me scratching my head. I'd read reviews, and several friends and family members had been treated there, even done IVF. But for me, it was a whole different story. For almost 10,000 rubles, they sent an ambulance, which was nice, I guess. And then they tried to get rid of me as quickly as possible.

I think if I'd come here for an ultrasound in the first, second, or third trimester, just to see my future little bundle of joy, I would've been happy with the diagnosis. But I was only let down by the unpredictable price tag. It doesn't matter why you come here – you'll end up throwing money out the window. The price for each visit is unpredictable, and the attitude is just apathetic.

I visited the clinic in a critical situation. At the time, I was being bounced around everywhere, and I was terrified that I'd just die at home without getting any help. I mean, I'd seen some horror stories about people not getting the care they needed on time.

Let me start with the backstory. Delayed periods are my norm. Any stress and I'm off by a few weeks. To calm myself down, I always do pregnancy tests, and they're always negative. And they're also super effective at making me feel like I'm being paranoid.

This time, six tests all showed me a plus sign and two lines. I high-tailed it to the in vitro lab, did a hCG test, which was also positive, and showed 5-6 weeks of pregnancy.

I went through the motions and signed up for prenatal care. That took another almost week. To be honest, I was more concerned about whether I was actually sick or not, rather than getting on the books early to get the benefits.

I was terrified that I had cancer. Elevated HCG isn't always a sign of pregnancy. I'd lost my mom to breast cancer, my grandma, and my father-in-law had died of it too. I'd seen firsthand how devastating it can be.

When I saw those two lines on the test, I thought, 'Okay, here we go.' I told my OB-GYN about it, and she patted my belly and said, 'You're pregnant, honey. Congratulations!' I mean, it was a relief, but also a bit of a shock.

In my OB-GYN's office, they make diagnoses without an ultrasound, sometimes without even needing to remove your underwear. I was a bit taken aback, but I figured it was just a standard procedure.

They sent me for an ultrasound and the only appointment available was two weeks later, in a different part of town. The doctor wasn't available for another week after that.

In case of an emergency, I was told not to go to the OB-GYN's office, but to head straight to hospital number 3 instead. They'd take care of me, they said. But when I confirmed with an ultrasound that my baby was viable (with a heartbeat, of course), I was supposed to come back and get on the books immediately.

It sounds like they only put successful mothers on the books who deliver healthy babies, and leave the rest to fend for themselves. What a nightmare for those of us who don't fit the mold.

I'll be honest, the whole pregnancy test thing was a bit of a blur. They didn't even confirm it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy. And if it was cancer, well, let's just say I wasn't exactly expecting that.

They prescribed me urofollitropin and folic acid, and I spent every day for weeks in a state of utter terror. I just knew something was off, and I was waiting for the worst.

I wasn't planning on having another kid. I've got a grown daughter, and I've been dealing with infertility issues for 9 years now. So when I saw those two lines, I was both scared and hopeful. Maybe this would be a miracle baby.

And then the bleeding started...

Just a tiny drop on my clothes, but it was enough to send me to the hospital. I spent hours waiting, and then they started asking me questions like, 'What made you think you were pregnant in the first place?' I mean, all pregnant women are supposed to be on the books, right?

They told me they didn't have any ultrasound equipment, and then they did it anyway, saying, 'This is what you call a miscarriage?!' And then they kicked me out in the middle of the night, telling me to just keep taking the urofollitropin.

Sometimes you have to pay for services just so people will treat you with a shred of dignity.

At home, things only got worse, and I ended up calling an ambulance. They took me to hospital 67 and gave me two diagnoses to worry about.

One was a non-viable pregnancy, and the other was cancer – a rare condition that's only seen in extreme cases.

I needed another ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis and figure out what's next for me, but I had to wait another 5 days for my free appointment, plus a few more days for the gynecologist's appointment to become available.

In Moscow, there are plenty of private labs where you can get any tests done and have researches conducted. Unfortunately, most of them can only give a normal result for a chlamydia test.

I'm talking about potentially life-threatening situations. I've had to get emergency ultrasounds during my first pregnancy, and the private doctor would tell me everything was fine, but it wasn't always accurate... It's better to go to the hospital.

I liked the Clinic for Mother and Child because they do IVF and a wide range of tests. You don't have to wait weeks to get an appointment, and you can do everything in one day. I suspected that women who do IVF might not always have a smooth experience, so they know what to do in complex situations.

Getting an appointment was easy. You can even register through the Gosuslugi portal. This immediately gave me a sense of trust, and I even thought the results would be available through the EMIAS system. Yeah, right.

I booked my appointment on Friday, and all the slots for the weekend were taken. But on Monday, there were almost any time slots available. Just as I was leaving, I suddenly felt a lot worse. I was in pain, and the painkillers weren't working.

I was literally clinging to a lamppost, trying to stay upright, while I waited for the ambulance. But it was the fancy staircase in the clinic that really took the cake. I felt a massive hemorrhage starting to happen.

Cost

The ultrasound of my pelvic organs set me back 4750 rubles.

Customer Service

It's been a mixed bag, to be honest. The only real issue is the cloakroom. They just hang up your coat on a hook and stick it in a closet. Otherwise, there's just a weird lack of attention to detail.

We were initially told to go to the wrong exam room. I wasted my time going there, only to be called to the next one. There are no screens with room numbers, which is weird. I guess they're trying to avoid giving off a free clinic vibe.

But right next to the clinic is a tree with little signs pointing to all the healthy, beautiful babies that were born thanks to the hard work of the local doctors.

The ultrasound and examination on the examination table, amidst the hemorrhage, at the free 67th hospital, left me with a weird mix of feelings - from disgust to revulsion. The doctors were trying to keep it professional, but it was clear they were uncomfortable. I mean, I was bleeding all over the place, and the transparent vinyl sheets under me weren't exactly doing much to help.

I was in agony and terrified. To be honest, we came here hoping they could help me. After all, they have their own hospital. The ultrasound tech told me everything she saw, and I was asking what could be done. She confirmed that everything was terrible and I needed surgery.

I was in shock when I found out I was pregnant and saw two lines. Now, at my check-up, I'm experiencing a miscarriage and need to get to the hospital ASAP for an operation. My hopes of saving the baby were crushed, and I need help now.

I called my doctor in, explained the situation, and we had a pretty bizarre conversation.

I asked if they could perform the operation there, since they have a hospital on site.

She told me it would cost $100,000. Before I could even process that, she added, 'Is that too much to ask?' It felt like they were trying to rush me into making a decision, but I asked her to talk to my dad and explain the options. I was in a tough spot, and my head was spinning with worry and pain.

To be honest, the free hospital I'd been to before and the maternity ward that kicked me out didn't exactly inspire confidence, but this fancy clinic with friendly doctors was a different story.

The doctor said we didn't need to scare my husband. By the way, no matter how many times I explained that he wasn't my fiancé or stepdad, they kept calling him my husband... I guess that's a compliment, because he does look pretty great.

The doctor left to talk to my dad-husband and... reassured him that everything would be okay.

They even called an ambulance and charged me extra for it...

I had to dress however I wanted and head to the gynecologist's office, who would somehow figure everything out.

I had to go up to the reception desk, and they'd already know what was going on. Yeah, that's exactly what I was expecting...

I want to say that the clinic's design is pretty underwhelming. It's clearly geared towards pregnant women who are still looking great and have no health issues. I had a hard time navigating the space.

When I got to the reception desk, no one had a clue why I was there.

They stalled for a bit, then started making phone calls. A young girl came out and dragged me into a consultation room, where she started asking me a bunch of questions about why I was there for the ultrasound and what I was hoping to see. What?!

I was struggling to sit down because of the pain. I asked her a few times if she'd mixed me up with someone else, since I'd just had the ultrasound and was waiting for a consultation. It turned out she had made a mistake.

Can I ask another question?

I was redirected to the doctor's office. And there, it started all over again with the endless questioning. It started with the usual questions about my menstrual cycle, when I started having sex, and ended with how many relatives I have who have diabetes.

Just as the doctor was about to ask another question, I asked if I could lie down. They told me I needed an emergency operation right away, because I was having a miscarriage.

Remember, the head of the clinic even quoted me a price. And then, the same woman pops out from the next room, looking utterly surprised, and says, 'At our clinic? Of course, that's impossible! We only do scheduled operations!' It felt like they were trying to cover their tracks.

I'm still trying to figure out why they even bothered with the '100 thousand' thing. To be honest, the whole proposal just fell flat.

Then she looked at me with this stern expression and asked what was wrong with me. I was totally falling apart and sliding off the chair. The bleeding and pain were getting worse, and the questions just kept coming.

When I told her I was in pain, she said 'just give her something! And take her to the recovery room'. I must have looked pretty scary to the other clinic visitors.

So, in the gynecologist's office, they called an ambulance while trying to stall me with their ridiculous survey.

When I went out into the hallway to tell my dad that I was being taken away, the girl at the desk started whispering to me. It took us a second to figure out what she was even saying.

I was already in no shape to sit down. I just collapsed onto the couch and tried to ride out the contractions.

It turned out she was telling me that I needed to pay for the consultation. We were shocked, because the ultrasound had already been paid for. It turned out that the 'exam' (that's what it said on the receipt) cost another 4900 rubles. That's what all that pointless surveying was for.

The ambulance came quickly, but the doctors disappeared even faster.

The ambulance doctors put me on a stretcher in the office, started setting up IVs, and asking the same questions over and over again. I thought they'd finally fill me in on what was going on, but nope. They all vanished from the room. Then they brought in some flustered young woman who hid in the corner.

I couldn't even remember what painkiller they'd given me and tell the ambulance doctors. Luckily, she was left there and managed to dig up the info from my documents. It turned out it was kеторолак.

I was rushed to the reanimation ward at Botkin Hospital from a private clinic. I was in a critical state by the time I arrived. The last thing I remember is being able to reach out to my loved ones via phone, but as soon as I got to the hospital, I was in so much pain that I couldn't even walk and had to be moved around on a stretcher and then a wheelchair.

Looking back, I feel incredibly lucky to have made it. I was saved, and I'm still alive, thanks to the medical team.

The ultrasound results were handed to me personally. It had a preliminary diagnosis and even three photos of my uterus. They also sent me a copy via email two days later. By that time, I had already been operated on and discharged from the hospital. I never did receive the results of that 'exam' by the gynecologist.

I have to say that the medical team at Botkin Hospital was completely focused on my care. They didn't bother with the tests and just got on with the operation. The attention to detail and the care I received was top-notch, and I couldn't have asked for more.

The operation was performed the same day, but before that, I had to undergo a series of tests. The results were handed to me afterwards, along with a stack of blood test results - four pages of them.

When you're dealing with a private clinic, you have to be prepared for a certain level of detachment and a lack of empathy, no matter how nice they try to be. And be prepared for the final bill to be higher than you expected, so it's always a good idea to have some extra cash on hand.

I've read the reviews, and it's clear that many people are regulars here and recommend it to others. If you're visiting the clinic for the first time, it can be a bit of a shock. Don't expect this place to be a full-service clinic where you can get real help – it's more like a fancy, over-the-top IV therapy treatment.