Alton Women's Health Center 4 Memorial Drive, Alton, IL 62002

"I called today to try and set up an appointment, as I just a positive pregnancy test. The office told me they would have to call back and schedule. When they called back they told me they had scheduled me for 8 weeks out. I was concerned because that seemed like a long time to go without being seen (seeing as if I’m getting a positive test at home I’m likely already around 3 weeks) this would mean I wouldn’t be seen for nearly the entire first trimester. I asked the woman on the phone what I should do prior; prenatals ect, at this point she became irritated and aggressive telling me she can’t answer questions like that. I asked if she could get me to someone who could help me and that I’d be happy to wait on hold. She kept repeating “ the doctors don’t see pts for 8 to 12 weeks” she began just trying to force me off the phone at this point. I asked to cancel my appointment and will be looking for a new doctor. I’ve been patient with this office for several years. I’m very very disappointed and will be looking for a new provider"

"I went here for many years in my teens because it was the only location that would accept my insurance. This place is awful. My first doctor was fairly kind, but she has been retired for years. I started experiencing chronic abdominal pain, irregular menstrual cycles, and birth control was causing extremely prolonged periods. I kept begging for help and they just kept saying "try this pill instead." Eventually they tried the IUD and they told me it wouldn't hurt at all to put in, so they gave 0 pain medication. To this day it is one of the most painful experiences I've had. I started seeing spots and couldn't walk to my car. I spent the next week crying, throwing up, and holding my heating pad. They kept assuring me this was normal. I complained about my IUD pain continuing for the next YEAR. They did several ultrasounds to confirm it was in the right place but otherwise seemed to just brush off my pain entirely until I finally demanded they just take it out (the doctor seemed pretty annoyed by this, honestly.) Things got better for a short while but then got much worse again and my mother began to think I might have endometriosis since she had been diagnosed with it when she was younger. Although I brought this up to my doctor early on she actually laughed in my face and said it didn't matter since I didn't want children yet so surgery wasn't worth it. Several years later and multiple requests to be evaluated for endometriosis I was finally sent to another doctor at the facility who my previous NP said was their specialist in endometriosis and could diagnose me. This doctor listened to my symptoms and said that yes, I sounded like I had endometriosis, but she didn't think a diagnostic laparoscopy was worth the time and resources so she was just going to put me on Depo Lupron. Depo Lupron puts the body into a medical menopause essentially, and endometriosis CAN'T be diagnosed by symptoms alone. It must be diagnosed by a test of removed tissues during a laparoscopy. I was only about 19 years old faced with a medical menopause or continued pain. She also requested that I have a transvaginal ultrasound to be sure nothing was visibly wrong. However, when I went for the ultrasound it was so horrifically painful and the nurse couldn't find my right ovary, so instead of stopping she continued pressing around for about an hour while I cried. This was the last straw. I took it upon myself to find my own specialist and called and made myself an appointment without a referral. When I told the specialist (who is located in St. Louis) what I had experienced at this office he was appalled, and when he attempted to do a physical exam and I was writhing in pain he was so concerned he prescribed me heavy painkillers. I have since had to have TWO surgeries and was officially diagnosed with endometriosis. There were numerous large lesions, my ovaries were stuck down to the back wall of the pelvic cavity with adhesions (hence why they couldn't find them,) and the uterus was stuck to the colon and both organs were being pulled backwards and down from where they should have been. They even had to remove my appendix which was at risk of rupture. These are all the things this office told me were a waste of resources & time to fix. Now that I've finally made strides in my recovery and regained some control of my day to day life I think back on my experiences here and wonder if I would still even be alive today had I continued to let them ignore my pain. There were times when my pain was so severe suicide seemed logical, yet this office treated it like standard period pain and let me live like this for years. I absolutely do not recommend this facility to ANYONE, but I know that many people who might be in my shoes back then may not be able to afford to see anyone else due to insurance. If you HAVE to go here be certain you advocate for yourself and your health, because they won't. Don't let them ignore your symptoms or pain, don't let them turn you away from treatments, stay strong and come into your appointments ready to fight."

"I highly recommend Dr. Hardman and the staff that works with her. Everyone is helpful and friendly. Dr. Hardman is a professional with a very personable nature. She is in tune with her patients and addresses any concerns, big or small. (A rare find) I just love her!!! She is an asset to Alton Womans Center."

"I absolutely LOVE Jamie Hardman, I feel like she actually cares about her patients and their needs. I recommend her to anyone who is pregnant. Also I LOVE her nurse Michelle as well, I love going in somewhere and being treated with respect. I will continue to go to her with every child that I intend to have! If it wasnt for Jamie Hardman I dont think I would still be pregnant with my baby girl! Only thing I have to complain about is some of the ladies at the front desk are a little rude and they barely smile! Other than that I wish I could give more than 5 stars!!!"

"They are completely unprofessional and rude. You have to do their jobs for them and they argue constantly and never return results. Always some rude excuse as they are more trained in arguing than anything else. Alton has super low grade medical offices, lawyers and go ernment officials and this place is no different. This place shouldn't even exist. My wife is going to Peoria in the future."