The Fertility Center of Michigan

It is still very early in my treatment at the clinic but so far I can say that they are very organized but also very busy. Some of the hours are a little strange but I also work a kind of first/second shift job so I have some odd hours open.

Dr. Thakur was very direct but also very compassionate. She sincerely seemed concerned that I was having trouble conceiving, and wants to figure out why.

They were very helpful and compassionate, they made sure that any questions I had were answered and that I had everything I needed.

It is still very early in my treatment, but compared to how I was treated at my OB/GYN I am very happy, she sat down with me and gave me numbers and what those numbers meant and what she wanted to do and how I was supposed to do it. She also was very compassionate, and explained that there are several different factors that could be at play and to conceive they all need to work in sync.

This is a new experience, don't expect the same experience.

I am still very new to the clinic and Dr. Thakur, but we are trying 3 cycles of femara using OPK's with an optimal trigger shot to begin because I was able to conceive once on a clomid cycle ( but it resulted in a chemical pregnancy). I was also put on synthroid because my absorption rate was "normal" but hypo for someone who is TTC.

My insurance does not cover any costs. When setting up my first appointment I was given a range of about how much my visit would cost so that I would be prepared and then at my visit I was given a sheet that broke down the clinic costs for visits, procedures, and most medications.

Thorough and understanding doctors with lots of experience. Nurses kind and compassionate, with you every step of the way. Detailed in keeping you updated on the plan and details for each new cycle. Staff communicate well with each other and with me.

My calls were answered quickly, my questions were taken seriously and given thorough answers, the processes were explained in great detail as well as printed out, the staff grieved with me with each negative pregnancy test, they also helped me find the cheapest pharmacy to get medications by cash. I also had a nurse meet with me at the end of each ultrasound/consultation to go over the plan and next steps.

They met me after each of my appointments to go over the next plan and future appointments which was appreciated. They were efficient at calling me back the same day, and working to make sure they retrieved any labs taken outside of the clinic. They were kind and compassionate and I appreciated them greatly at critical moments during my treatments.

Dr. Dodd’s is a great person and doctor. He doesn’t rush through the appointment and thoroughly answers each question with years of experience clearly behind each thoughtful answer. He is understanding that this is a difficult and sensitive time for patients, especially the woman. He is kind and detailed, with every script and note written, never missing one single fact. At the first appointment we talked about our personal lives, careers, and families including both his own and ours - which set the tone for each future appointment, making it feel like we were just meeting with a friend. We also met in casual settings that didn’t feel like a “doctor’s office” which contributed to our comfort. He is clearly close with his staff, which helped us trust him and all the staff at the fertility clinic, knowing they were a team all together supporting us.

Great doctor- he has perfect bedside Manner and is excellent at his profession.

I had tried clomid prior to seeing Dr. Dodd, and he explained that IN femara studies it have been shown to work better than clomid for pcos which I have. We tried femara twice which I ovulated with based on occupations tests and a progesterone level. On the second round I didn’t get a positive ovulation test so I added ovidrel in the third and fourth cycles to ensure good ovulation. On the third and fourth cycles we did a mid cycles ultrasound Which showed that my uterine lining was getting smaller, and on the fourth round, which I had increased the dose of femara on, I was still only getting one follicle, so we have decided to move on to injectable with ovidrel and IUI which I am doing now. He explained that injectables will stimulate more eggs and thus increase chances of pregnancy. He also said iui doesn’t increase your chances by much, but we still wanted to try this during these injectable cycles as we will do 3 of them and then move to IVF.

$300 for each ultrasound - which were multiple in some cycles. $600 -iui. $500 - first months dose of gonal f. $50 - femara. $50- metformin.

Dr. Dodd’s suggested a 2 embryo transfer as that will increase our chances of success, with a reasonable chance of a multiple pregnancy. Also is it obviously a very expensive procedure, so that is to be considered.

It's a nice environment in a great location. The interior is modern, but comfortable and welcoming. They offer beverages and have couches. Front desk staff is kind. It did not take long to get an appointment scheduled after being referred. It is a professional environment.

Mostly like a human. It was more the MA's that made me feel like a number, than the doctors. The consultation was less warm than the following procedures.

I have not had much interaction with the nurses. I have with multiple MA's and they are not very warm. Clinically they are fine.

Dr. Shavell is to the point, and obviously extremely intelligent and well educated. I'm a person that wants everything explained in detail as I want to absorb all the information I can. I could have asked more questions, but I wish she had approached us without thinking we were as familiar as why she would suggest some of the procedures. I wanted the detailed reasons why. She is very kind, which is very important to me. I have met with her twice, and am scheduled with her in 1.5 weeks.

Ask your questions, she gives you time.

I'm diagnosed with recurrent pregnancy loss after three miscarriages. Dr. Shavell suggested a saline sonohysterogram and a endometrial biopsy. The SHG was to check for scar tissue after two D&C's 7 days apart. The biopsy was to make sure the infection (endometritis) in my endometrium was resolved. Both came back normal and great, thankfully.

Cost has been fine as my insurance has covered appointments and procedures. Thanks to the staff that scheduled the two procedures, she made sure they were scheduled on two different days. Otherwise my insurance only would have covered one. That was a great experience. One negative experience was the Counsyl genetic testing they recommended; I had already had karyotype testing; so, I don't know if it was even necessary, but the MA gave me inaccurate information about being able to cancel the testing when I received an email from Counsyl. Thankfully Counsyl worked with me. I am slightly irritated they do not accept Tricare. My husband is a veteran and in the national guard and soon I will be on his insurance.

does not apply

When you walk in the front desk is fast and to the point to get you signed in. The nurses are thorough and let you know what the need you to do. They help you to relax and answer any questions you have. One weakness is that one lady in my follow up ultrasound assumes that we had fresh sperm when we ONLY have frozen viles which made me question if she knew what she was doing and made me feel uneasey about having my IUI done. My IUI that I had performed NOT by dr young was different then how he did it. So that was odd. He put a sponge thing to hold in sperm and the other IUI did not have that. So consistency was off.

He asks personal real life questions. Not all “doctor” stuff. He sat with both my husband and I, and I didn’t feel “rushed”. It is genuine. He’s funny and kind. He talks about his life to so it’s a mutual connection. Humans need connection in life and he provides this.

Fun enjoyable nice kind knowledgeable

James is a good doctor. He explains the good and the bad. He gives guidance on what to change and his knowledge on how to move on to the next step when the last IUI’s failed. He has improved being relational sense 2014 vists.

Confident.

First cycle- femara 2.5mg pills cycle day 3-7. Had four mature eggs. I have one daughter from this cycle. Sencond cycle I was put on femara 2.5mg cycle day 3-7 only produce ONE egg. We backed out of the IUI. Third cycle dr young bumped my femara as I only produced one egg last time using 5mg cycle day 3-7 and had four mature eggs. IUI failed Fourth cycle femara 7.5 cycle day 3-7 had four mature eggs. IUI failed.

$500 for IUI

Great staff, although sometimes tough to get through on the phone immediately to someone (obviously not including emergencies). Often I have to leave a message and wait for a call back to schedule or to have questions answered. But, everyone is always helpful! They run things efficiently and are good about getting back to you that day if indicated.

When we first started medicated cycles at The Fertility Center, I rarely saw any of the doctors, but when I did, it was always a good experience. However as we have continued on through IUIs, then IVF, a miscarriage, the care has gotten more and more personalized and Dr. Dodds has been extremely empathetic, thorough, and generous. He has squeezed us in when the schedule was "full" and never rushes the conversation when we meet with him.

There are a lot and they are all super nice and helpful. Early in our time at the Fertility Center, I sometimes felt like I had to remind some of them about certain unique parts of my case, but as we have moved on to IVF, the nurses seem to be very up to speed.

Even though we haven't had our miracle baby yet, I still am so thankful for having Dr. Dodds as our doctor. He has stuck with us and has kept us hopeful during a tough journey. He is always comprehensive in his treatment planning and when a treatment hasn't proven to be successful, he is great about tweaking things or offering other options. He is direct and very smart. He is also caring and empathetic. If I had to start treatment over, I would absolutely stick with him as my doctor.

Schedule to meet with him if you have questions and make sure to bring a list of questions! He is great about explaining options and also great about listening to you.

He first ordered blood work, sperm analysis, and HSG for diagnostic testing. It was determined I have a heart-shaped (bicornuate) uterus, otherwise we were unexplained. Multiples is a big risk with this condition, so he made sure to start me out on the lowest dose of Femara when I started medicated cycles. He had me come in for one midcycle US and we were able to adjust meds to get the anywhere from 1-3 follicles. After 4 cycles on femara, we met with him and he offered IUI or IVF. I was close to overproducing follicles a couple times (and again multiples is risky for me), so IVF would be more predictable. But, due to cost, we decided to do IUIs first and he was very understanding. We added in injectables to help with egg quality and ended up having to cancel our first month due to overproducing. After that, he had me come in a lot earlier and more frequent to monitor closely. The next 3 IUIs went smoothly (except for not getting a positive pregnancy test!). We then moved on to IVF. Before starting, I was on birth control for 6 weeks to quiet everything. We had a great retrieval with 17 eggs retrieved, 16 mature, all 16 fertilized, and 12 made it to day 2 freeze. I had to do a freeze-all because of risk of hyperstimulation. After our first day 3 embryo FET, I got pregnant, but miscarried at 10 weeks. I then went on to do 3 more FETs, all failed. We met with him after each FET to discuss next steps. He did try an immune protocol for resistant uterus for the last two FETs due to some indications that I may have autoimmune issues. This last FET we ended up transferring two embryos, as we hadn't had luck with single embryo transfers. After 4 transfers and 5 embryos transferred, we met again and Dr. Dodds had discussed our case with the other three doctors at the practice and gave us several options moving forward. We are now considering doing a fresh round of IVF and PGS testing all embryos, new and old. We got karyotyping done on me and are waiting on results. I also have a hysteroscopy scheduled for next week to look at the inside of the uterus to determine if anything obvious could be preventing implantation.

IVF without PGS for healthy 28-30y.o. was about 8-10K. With PGS clinic cost is about 12.5K and seperate PGS fee is 5.8K. IUI ended up being about 1.5K per cycle. Medicated cycles alone were pretty cheap, usually $100-200.

With a bicornuate uterus, we were encouraged to transfer one embryo. Not until our fourth transfer did we end up transferring two. Dr. Dodds went over all the pros/cons with us.

Able to get you in for a visit in a reasonable amount of time, awesome staff, fair prices, straight forward billing, counseling available, quick phone calls back and caring doctors. At this time there are no weaknesses.

Very personable and funny.

I do not have any negatives to say about any of the staff at The Fertility Center. All were kind, excellent communicators, compassionate, concise, knowledgeable.

Very nice and great bedside manner. He is realistic but after 2 failed transfers he is not changing anything and that is frustrating. Clear with his plan of action and answered all questions. Did feel slightly rushed when seeing him.

Very kind and compassionate for what you are going through. Knowledgeable.

I did the GnRH antagonist protocol due to my low ovarian reserve (low AMH) and the results were 12 eggs total with 1 immature, 1 did not fertilize and 10 fertilized embryos. We did use ICSI as our choice to increase our odds to be able to freeze our embryos. No male factor with my husband. He transferred two and froze 8. The goal was to have enough embryos to have for all children desired as my ovarian reserve will continue to decrease and IVF in the future might not produce as many eggs.

I have Blue Care Network Nurse office visits-copay $10 Doctor office visits-co-pay $40.00 Ultrasounds were partly covered- out of pocket was approx $30.00 per US All labs were covered but had to use an outside lab--could not have blood drawn in the office. Hysterscopy with Dye was partly covered by insurance--approx $300.00 out of pocket Hysteroscopy with saline-partly covered but out of pocket was $100.00 Approx $8,000 for IVF, ICSI and transfer. Anesthesia was from an outside vendor and was $400.00 Medications ordered from outside pharmacy was approx $5000.00 for IVF (some were partly covered and some were covered but the out of pocket cost was more than the cash price so chose cash price). Endometrial Scratch-partly covered but approx $100.00 out of pocket 1st Transfer cost approx $5000.00 and medications an additional $250.00 through outside pharmacy.

He did not have any preference. He said due to my age we could choose 1-2 embryos to transfer and that our chance of pregnancy was higher, even with just one, as all my testing thus far was negative and I was 29 years of age.

The clinic is very efficient in terms of planning for treatment and getting you in for ultrasounds and blood work. They meet with you after most appointments to make sure you are clear are the next steps. In terms of weaknesses, there was some miscommunication with the pharmacy regarding my medication and sometimes it can be difficult to get answers regarding insurance issues. But, overall, they care about their patients and want success for everyone.

Dr. Dodds altered treatment for my second round of IVF to achieve better results. He is friendly and willing to answer any questions. However, it did not seem like he knew me as a patient and what my experience was and needed to go through my chart right before meeting me.

Even though I met with several nurses over the course of treatment, they each were kind, knowledgeable, and were able to answer any questions I had. They took my concerns seriously and accommodated me as needed.

Dr. Dodds is very knowledgeable and has lots of experience. He is compassionate in the room and will call depending on the result. He also provides hope for future round of treatment. It may be that he has too many patients, as it seemed as though he did not remember me and needed to look over my chart prior to each meeting.

Make sure to ask lots of questions.

For my first IVF cycle - I was on the antagonist protocol with Cetrotide, Menopur and Gonal-F. This produced 13 eggs, 8 fertilized and 4 embryos. We transferred two on a fresh cycle and two on a frozen cycle on none of them stuck. For my second cycle (current), I am on the microdose flare Lupron protocol. Three days after stopping birth control I start on 20 units of microdose Lupron twice a day. Two days of that I began 450 IU of Gonal F in the evenings. I have also had an endo scratch and will use Embryogen for this cycle in order to help with implantation. Egg retrieval is in 2-3 days.

IVF treatment with ICSI was around $9000; ultrasounds and blood work were separate costs. Medication was between $2800-$3400

I was provided information on the risks of single vs. multiple and the recommended number to implant based on my age.

I love that the fertility center has multiple locations and super flexible hours for monitoring ultrasounds! I do wish that the drs spent one more day in Mason. I also feel like the pricing is reasonable versus a lot of other clinics.

We went to see Dr Thakur after I suffered an ectopic pregnancy. She actually validated our loss. Also, after some test results came back showing that I was in DOR, she sat down with us for an hour and a half and discussed what all that meant. Also, after our next loss, she sat down with us to discuss what she thought the cause of that was.

The nurses for the most part are great! They respond very quickly to phone calls. I do feel like they are a little overwhelmed because a lot of times they don’t know the full extent of “your case” which I wish they did. Also, a lot of times you have to call and get test results versus them calling you. They are all very patient and compassionate and do take time to listen to your concerns.

My husband does not love seeing drs, especially after we went through an ectopic pregnancy and a lot of unknowns. We both felt like Dr Thakur was very smart. She takes the time to go over all the options. I never felt pressured to do one course of treatment over the other. She outlined what she thought would be the best course of treatment and how long we should go through with that and when to move on.

Ask lots of questions! Also, if you have information about something that you’ve read online, tell her about it. She is very smart and will tell you whether or not there is any sort of evidence to back it up.

We have always done femara and ovidrel because I respond well to the femara. The first month I only had one mature follicle so she upped my dose and I seem to be responding well to that!

Our initial appointment was $285 and every appointment after that was $180. Ultrasounds were about $110. The IUI is around $700. For us, the femara was covered by insurance but the fertility center helped me get the best price for ovidrel at about $95/shot.

It's a great clinic, but it's very big. I was hoping for more of a compassionate atmosphere, but it's pretty business-like. I do appreciate that some of the front desk ladies have started to recognize me.

Dr. Dodds took the time to talk to us about our jobs and life.

Some of the nurses were friendlier than others. They all seemed to be very knowledgeable and I felt comfortable with their recommendations. They were always very matter of fact and never really asked me about how I was doing though. This is a very emotional experience and I would have liked that to be acknowledged a little more.

I have only seen Dr. Dodds once, but he was pretty good when we met with him. He met with us in his office instead of an exam room. He took the time to review all of my previous tests and surgery. He asked us about our jobs. He had a connection to the place where my husband works and he told a long story about that. I appreciated that he waited until the end of the appointment to talk to us about that. I did feel like he was a little matter of fact and didn't explain things in great detail. He just laid out the plan and gave us the next step. I left a little bit confused and felt a little like we had been rushed into moving forward with an IUI.

Make sure you ask questions! We didn't really know what to ask at the time but we felt like we left with more questions than answers.

Dr. Dodds suggested that we start moving forward with an IUI. He put me on Femara, an ovidrel injection, and progesterone. He didn't really explain what each of these did or why I was taking them. After my husband and I discussed it, we weren't comfortable moving forward with the IUI right away. I called back and talked to a nurse about it. We decided to try timed intercourse first. So, she said to take the Femara and the progesterone, but I could wait on the Ovidrel. I went in for a mid-cycle ultrasound and the nurse told me when to have intercourse. After a negative pregnancy test that month, we decided to go forward with the IUI. Then it was back to the Femara, Ovidrel, and Progesterone. Then a mid-cycle ultrasound and the insemination. The Progesterone gave me really bad side effects so after I called and asked, my dosage was reduced by half and that seemed to help. I got another negative pregnancy test, so we started all over again. I am currently scheduled for another IUI later this week.

My initial appointment and ultrasounds are covered by insurance. The IUI procedure was $500. The meds were ordered through a pharmacy and were $100-$200 each cycle.

Very organized and all communicate with one another. For the most part easy to get through on the phone and they will call you back if it requires immediate attention but sometimes it is difficult to get through on the phone and they wont call you back until the next day if its not very important.

Dr. Dodds always takes the time to elaborate and know that I completely understand the process. Always answers any questions I have and is very patient. Very personable and friendly.

Very knowledgeable, you hardly have any questions because they go through every detail of the whole process. Very organized. Always call you when they say they will. Extremely friendly.

Strengths- very knowledgeable and always has an exact plan for me based on my infertility and doesn't compare to anyone else's. Even though we haven't had a successful pregnancy I feel like Dr. Dodd's is getting closer to pin pointing the reason and is always suggesting new things. He is very honest but not too blunt. Weakness- He does travel to other offices around Michigan so he is not always available at the Grand Rapids office where I see him.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, he will sit there and answer all your questions no matter what.

Roughly $12,000 for fresh IVF cycle-includes IVF and medication. Doesn't included roughly $2,000 for all the bloodwork and ultrasounds that insurance didn't cover or $400 mobile anesthesia for the egg retrieval. $3,000 for each FET cycle $100 quarterly fee for frozen embryos storage.

Dr. Dodd's suggested multiple embryo transfer (2) each time (we have done it twice now). For higher chance of pregnancy rate.

The entire team of doctors, nurses and office staff are always willing to help with any questions or concerns we have. We feel well cared for and accommodated with every visit. We would like new patients to know that patience is important as they begin their infertility treatment. Also don't hesitate to ask questions even if they seem trivial.

Dr. Young was very personable, informamativ, and professional throughout our entire journey so far. He has made us feel at ease and confident in his abilities. Although the process has been trying at times, we are glad that Dr. Young has been there to help us.

All of the nurses we encountered were helpful in explaining everything (i.e. timelines, administration of medications, the "what ifs"). If we had a question, they would respond in a timely manner. When the cycles didn't have the outcome we hoped for, they were compassionate and sympathetic. We are extremely happy with the care they have provided thus far.

When we first got married, we never imagined that it would be so difficult to have a baby. Dr. Young helped us understand the process and all of our options. We had a lot to learn about unexplained infertility and how to maximize our chances of achieving a successful pregnancy, and Dr. Young patiently helped us with that.

Trust in the process.

Dr. Young tried several different strategies and protocols throughout our journey. First, he tried 100mg of Clomid with Ovidril trigger shot, we attempted 3 cycles of this. Then we did a couple of cycles with Clomid, Follistim and Ovidril. None of these cycles resulted in pregnancy. Third, we attempted to do an IVF cycle using the luteal suppression protocol (Lupron and Gonal-F medications). Only one follicle matured, the cycle was cancelled. Since only one follicle matured with the first IVF cycle, Dr. Young recommended we attempt multi-cycle IVF. If he was able to retrieve one or two eggs each cycle, hopefully there would be enough embryos to transfer after the second or third retrieval. The first cycle of the multi-cycle IVF protocol ended up being cancelled due to no mature follicles. At that point Dr. Young suggested we consider using donor embryos. Because it was the most viable option for us financially at that point, we agreed. In January 2018, 2 donor embryos we're thawed, only one survived the thaw. Dr. Young told us it was a very healthy embryo, so chances of implantation we're good. Unfortunately, the cycle ended in a negative pregnancy test. Dr. Young suggested we try another IVF cycle using donor embryos and select a donor with more embryos available. We are scheduled for a second donor embryo transfer in April.

Donor Embryo Transfer: Case Management Fee: $2,225.00 Bundled Fees (testing/screening/program maintenance, profile preparation, record review, MD evaluation, interdisciplinary ART meeting, appointment with Social Worker): $4,000.00 Vaginal Ultrasound: $295.00 Preparation of Cryopreserved Emryos: $1,000.00 Embryo Transfer: $1,025.00 Abdominal Ultrasound: $215.00 Medication: $500.00

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Organized, helpful, compassionate workers. Front desk staff very helpful and work with your schedule. So far my experience has only been good there. They get you in quickly and there isn’t much of a wait at any appointment.

I feel like Dr. Young definitely took his time with us when we would meet to discuss plans. He didn’t rush us out of his office to get on to the next patient. He seems to care about his patients and their past.

They know the protocols and if they were unsure how to proceed they would always let me know they would ask the Dr and let me know that day. I always knew what was happening. If I had any questions they would explain everything very well.

At first he seemed quiet and I wasn’t sure what to think of him, but towards the end of our first appointment I knew he was very good at his job just by what he was explaining to us. He evaluated my past before I came in and knew what tests to run to find the problem. He explains things in terms that we can understand.

Ask questions if you are unsure.

First cycle used fermara only. Resulted in a pregnancy that ended at 16.5 weeks, no reason found. Second cycle used 375 Gonal F And 75 menopur for about 9 days (ganirelix and HCG shot towards the end also) resulted in 4 eggs retrieved, one embryo frozen (Grade 3). About to start another cycle with same meds but add clomid on day one. We will be doing PGD testing which is why we froze the one embryo.

My insurance covers all ultrasounds and 4 estrogen blood draws a month. Paid $10,500 for first cycle and $3000 for the next 2 (multi cycle discount up to 3 cycles). Medications cost $130 for first cycle. Office visits were covered by my insurance.

The Dr. seems to want to transfer 2 for our case as I have trouble carrying them so the hope is that at least one will stick.

This clinic is amazing. They go above and beyond to communicate with patients and ensure quailty care. Infertility is difficult, and the staff at this clinic make it bearable. One weakness is that certain appointments can only be scheduled at certain a time of day, which is not always convenient.

Dr. Young (and other doctors at this office) have always treated me well. They listen to my questions and concerns and address them wuth kindness, patience and understanding. I can't imagine going through this with any other doctor.

I love the nursing staff. They are very knowledge and go the extra mile to make sure patients are fully prepared throughout the process.

Dr. Young is kind and understanding. He has a dry sense of humor which always makes me smile. He and his wife also went through fertility treatments which give a better understanding of what a patient is going through.

Ask questions. He likes Ohio State, so you have to look past that flaw. (Go Blue!)

Early on, we used a medication that had the opposite affect on my system, this was adjusted for the next cycle. This was more successful. It's difficult to remember all of the things we have done. Dr. Young was always very honest with us. I felt that he gave us all the facts and helped us to make decisions based on our personal case.

A round of IUI was generally atounf $1,500 and IVF was around $9,000. You can apply for the Assured program, which costs around $19,000 and you get up to 3 IVF cycles, if they are all unsuccessful you get almost all of your money back.

Strengths: location, cost, easy to get you on the schedule for appointments, not a long wait for treatments (including IVF), wonderful nurses and sonographers. Weaknesses: you almost always have to leave a voicemail and wait for a nurse to call you back, very little interaction with the RE.

Dr. Young is very kind and remembered some minor details about my previous cycles, which I really appreciated.

Erica is fabulous and so sweet! There have been a few more that have really showed me compassion, including Kristi. But my favorite staff member is actually a sonographer, Shana. She is SO good at what she does and is insanely sweet and compassionate! I plan on requesting her for all my future scans, when possible.

Dr. Young is definitely very wise and I felt I could trust him with our treatments. Personally, I feel like his bedside manners could improve a little. He is very kind and thorough, but somewhat awkward at times. I felt like I had to push treatment changes when things didn't work but that's also largely a part of my personality. He always explained things in an easy-to-understand way.

Keep in mind that although he can come off a little quiet or awkward at times, I do believe he has plenty of wisdom and experience to handle direct treatment courses. I'm still undergoing treatment (more aggressive, I'll add) so I'm very curious to see how my thoughts on him will change, if at all!

I responded very well to Femara 5mg for my IUIs, so we stuck with that for 3 cycles. Although I was ready to change things up, I understood how he wanted to keep the course. I was also thankful to move on to Gonal-F for IUI #4, though my dose was small (75iu nightly). I actually responded with fewer follicles than on 5mg Femara. My 5th and final IUI, we tried a higher dose of Follistim (125iu) and I responded very well! Almost too well: 6 follicles. I'm very glad my clinic was upfront and honest with me about the risks and let me make that decision alongside of them. We still went for that IUI and it was a negative, but I feel very good about that last shot IUI: we tried our best and I feel much more comfortable moving forward with IVF, especially since I've gotten comfortable with injections.

I have zero fertility coverage besides 50% coverage for meds (which I realized was truly nothing since most pharmacies have an agreement and give women who are completely out of pocket a discount, so my med coverage didn't really do anything). Specifically with my clinic, a semen analysis was around $130. IUI including the sperm wash was $500. Most ultrasounds/appointments were in the $100 range, depending on your coverage, of course.

We are just about to start our first IVF cycle with Dr. Young, so I can't speak about embryo transfers yet. But, I did trigger and have an IUI with 6 follicles and they were very straightforward and honest with me about the risks. You could tell it was very important to them that I knew what I was doing.

I question the ability of the lab with ICSI. I need to research their success rates in comparison to other labs but I lost a lot of eggs after attempting ICSI fertilization. The office team up front seems to change regularly but there are a couple of key long term employees I’ve noticed.

Dr. Dodds honestly cares about the end result and how it’s effecting you. He’s gone out of his way to personally pick up the phone in good and bad circumstances.

My primary nurse, Sandy, was excellent. I felt that I was in great care with her from the beginning. There are a couple nurses on the team that I would not rate as high either due to competency or low sensitivity. I’d say the majority are above average in bedside manner though.

Dr. Dodds is willing to explore all avenues and alters your treatment as needed. I have noticed that amongst friends going through treatment, he does work through trends in the market (uterine scratch, embryogen, etc.). He is upbeat and has positive relations with his team at the clinic.

Do your research and go through every option that you have available to you. For example: ICSI, time lapsed photography, genetic testing. Decide what is right for you and ask the hard questions including success rates with each treatment.

For our IVF cycle we did ICSI (which is apparently used on 90% or so patients at TFC), time lapsed photography (differentiates between quality and keeps them in one enclosed space versus taking them out to check under a microscope), day 3 transfer (standard at this clinic), and freeze all cycle (I was at risk for hyper stimulation).

Shana, the ultrasound tech, is the best! She is so sweet and knowledgeable.

I became pregnant with twins after the first transfer (two embryos). We lost both of them at eight weeks. Therefore, knowing that pregnancy can occur, we opted for a single on the second transfer. Pregnancy did not occur, however.

There really isn't anything else I would say about the clinic that I have not said about the doctors and nurses. Overall it is a wonderful place to go for infertility treatments. The only thing I wish that this Clinic offered was invocell. I've heard that it is a new like IVF treatment but it is substantially cheaper

Had decent beside manner, and didn't seem to rush us out the door. Took time to explain everything we were going to do

The two ladies that I interacted with seem to be very kind and understanding. It's difficult to be in the office surounded by pictures of babies that this Clinic has helped to bring into the world for other women when you still don't have your own. So I find myself crying a lot. And they are all very sweet and compassionate women that I've dealt with

He seems like a very nice man. He had a sense of humor that was refreshing. He is the second doctor that I've seen for infertility, and I would definitely say that he was the better of the two. He explained everything that we were going to be doing. The blood work that he wanted me to get done. He put me on thyroid medication to try and correct my levels even though they were only slightly off. He laid out a plan for what we were going to do what days I needed to call the clinic, what days I would be taking my pills, what days I would be taking my shots. Everything was well planned out. Overall I would say that he's a great doctor.

I would say that he is not going to lie to you so don't go in there expecting to hear exactly what you want to hear,because he's going to tell you the truth

The doctor I saw before William. Put me on Clomid for four Cycles. So when he saw that he decided that he would put me on Fermara. And I took that for one cycle I believe it was days 3 through 7. I came in to have an ultrasound done and my follicles measured and I can't remember what day that was. The day after I had my ultrasound I was instructed to use a trigger shot to force ovulation and I was instructed to have intercourse once every 24 hours for the next three days. No pregnancy resulted from this round of femara, so I went to Grand Rapids to have dye injected into my uterus and x-rays done to see if my tubes are blocked which they were not. I had some blood work done but I can't remember what that was for. Our next step is going to be IUI next month.

They submit everything through my insurance even though my insurance doesn't cover infertility. So I have yet to receive the bill

We have not discussed this yet

My number one strength is location. It's perfectly located not too far out of town but far enough where they have they're own parking, which can be key for comfort! It is also a very clean facility with, what seems like, new equipment. Weaknesses, wait times can be excessive; in the waiting room or in the patient rooms. Also, when my husband goes to drop off his specimen, I wish it was a little quicker for him. He has a very time structured job and gets frustrated that he has to sit there for 15 minutes before the lab calls him back. I think that should be explained better, the whole home to lab process. I would tell a new patient to ask all the questions, nothing is too much when it comes to treatment. Do not expect them to go over every detail with you. If you Type A like me, you'll leave frustrated and feeling like nothing was accomplished.

I don't think, in the beginning, the treatment was custom to my issues. I think they take standard protocol and go through the motions. I had to start fighting for what I wanted. They also are not exactly forthcoming on information. I had to ask a lot of questions I learned through podcasts and others who have gone through it all before.

They are all very friendly! I cannot stress that enough. I love them personality wise, especially the front desk and the ultrasound technician. They are amazing. However, there were times when I called (almost always have to leave a message and a call was returned) where I felt hurried on the phone. I also felt like the communication between the team wasn't all that great, where one would tell me one thing about my treatment but the next person I talk with didn't have that same information. That was a little frustrating. I also had to make sure I had all my questions ready to ask, otherwise I wasn't informed of any "extra" information. Honestly, I love the staff, I just worry a little about their efficiency/organization.

Dr. Shavell is very nice. She's a little too soft spoken at times; meaning her demeanor is almost too sympathetic. I want answers, I want to take comfort knowing you (the person I am trusting) has a plan of action specifically designed for me and that we aren't just going through the motions. There were times where I felt she was more focused on me thinking she cared than her actually trying to fix any issues. I also feel she is not very available when needed.

Ask her to give it to you straight. Also, request a full description of treatments with all the why's explained.

After my HSG, I had to have a polyp removed. Then we started on 50 mg clomid because that's the starting point, which I responded well to but nothing came of it. We did four cycles on this with the HCG (Ovidrel) shot. Then we moved onto letrozole and Gonal-F. I can't remember the specific dose of letrozole but the injections were 300. I did not respond as well to the letrozole as we had hoped. I am currently going to do one timed cylce of 100 mg of clomid (back to clomid after under-performance of letrozole) while we wait for insurance pre-authorization. If that is approved (different insurance company than the last round) I will have one last IUI cycle of 100 mg Clomid and Gonal-F 450 injections. IF this does not work, we will immediately be moving on to IVF.

Each IUI is $500 (sperm wash and procedure) plus the ultrasound and office visit. Each visit was a co-pay amount. Hybrid cycle had an extra ultrasound (echogram) which was more than the ultrasound. Medications were all based on what insurance would cover; most of it out of pocket.

Great nurses & office staff at the Kakamazoo branch. They take time to answer our questions & acknowledge how horrible this entire situation is. We have been less pleased with the Grand Rapids staff. We feel like cattle passing through bc the clinic is so large.

My nurses were much more invested in getting to know me. My doctor never looked at my chart until he entered the room. He is always running late & rushing to see the next patient.

My nurses have been AMAZING.

He is clearly very knowledgeable, but lacks an ability to connect with his patients. He never took the time to learn my husbands name over the 5 years we worked with him. I never felt like he prepared ahead of time when meeting with us. He spent the first ten minutes reading through my chart getting familiar with my case. I know other couples who did feel a connection with him & have great things to say about him.

Make a connection with your nurses & advocate for yourself.

I did a traditional long stim protocol the first round because everything was completely normal with my blood work & ultrasounds. They transferred the only 2 embryos 2 days after my extraction. I had a negative result. For our second round they did a hyper stim flare protocol since I didn’t produce the amount of eggs they were expecting. We ended up with 2 embryos again despite the hopes of getting much more. We did a FET 2 months later & had a positive result. 2 weeks later we lost. We them moved forward with 5 mini iVF’s in the hopes of getting high quality eggs. 2 of the 5 extractions were cancelled due to a dominant follocule & a possible missed ovulation. We ended up with 3 frozen embryos after undergoing the mini IVF’s. We did a FET with an angry uterine protocol (intrauterine HCG injection)& transferred 2 & had a neGative result. We did another FET (also angry uterine/HCG injection)with our last embryo & received a positive. This pregnacy ended in an ectopic pregnancy which was treated with methotrexate. I completed an endometrial receptivity assay & the results indicated I needed a transfer 24 hours after the norm. We are beginning another round of the hyperstim flare protocol in May with the angry uterine protocol/HCG injection for the FET.

$50,000ish after 7 cycles

For my case, Dodd’s indicates that multiple embryo transfer is best bc the hormones supplied by the additional embryos may support the strongest embryo.

They have a good track record and doctors. That's why I went and will go again. They are close to me and well known. I trust them even though I have sometimes felt like a number. They know what they're doing so I can remove myself emotionally. It's expensive and you may leave feeling worse then when you started! I was so confused when one month I couldn't even have an IUI. I didn't even know that was an option. So make sure to ask lots of questions because some information was left out of our discussions because I'm assuming they thought I just knew.

I didn't feel like a number initially. I saw Dr. Young in the beginning then for all my ultrasounds and IUI's I did now see him! Kind of crazy to me. After 3 failed months on Femara, 2 months I had failed IUI's and 1 month I couldn't do IUI because they think I ovulated early or late. But I never saw or spoke with Dr. Young once the treatment plan started. I don't like that.

They didn't do a bad job. Just did their job. Just went through the motions and wished me licked every time. Like ok see you next time. No big deal that I had 3 months of expensive failed treatments. They did well, nothing exceptional

I really liked him in the beginning. He spent a lot of time with me and my husband. Then as I mentioned, I didn't see him once we started our 3 month treatment plan. And after 3 failed months of Femara, trigger shot and IUI's I haven't been back. Decided to take a small break then try again. They said we would meet with the doctor again for a new plan of action. But after my 3rd failed month and now 4 months since then, not one person or nurse has ever called to check on us and see if we wanted to make our next appointment and get a new treatment plan going. That's when I went from feeling human to feeling like a number. No one cares I guess, that's what it feels like. Just pay your bill and if you come back you come back. Ugh!

Dot set deadlines when you'll be pregame. You'll just disappointed when it comes and go's. Be expectant but informed. Really ask all your questions and understand to your best during your first appointments. As I guess you're not guaranteed to see your doctor for awhile.

I guess I'm not certain. Just that he said Femara and IUI was his opinion what was best for me during our first 3 month treatment plan. He said we would do 3 month treatment plans and if they didn't work we would re-visit and come up with the next plan. I did my research as well, but mostly trust his expert opinions.

I think it was around $200-250 just every time I stepped in the office. Which some appointments were not even necessary and could have take place with a phone call or email! We paid for mid-cycle ultrasounds and IUI's (separate cost for both my husband & I). Some appointments I paid for we're frustrating because like I mentioned, they weren't necessary and I left with no new information or the appointment was like 10 mins. Every single thing was a different cost. And I felt like some things my doctor could have provided under insurance. Like certain testing that was done in the very beginning. Like bliss work and ultrasounds. Being I had 3 miscarriages already, shouldn't my normal doctors have already done all the testing, blood work and ultrasounds? Why did it take 3 miscarriage and the fertility center and 5 years for me to be diagnosed with recurrent miscarriage and factor 5?! That's crazy to me

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I think The Fertility Center's biggest strength is definitely the staff. From the front desk through checkout, they are friendly and helpful! It is also a very clean and updated facility. I think a weakness would be billing. It's confusing and not always explained well. Definitely remember to be your own advocate and make sure that your bills are what you were expecting. If not, ask questions!!

There have been a couple times where my husband and I have felt that he says something to us that "he probably says to everyone." However, there have also been times where he truly is patient with questions we have and he sits and answers all of them. We never felt rushed or like he didn't have the time for us.

The 4 main nurses that we saw were Sandy, Amy, Ashley and Shana. They were all amazing! I appreciated so much that they cared about me as a person and not just another patient. Shana did my ultrasounds, Amy and Ashley met with me after each ultrasound to help me understand my next steps and Sandy helped with my egg retrieval. They all went above and beyond making me feel comfortable and confident in my treatment.

We were very happy. We understand that it's a busy clinic and he sees many patients so we weren't expecting to feel like we were the only ones there because, let's be honest, that's not realistic. What we did expect was for him to do his job as far as explaining our course of treatment, answering any questions we had, and helping us feel comfortable with our journey, and he accomplished all of that. He was very warm and had great bedside manner for both our egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Even my husband said, "I like him. He's a good doctor." Which my hubby is typically a go with the follow type guy so I was happy to hear that from him! Overall we have been very happy with our treatment from Dr. Dodds so far!

Have questions ready to ask, he is always willing to take the time to answer them and make you feel as comfortable as you can. Also, understand he is human, he is not perfect, but he absolutely cares about his patients.

Our process went fairly smooth, but I appreciated that they carefully monitored my Estradiol and Progesterone levels as we were doing our follicle stimulating hormone injections. At one point my dosage was lowered and that made me feel confident that it was being carefully monitored. I am sure that this is a protocol for most clinics, but it was just one more thing that gave me added security going through it!

Including our initial appt to discuss treatment options, my husbands sperm extraction, my preliminary testing, hysteroscopy surgery, multiple ultrasounds, injections/medications, retrieval, transfer, and embryo storage fees we have probably spent close to $20,000 at this point.

I appreciate that Dr. Dodds allowed us to make most of our decisions. I never felt like we were being questioned or steered in a different direction than what we wanted. He allowed us to make the decision to transfer 2 embryos.

Scheduling is a pain! Sometimes it is easy to get in and other times it is difficult. Since I was working at the time I had to take time off for appointments frequently since they had limited appointments. For IVF you had to schedule 2 or 3 months in advance so be aware of that.

Valerie would call me personally if I asked which I was pleasantly pleased with. She let me be the deciding factor on all the decisions. She never pushed her opinions on me or forced me into a decision. She was always completely unbiased. (Unlike Dr. Young who I saw once for an ultrasound who was very judgemental).

Overall the nursing staff was very competent. They are dealing with a lot of patients so sometimes they had to clarify some things in order to get an accurate response.

I enjoyed having Valerie as my doctor. There was one negative experience when the dosage listed on my prescription was different than what was on their plan. She handled the situation ok by calling me to reassure me the dosage would not affect the results but didn't take the ownership of her (or the nurses) mistake.

Ask lots of questions because she will answer it thoroughly but doesn't necessarily go over everything if not asked. Be proactive of your care because she will be willing to take the next steps if you want.

I don't remember all of it but for the IVF procedure I was put on Lupron to start, then took estrace pills, after the transfer I began IM progesterone.

Embryo retrieval/1 fresh transfer was $10,000. Frozen embryo transfer $2500 IUI was $400

She left this decision up to use. The first time we chose for 2, which she recommended. The second time we chose 1 which she supported. We were given the information that with a transfer of 2 embryos it was a 45-50% chance of pregnancy but they didn't have any statistics for an embryo transfer of 1.

The clinics strengths are multiple locations. A weakness is that sometimes I feel like I can get lost in all the hussle and bustle. I have had residents training on me instead of a doctor (always with my permission), and sometimes I feel like a direction gets passed and the follow through may have been missed. I hate having to explain what the doctor told me to the nurse or the billing department.

The Kalamazoo office is small and personal. They write your name on the screen when you have ultrasounds. You see the same nurse each time (pending emergency exceptions). The GR office enters you as a number, and you see new nurses and each time (not entirely bad, but just the way it was).

Before IVF, during my first five cycles of pills, timed coitus, injectables, and IUI's I had two nurses that handled my care. They were both attentive and had different personalities. One was warmer than the other. When I began IVF I was assigned an IVF nurse practitioner, Julie S. She is great. At first she comes off as unemotional or cold, but she is really just focused on your care. By the end she is all hugs and honesty. She never makes you feel stupid if you forget a direction and have to call her back. You will have her direct phone number and she is great at calling you back. She will make sure to contact you and get you directions, and never minds returning phone calls. The only downside is having to go to GR on days that Kalamazoo is not open.

Dr. Dodds is extremely knowledgeable and experienced. Sometimes I feel he is spread thin but when you are meeting with him he is full of honest feedback, compassion, and makes you feel at ease about whatever choices you make.

Write down questions and don't be afraid to ask for more details if you want more. Don't be afraid to call and ask questions in between visits, or for clarification.

When we first started seeing Dr. Dodds, we had no idea why we weren't conceiving. It had been 4-5 years of unprotected and later timed sex. At my normal OB/GYN we checked my fallopian tubes with dye for any blockages, and my husband had his sperm specimen looked at. All looked good, so he referred us to Dr. Dodds. We started out with getting blood tests to look for causes and mine all came back normal. I started taking oral pills, femara, and timed coitus for two cycles. Third cycle I started injectables (Follistim 75, cycle days 5-11) and created 4 follicles. We had an IUI and used vaginal progesterone. That did not work for us either. During the IUI we elected to have Husband's sperm looked at again. Nearly a month after our failed IUI I called and asked what his results were. We found out his count was low and he had a 1% morphology. I wish they would have told us that sooner. We did 2 more rounds of injectables (follistim 75, and 100) with IUI. We used Ovidrel and progesterone during those two as well. Finally after 8 months of failed pregnancy test we saw Dr. Dodds again and went over our plan. Apparently with Husband's counts and morphology we only had a 3% chance of success doing the past treatments. I wish we would have known that, we probably wouldn't have continued doing IUI's. Dr. suggested we go see a urologist and consider IVF. Husband went to urologist and found out he has varicocele veins in one testicle. We elected to have surgery to help with that and he began taking Clomid to boost his testosterone level. 3-4 months after his surgery and taking Clomid his counts and morphology were up in normal ranges. We tried naturally for 6 months. IVF #1 began with birth control pills, vitamins and giving up coffee. Our insurance covered some of the medicines for IUI but not any for IVF. My stim cycle consisted of 75 Menopur and 75 Follistim. Once my follicles got to a certain size we used Ganirelix to prevent early ovulation. We used hCG and Lupron to trigger. I had 25 eggs retrieved, 19 were mature, we chose to do ICSI to three of them and froze the rest of the eggs. All three fertilized. 1 arrested after day 1, 2 made it to day 2 and were transferred. Progesterone shot up until pregnancy test. Negative Pregnancy test. We decided to try to thaw some of our eggs and fertilize them. We had 16 frozen and they were frozen in vials of 3. A frozen transfer involves Lupron (SQ), progesterone, and estrace. We wanted to thaw enough eggs to fertilize three. We got a call saying they had to thaw all 16 of our eggs, and 14 did not survive the freeze/thaw. Two were ICSI and only one fertilized. By day two they transferred that one, but it did not look great. :( Negative pregnancy test. That brings us to current times. Due to the shocking egg dilemma, Dr. Dodds discounted our next IVF if we chose to do it. There is no way we could afford to do it again at full price. Husband's morphology went from 1% to 6% after his surgery so we chose to do 6 months of Femara and timed coitus. 6 negative pregnancy tests. That brings us to now. We are on IVF #2 where Dr. Dodds decided to try to stimulate me less, creating less, but hopefully better quality eggs. He also encouraged that we fertilized all of them, because fertilized eggs have a better chance of surviving in the freezer than do eggs alone. We started with birth control to regulate me. Then we stimmed with 75 Menopur, 75 Follistim. I used cetrotide to prevent premature ovulation and triggered with Lupron and hCG. At egg retrieval they retrieved 11 eggs. 3 were immature, 1 had a broken zona, and 7 were mature. 7 ICSI, 4 fertilized. We are going to day 5 so will continue to get updates. Tomorrow is day 2. I obviously do not have very high quality eggs, but we hope all four of these lovely fertilized eggs make it to day 5 blastocysts.

IUI's were about 450$ (sperm isolation and prep, and IUI). Freezing sperm 400$. 8,000-14,000$ for IVF (medications, appointments, bloodwork, egg retrieval, lab work, ICSI, crypo...) 400$ anesthesia.

My doctor's goal is to give you one, healthy, chubby baby. With that said he was not overly pushy with either single or multiple. We discussed my options and came to a fair agreement based on my age, quality of embryos, and past treatments.

The clinic had short waits. The longest I waited was 20 minutes. The office staff was helpful. The retrievals and transfer were performed at the clinic in Grand Rapids. It was nice to be taken care of by the actual clinic staff, rather than at a Surgi-Center. The clinic allows acupuncturists come in to perform an acupuncture treatment before and after the transfer.

I felt like he actually knew about my history when he came in to see me for appointments, for the retrievals, and for the transfer. He took into account my diminished ovarian reserve and poor response to my first IVF (with another doctor) when recommending a protocol. He recommended doing a multi-cycle IVF to freeze as many embryos as possible before doing a transfer. I received a phone call from him after my positive HCG test, prior to my appointment. I received a phone call one evening from the nurse practitioner because she was "thinking about me" and wanted to suggest opening a different vial of medication because I might not need as much.

Everyone was friendly and helpful. I got to know many of the staff throughout my visits. I felt like they cared about their patients. After each follicle monitoring, I met with a nurse practitioner or other care coordinator to discuss my plan. I received a phone call later that day, if anything changed. It was nice to meet with a person face-to-face rather than only speak to someone on the phone.

Dr. Young is very to the point and honest. He (indirectly) validated my concerns with my first doctor. Dr. Young answered all of my questions. He has a relaxed and calm demeanor, which was beneficial during the stress of fertility treatments! My husband felt very comfortable with Dr. Young and his course of treatment.

Ask questions, like you would with any doctor.

A multi-cycle IVF was recommended based on my AMH (1.16) and poor response to my first IVF (with a different clinic). I was NOT placed on birth control prior to beginning the cycle, which allowed my body to dictate the timeline. He recommended less medication. We paid a flat rate for 3 retrievals and 1 transfer. I was on Clomid for 5 days, and then I began Gonal-F (dosage dependent on follicles). My first retrieval resulted in 6 embryos. My second retrieval resulted in 8 embryos. We did not do a 3rd retrieval, as I had a good amount of embryos already. We did a Day 3 frozen transfer of 2 embryos. I am currently pregnant with a singleton. I had a second sac; however, it did not develop past 5 weeks.

IVF reserve spot: $1500 Multi-cycle IVF rate: $11,000 (3 retrievals, if needed, 1transfer) Anesthesia: $400 (x2) Ultrasounds: $283 per Bloodwork (some was covered by insurance- bloodwork done off-site at Kalamazoo office): $8 per Total without medication: $16,089

We were given information to help us make a decision. 1-2 were recommended, and we decided to do 2.