The Fertility Center of Michigan
Available Resources
Genetic counseling
Acupuncture
Mental health counseling
Nutrition counseling
Administration of shots
Coordinating at-home nursing
is not offered
is not offered
Selling medication
Providing backup medication
Grand Rapids
3230 Eagle Park Drive NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
(616) 988-2229
Grand Rapids - Downtown (closed)
555 MidTowne
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 988-2229
Kalamazoo
317 South Drake Rd
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 324-5100
Mason
1100 S. Cedar Street
Mason, MI 48854
(616) 988-2229
Traverse City
1200 6th Street
Traverse City, MI 49684
(877) 904-4483
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205 assessments
7
7
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
7
I've only ever seen Dr. Shavell twice in two years, during consults. She's very sweet, but she has nurses perform IUI procedures (and not very well), a different doctor performed my HSG and any time I place a call or send a message to her directly it's always a nurse that responds...We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility though and given a packet of pre-determined steps with none ever working for us. Our care is really left in the hands of nurses, we never hear from the doctor or see her during/after procedures and ultrasounds unless we want to pay out of pocket for another consult.
All [the nurses at The Fertility Center of Michigan] are kind. Very disappointed they are the ones that perform the IUI though. Had two different nurses and neither really inspired confidence, they knew what to do just didn't seem to have much skill in it. Neither IUI worked and it was $1,400 down the drain...Terrible business hours for anyone that works a regular job and is expected to drive back and forth multiple times a month in the middle of the day for ultrasounds. The staff there also seems to forget everything is being paid out of pocket by most of us and every time we come we're charged hundreds of dollars, and are disapproving when trying to minimize appointments. The front registration staff are phenomenal.
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
—
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
7
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell is very nice and soft spoken, easy to talk to. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility though and given a packet of pre-determined steps with none ever working for us. Our care is really left in the hands of nurses, we never hear from the doctor or see her during/after procedures and ultrasounds unless we want to pay out of pocket for another consult.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
You're just one of many. She is kind and knowledgeable but don't plan for her to actually be involved in your care unless you're doing IVF.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I've only ever seen Dr. Shavell twice in two years, during consults. She's very sweet, but she has nurses perform IUI procedures (and not very well), a different doctor performed my HSG and any time I place a call or send a message to her directly it's always a nurse that responds.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
HSG that came back normal, 3 rounds of clomid, 4 rounds of Femara in attempt to see if any of these things would produce more follicles to increase chances of pregnancy. I was already ovulating on my own and ended up with multiple follicles twice. Also went on estrogen and progesterone to thicken lining when Femara thinned it. No success from any treatments.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
All are kind. Very disappointed they are the ones that perform the IUI though. Had two different nurses and neither really inspired confidence, they knew what to do just didn't seem to have much skill in it. Neither IUI worked and it was $1,400 down the drain.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Terrible business hours for anyone that works a regular job and is expected to drive back and forth multiple times a month in the middle of the day for ultrasounds. The staff there also seems to forget everything is being paid out of pocket by most of us and every time we come we're charged hundreds of dollars, and are disapproving when trying to minimize appointments. The front registration staff are phenomenal.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Expensive, my insurance doesn't cover most of it. Ultrasounds are frequent and usually cost $175-250 depending on limited or complete (although even when charging for complete ultrasound the cervix isn't evaluated and a VERY fast sweep of the uterus is performed that's not very diagnostic). IUIs were around 700 each time, the HSG was probably closer to 1000 but I can't remember the exact numbers for sure. Consults are over 100, and then another 50 every time I talk to a nurse in the clinic after ultrasounds.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Not to that point yet
- Read less
10
10
Age
30 - 31
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
Dr. Shavell put me at ease with her level of expertise and showcasing our options. Her mannerisms are calm, nurturing and supportive - exactly what is needed during such a difficult time. I really appreciate her level of care provided... After being with my OB for fertility treatment, it is refreshing to be with an RE that is confident in her procedures and uses my personal data, blood work, and ultrasound information to make informed decisions about my procedures and next steps. I truly recommend Dr. Shavell to any person looking for their next options in starting a family in the midwest region. My only regret is not visiting this office sooner!
The Fertility Center has been simply amazing as my husband and I go through our fertility journey... On top of having a team that is knowledgable and professional, the facility itself is extremely clean, relaxing (coffee, water, magazines, tv and fish tank in waiting room)...also offers a support group that means once a month that is free to members, as well as discounted infertility yoga that is exclusively for those trying to conceive...
Age
30 - 31
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell has been a supportive, knowledgeable, and honest physician. After being with my OB for fertility treatment, it is refreshing to be with an RE that is confident in her procedures and uses my personal data, blood work, and ultrasound information to make informed decisions about my procedures and next steps. I truly recommend Dr. Shavell to any person looking for their next options in starting a family in the midwest region. My only regret is not visiting this office sooner!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
After working with an OB for 5 medicated cycles, Dr. Shavell makes sure you have a fertility panel done (bloodwork, ultrasound, possible HSG test) before starting treatment. This was extremely helpful knowing what my numbers were to these tests and helped me understand my body a bit more. The more information, the better; which is what you will get with Dr. Shavell!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell put me at ease with her level of expertise and showcasing our options. Her mannerisms are calm, nurturing and supportive - exactly what is needed during such a difficult time. I really appreciate her level of care provided.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
When I first began seeing Dr. Shavell, she ordered a fertility panel of bloodwork and an HSG test to see if my tubes were open. Most bloodwork was normal except AMH (very high) and my TSH. My husband also had a semen analysis done which came back normal. I was put on metformin and levothyroxine. After, we began with 5 mg femara. I had no response. She upped me to 7.5 femara. Again, I had no response. I was then put on 10 mg of femara. I responded well and grew 1 mature follicle per cycle. I did this 3 times and did the HCG trigger shot when my follicles were considered mature. After three negative pregnancy tests, we decided to move to a more aggressive approach as 3-4 cycles per medication is the norm. We are currently doing 10mg of Femara, 37.5 iu Gonal F, and the HCG trigger shot. I also use progesterone suppositories 3 days after trigger shot. We have also included an IUI with this more aggressive approach. We have 2 more cycles with this approach before our last option is IVF.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Kristy)
The nurses are the fertility center are simply amazing. They are caring and extremely knowledgeable. This helps put my anxious self at ease! I call the office very frequently with questions throughout each cycle and the nurses are always ready to answer my questions. They are truly so supportive which has been extremely helpful throughout this process.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The Fertility Center has been simply amazing as my husband and I go through our fertility journey. This is a difficult journey where you are not sure where it will end, but we have discovered that having a team of physicians and nurses that are knowledgeable, honest and caring has truly helped to put use at ease. On top of having a team that is knowledgable and professional, the facility itself is extremely clean, relaxing (coffee, water, magazines, tv and fish tank in waiting room). The Fertility Center also offers a support group that means once a month that is free to members, as well as discounted infertility yoga that is exclusively for those trying to conceive. The support group and yoga are two excellent features to provide to clients and another reason this center is so extraordinary. They make you feel like they truly care about you and want to support you.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Each visit there is a cost associated with it. Some are covered by insurance where I have a discounted portion to pay (ultrasounds and doctor's visits) while others are not covered at all (IUI, medications):
Ultrasounds ($23)
IUI ($600)
Meeting with a nurse ($23)
meeting with a doctor ($180)
HCG trigger shot ($90)
Femara ($5)
Gonal F ($420)
Progesterone ($50)
HSG ($1200)
Various bloodwork combined ($800+)
Levothyroxine ($4)
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I have not received information on this yet.
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10
9
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2020
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
9
One week before the transfer, we discovered my remaining tube now was blocked and had hydro. She [Dr. Valerie Shavell] did another laparoscopy to remove it. And we are waiting for Covid to be stable before doing the transfer our last two remaining embryos...She seems to prefer two embryos while giving the risks of multiple pregnancies but letting us know that the success rates are higher with transferring two vs one...She was extremely sympathetic while waiting for an imminent miscarriage. She has great bedside manner and expresses empathy for the ups and downs of the process.
IUIs - a couple hundred each [at The Fertility Center of Michigan]...IVF retrieval with fresh - $8000 plus meds...frozen transfer - $4500 plus meds...The whole process takes longer than you want it to. 2 months for the consult, then the testing might take a month or two to do labs at certain times of your cycle. There is a small month or two wait list for IVF and it all depends on where you are in your cycle too. The clinic is well run, everyone is super friendly and supportive.
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2020
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Business Executive
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell was fantastic from the very beginning. I've done three IUIs, one egg retrieval, and three transfers that have resulted in my two children. We are currently under her care for another transfer for hopefully baby #3. She doesn't rush to the next treatment unless she feels it's the right move, included us in the decisions as well. She's performed two laparoscopy surgeries on me and has been very attentive to an issues or questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She is a bit softer spoken. But she answers all questions thoroughly and is extremely empathetic.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She was extremely sympathetic while waiting for an imminent miscarriage. She has great bedside manner and expresses empathy for the ups and downs of the process.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We did three IUIs while knowing that one tube was blocked and the other was damaged. It felt okay trying this before going to IVF. Before IVF, she removed the blocked tub because it had hydro in it. We did an egg retrieval and fresh transfer of two embryos that resulted in a singleton pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage at 11 weeks. We did a fresh transfer of two embryos that resulted in a twin pregnancy, but we lost one baby at 9 weeks, but it resulted in my healthy first born daughter. We returned two years later and did another frozen transfer of two embryos that resulted in my second healthy daughter. We are currently under care for another transfer. One week before the transfer, we discovered my remaining tube now was blocked and had hydro. She did another laparoscopy to remove it. And we are waiting for Covid to be stable before doing the transfer our last two remaining embryos.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Very easy to communicate via phone or message. Answered all my questions that came and got me in contact with the dr as needed.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The whole process takes longer than you want it to. 2 months for the consult, then the testing might take a month or two to do labs at certain times of your cycle. There is a small month or two wait list for IVF and it all depends on where you are in your cycle too. The clinic is well run, everyone is super friendly and supportive.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
IUIs - a couple hundred each
IVF retrieval with fresh - $8000 plus meds
frozen transfer - $4500 plus meds
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
She seems to prefer two embryos while giving the risks of multiple pregnancies but letting us know that the success rates are higher with transferring two vs one.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to convey critical information
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9
10
Age
23 - 24
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
9
10
Dr. Young gave us lots of advice on what treatment options to pursue first and what was best for us. He never judged us for pursuing fertility treatments in our early twenties. My health was always his #1 priority and he would take possible concerns seriously...He encouraged us to try options that were not as financially difficult since we were so young and had only tried clomid before meeting him. He made us feel like we had control over what treatments we would be doing, yet we knew he would not put us in a situation that did not make sense. His humor and social skills are a bit dry, but he is so smart and knows what he is doing. He took time to get to know us and made sure we left the office knowing exactly what to do and what to expect. For our IVF cycle, he would not add more treatments to our plan without asking us and explaining the benefits. We have always trusted Dr. Young to help us make the best decisions for us to start our family. Although we did not see him at every visit, he was always available via phone if needed.
I had my retrieval but was close to overstimulation, so my fresh transfer was cancelled [at The Fertility Center of Michigan]...There are no words that could ever describe my love for the nursing staff...They are so compassionate and take the time to really explain our treatment plans. I have never left feeling overwhelmed or confused. They are so encouraging, yet realistic about what to expect. They have asked me what I expect and desire from them (blunt or straight to the point, talking it out vs. letting it sink in, etc). They truly are wonderful and so experienced.
Age
23 - 24
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
9
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young has always taken us seriously from our first meeting. He encouraged us to try options that were not as financially difficult since we were so young and had only tried clomid before meeting him. He made us feel like we had control over what treatments we would be doing, yet we knew he would not put us in a situation that did not make sense. His humor and social skills are a bit dry, but he is so smart and knows what he is doing. He took time to get to know us and made sure we left the office knowing exactly what to do and what to expect. For our IVF cycle, he would not add more treatments to our plan without asking us and explaining the benefits. We have always trusted Dr. Young to help us make the best decisions for us to start our family. Although we did not see him at every visit, he was always available via phone if needed.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Trust that he will help you make the best decisions for your personal and unique situation. Also, that he may not seem as personable/warm in person, however his actions speak wonders of how much he cares and desires for his patients to start their families.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Although his social skills were a bit dry and awkward, Dr. Young gave us lots of advice on what treatment options to pursue first and what was best for us. He never judged us for pursuing fertility treatments in our early twenties. My health was always his #1 priority and he would take possible concerns seriously.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Dr. Young started me on metformin right away due to my pcos. I started at 1000mg and worked up to 1500mg. I continue to receive 6 month blood work checks for this med.
When we first started at the fertility center, we had only tried 50mg, 100mg, and 150mg of clomid at our OBGYN. Dr Young suggested clomid along with metformin and ovidrel. We tried 100mg and 150mg, not timed intercourse with no success due to no follicle growth.
He then suggested femara 7.5mg with ovidrel. I responded to that and tried that for a few months with timed intercourse.
Eventually I did femara, ovidrel and IUI with no success for about 2 months.
I then moved to injections (gonal f) and did this for a couple months with IUI with no success.
When then decided on IVF. I had my retrieval but was close to overstimulation, so my fresh transfer was cancelled. Our frozen transfer is in October.
Dr. Young told us after the first few months of IUIs, that we may need to look into IVF, but he never made us feel pressured to jump into it until we gave it a few more tries.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
There are no words that could ever describe my love for the nursing staff at The Fertility Center. They are so compassionate and take the time to really explain our treatment plans. I have never left feeling overwhelmed or confused. They are so encouraging, yet realistic about what to expect. They have asked me what I expect and desire from them (blunt or straight to the point, talking it out vs. letting it sink in, etc). They truly are wonderful and so experienced.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Everyone in the office, no matter the role, is friendly and compassionate. If you leave a message, they will get back with you in a timely manner. There is a lot that is not covered by most insurances, but that is not their fault personally, but it’s good to know going into it.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My ultrasound and blood work was covered by insurance. IUIs were about $500-$600. And IVF cost roughly $9,000 with the extra cost of FET at $2,000 and meds around $3,000. Time lapse photography was around the upper hundreds to $1,000.
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Young told us the benefits and pros/cons of transferring 2 vs. 1. He let us decided based on our preference after educating us on our options.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Provided conflicting information
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10
9
Age
32 - 35
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Tubal Blockage
10
9
We liked her [Dr. Shavell] right away. At our first visit she seemed very intelligent and committed to do everything in her power to help us have a baby. She explains things in great detail which we found very helpful. Her compassion and bedside manner has only improved over the years that we have been under her care. ... She is always very personable with both my husband and I.
They [The Fertility Center of Michigan] are not cookie cutter, they individualize their patients care and do not batch transfers. The office staff is a little less desirable. Mainly some of the front desk staff and some in the billing department. It feels like they often forget what their patients are going through and the financial strains being seen at this office can cause. ... They were very accommodating to my schedule. Sometimes I had to wait a little bit but it usually went very well.
Age
32 - 35
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
—
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Male Factor, Tubal Blockage
10
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We liked her right away. At our first visit she seemed very intelligent and committed to do everything in her power to help us have a baby. She explains things in great detail which we found very helpful. Her compassion and bedside manner has only improved over the years that we have been under her care.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Take notes at your appointments.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She is always very personable with both my husband and I.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
The first round of IVF we used the antagonist protocol and obtained 4 eggs, 3 embryos were created with ICSI. The second retrieval she changed the protocol to the long protocol and 9 eggs were obtained and 7 embryos created with ICSI. I was on 450mg of Gonal F per day for 14 days.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff was always there to answer any questions. There are one or two that seem less compassionate then the others but overall great to work with.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They are cutting edge and offer most of the latest technologies. They are not cookie cutter, they individualize their patients care and do not batch transfers.
The office staff is a little less desirable. Mainly some of the front desk staff and some in the billing department. It feels like they often forget what their patients are going through and the financial strains being seen at this office can cause.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They were very accommodating to my schedule. Sometimes I had to wait a little bit but it usually went very well.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Blood draws are $115. (Progesterone/estradiol)
Ultrasounds about $300-350
FET about $4,000 without additional add ons.
Egg retrieval/fresh transfer about $9,000 without ad ons.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
She did not have a preference and did educate us on the risks of multiples with transferring two.
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10
10
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
5 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Unexplained
10
10
We loved Dr. Young. He was so down to earth and compassionate. Yet at the same time very knowledgeable and professional. He has a great sense of humor, which is similar to my husbands, very witty. ... He takes everything step by step. Trying to do least invasive first before jumping to big guns. He started with timed intercourse with a trigger shot, a surgery to make sure everything was healthy, to IUI’s, the to IVf.
It’s a busy office [The Fertility Center of Michigan], so you first appointment will be a ways out. But once you start treatment they are on top of getting your appointments. ... They cared for me physically, mentally and emotionally. ... And very rarely do they call to move or change them. You can call anytime day or night and get answers! It’s amazing
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
5 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We loved Dr. Young. He was so down to earth and compassionate. Yet at the same time very knowledgeable and professional. He has a great sense of humor, which is similar to my husbands, very witty. Which made me feel so comfortable and cared for!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be patient through the whole process. He has a reason for his process and you have to trust it. He can seem very dry at times but once you have a few visits he is very open, caring and funny!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr.Young and staff always made be feel like I was a human. They cared for me physically, mentally and emotionally. They were always there for my questions and concerns. They were rooting for us just as hard as we were rooting for ourselves!
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
He takes everything step by step. Trying to do least invasive first before jumping to big guns. He started with timed intercourse with a trigger shot, a surgery to make sure everything was healthy, to IUI’s, the to IVf. He wants to give you a family just as much as you want one. But I also believe he wants to try all your options.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Our first Ivf cycle with egg retrieval, to being hyper stimulated and having to freeze rather then do a fresh. I was devastated. But the nurses assured me that this was best. For my health and any potential babies. And they were right! They held my hand and helped wipes my tears through the whole process. And the second transfer when it didn’t work, I could tell on the line that my nurse was just as devastated as I was. And I felt comfort in that. Knowing they are truly rooting for you
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
It’s a busy office, so you first appointment will be a ways out. But once you start treatment they are on top of getting your appointments. And very rarely do they call to move or change them. You can call anytime day or night and get answers! It’s amazing
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Monitoring appointments where usually on time and down to the point. It was nice to just get the information you needed and move On to the next steps. No waiting for results. You got them right the.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
It’s not cheap! This is the biggest down fall. I would say from our very first visit 5 yrs ago to date. On ALL treatments, meds, procedures, and lab work we have spent 20,000 (ball park )
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8
8
Age
31 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Unexplained
8
8
She [Dr. Shavell] went out of her way to personally call me. It was greatly heartfelt and appreciated. ... After 3 failed IUI attempts and 2 additional rounds of femara that also failed, it was so heartbreaking! We just started our 2nd round of IVF. We will be doubling all of our dosages for injections and taking a stronger approach. ... She personally took time out of her day to call me and apologize for the situation even though it was not any fault of her own.
They [The Fertility Center of Michigan] are very good with scheduling. I generally get a call back within a few hours if they are experiencing high call volumes. The only downfall is that you do not see the Dr.s very often at all for how much they are charging you. Be very prepared to see staff members often. It is extremely expensive for fertility treatments, you have many additional costs that are not included in the overall IVF package they quote. This would include bloodwork, and ultrasounds. Something we thought should be included with the pricing.
Age
31 - 35
Treated
2015 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI, IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Unexplained
8
8
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We had to cancel an egg retrieval which was so disheartening after finishing half of our shots/medications. She personally took time out of her day to call me and apologize for the situation even though it was not any fault of her own.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be open minded through the process as things change often. Be more prepared to talk to all of the staff and nurses and ask many questions. You truly don't talk to the Dr often.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She went out of her way to personally call me. It was greatly heartfelt and appreciated.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We decided to do a full IVF cycle. My body decided to produce one very large egg (many other small eggs that just would not be able to catch up) which resulted in having to postpone our IVF. After 3 failed IUI attempts and 2 additional rounds of femara that also failed, it was so heartbreaking! We just started our 2nd round of IVF. We will be doubling all of our dosages for injections and taking a stronger approach. Nothing like watching your dreams being crushed 6 different times. Still we remain positive and continue on. We are definitely praying for a healthy miracle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Libby)
I cannot say enough good things about Libby. She answers every question I have with such care and compassion. I have seen a few nurses, but she just seems to stand out with her personal care.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They are very good with scheduling. I generally get a call back within a few hours if they are experiencing high call volumes. The only downfall is that you do not see the Dr.s very often at all for how much they are charging you. Be very prepared to see staff members often. It is extremely expensive for fertility treatments, you have many additional costs that are not included in the overall IVF package they quote. This would include bloodwork, and ultrasounds. Something we thought should be included with the pricing.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We have personally spent over $25,000 and counting for fertility treatments. It is extremely overwhelming financially when you're constantly getting a bill for treatment plans and services. It hits harder after a failed attempt where you have to pay for more injections or medications. IVF and fertility are extremely expensive at this center. It is our closest option for being able to make appointments on a regular routine basis.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We thought it best to do a multiple embryo transfer after much discussion with our Dr. This next month feels like a standstill for time.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Scheduled the wrong procedure
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10
10
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
10
Dr. Shavell has a very gentle and patient bedside manner. She has a way of putting the anxious mind at ease and is very accommodating to any special needs...As a woman who has gone through several pregnancy losses, the promptness and compassion Dr. Shavell has shown me was invaluable. I am so grateful for all of her help and highly recommend her to anyone seeking thorough and compassionate treatment...has always honestly and thoroughly discussed my treatment options with me while demonstrating kindness and compassion. I was impressed by how thoroughly she reviewed and understood my particular infertility history prior to my initial consultation. She keeps in close communication with me and has always made me feel I could speak openly with her about my treatment plan.
The staff [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] is very friendly and compassionate. The nurses are highly trained and a good resource for patients with questions. They usually can get me in for my appointments at my requested time and have always been able to bring me in for same-day evaluations in emergent situations...The nursing staff was always friendly and available. They were well-educated and able to thoroughly answer my questions.
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$200K - $499K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, IVF, Donor Eggs, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
10
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell has always honestly and thoroughly discussed my treatment options with me while demonstrating kindness and compassion. I was impressed by how thoroughly she reviewed and understood my particular infertility history prior to my initial consultation. She keeps in close communication with me and has always made me feel I could speak openly with her about my treatment plan.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell has a very gentle and patient bedside manner. She has a way of putting the anxious mind at ease and is very accommodating to any special needs.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell took the time to thoroughly review my fertility history and discuss my options in a kind, yet honest, manner. On multiple occasions she went above and beyond for me, including staying into the late hours of the evening to care for me after my surgery and arriving before her scheduled office hours to evaluate me for bleeding while I was pregnant. As a woman who has gone through several pregnancy losses, the promptness and compassion Dr. Shavell has shown me was invaluable. I am so grateful for all of her help and highly recommend her to anyone seeking thorough and compassionate treatment.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff was always friendly and available. They were well-educated and able to thoroughly answer my questions.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The staff is very friendly and compassionate. The nurses are highly trained and a good resource for patients with questions. They usually can get me in for my appointments at my requested time and have always been able to bring me in for same-day evaluations in emergent situations.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
10
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
2 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
9
10
[Dr. Shavell] has a very kind and caring demeanor. She is gentle while knowledgeable. I never felt like I was just another appointment in her book. She never seemed to be in a rush and always took time to answer our questions and give thorough explanations...We left every appointment feeling like we knew what was happening. Anytime we didn't get the result we wanted, she immediately came up with a plan of action which left us feeling confident, and in the end, got the result we wanted.
The entire staff at TFC were friendly, helpful, and professional...All of the staff are attentive and professional. The clinic itself is clean, organized, and welcoming. As my wife and I are a same-sex couple, we are always a little apprehensive about how we will be treated but this was absolutely a non-issue at TFC (thanks for the rainbow flag at the front desk!). We never had to wait too long for our appointments. Whether we were having a financial consultation, a sperm donor consultation, an ultrasound, or the procedure itself - we felt well taken care of and had an overall great experience.
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
—
9
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Overall we had a great experience with Dr. Shavell. She has a very calming personality which is a huge positive for those undergoing something that is already anxiety-provoking, such as fertility treatments. She is thorough, knowledgeable, and always took the time to speak with us. She answered all questions no matter how big or small. We left every appointment feeling like we knew what was happening. Anytime we didn't get the result we wanted, she immediately came up with a plan of action which left us feeling confident, and in the end, got the result we wanted.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
If you are looking for a doctor who is calm, warm, sympathetic, and attentive, Dr. Shavell would be a great fit for you. Her quiet nature is immediately calming and reassuring. If you prefer a doctor who is a little more firm or hard-lined, she would not be a good fit.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell has a very kind and caring demeanor. She is gentle while knowledgeable. I never felt like I was just another appointment in her book. She never seemed to be in a rush and always took time to answer our questions and give thorough explanations.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We tried a natural cycle for our first IUI. Actually, I miscalculated my ovulation and when we went in for our mid-cycle ultrasound, we learned that I had already ovulated and it was too late. Dr. Shavell reassured us that we could try again the following cycle, which we did. She had me come in earlier, and quite often throughout the week, to track follicle growth to ensure we didn't miss the window of opportunity this time. I was prescribed the trigger shot (Ovidrell) to administer at midnight on a Saturday so that we could do the IUI on a Monday. Dr. Shavell was the one to perform the IUI. It was a simple and quick procedure. Unfortunately we did not get pregnant from that try. A few months later we tried for the 2nd time with similar protocol - ovulation tracking through an OPK in the mornings and then tracking follicle growth via ultrasound as the time grew closer. There was no need for a trigger shot this time; I ovulated on a Thursday morning and went in right away for the IUI (which was performed by a nurse, not Dr. Shavell). The nurse inserted a mesh plug after the procedure. Two weeks later we got our positive result!
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Francillia (Fran) Tavernier)
The entire staff at TFC were friendly, helpful, and professional. We worked the closest with Fran, who showed great communication and compassion. We really developed a positive relationship with her and felt like she truly cared about us and our journey. Fran was always available via phone or email and would check in with us often.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
TFC is a wonderful clinic. All of the staff are attentive and professional. The clinic itself is clean, organized, and welcoming. As my wife and I are a same-sex couple, we are always a little apprehensive about how we will be treated but this was absolutely a non-issue at TFC (thanks for the rainbow flag at the front desk!). We never had to wait too long for our appointments. Whether we were having a financial consultation, a sperm donor consultation, an ultrasound, or the procedure itself - we felt well taken care of and had an overall great experience.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We used all of the money from our wedding to cover our costs, so we did not have to pay out of pocket. If I had to do an overall estimate of the total cost, it would be about $10,000.
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10
10
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
Dr. Young explained everything about our next steps in treatment in detail. He is straight to the point, but will answer any questions that you have. We never felt rushed in the appointment and were able to have all of our questions answered no matter how small it might be...He has so much knowledge...He discussed why previous treatments hadn’t worked and why he was recommending me to use oral medication and injectables. He discussed why my lab values and PCOS were affecting our fertility each month and how this new plan would help us overcome my medical issues. So far, I have not fallen pregnant, but I am positive that we will get the right treatment plan and positive pregnancy soon.
There are two nurses that I work with [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] every time I go into the office. They are both so compassionate and make me feel like they actually care about each cycle and helping us start our family. They help to explain the treatment plan from the doctor and answer any questions that I might have. I never feel rushed when I am in with my nurses...I don’t know if I have enough words to explain how much I have loved working with this clinic. The staff at the front desk remember me and my preferences, including that I like to pay my bill before I am seen, so that I can get back to work quicker. They are often running early for appointments. Everyone is friendly and caring and make me feel like I am being cared for every step of this journey. Scheduling is often quite easy with my work schedule. If I have to call and leave a message, someone is calling me back in less than an hour... This clinic has given me hope.
Clinic Nps
Age
31 - 32
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young explained everything about our next steps in treatment in detail. He is straight to the point, but will answer any questions that you have. We never felt rushed in the appointment and were able to have all of our questions answered no matter how small it might be.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Have a list of questions ready to ask Dr. Young. He has so much knowledge and was able to answer questions I wasn’t able to find from “Dr. Google”
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young sat down with my husband and I and explained my treatments in detail and kept asking if we had any questions or concerns throughout the whole visit. He truly listened to us and what we were looking for.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
He discussed why previous treatments hadn’t worked and why he was recommending me to use oral medication and injectables. He discussed why my lab values and PCOS were affecting our fertility each month and how this new plan would help us overcome my medical issues. So far, I have not fallen pregnant, but I am positive that we will get the right treatment plan and positive pregnancy soon.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Amy)
There are two nurses that I work with every time I go into the office. They are both so compassionate and make me feel like they actually care about each cycle and helping us start our family. They help to explain the treatment plan from the doctor and answer any questions that I might have. I never feel rushed when I am in with my nurses.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I don’t know if I have enough words to explain how much I have loved working with this clinic. The staff at the front desk remember me and my preferences, including that I like to pay my bill before I am seen, so that I can get back to work quicker. They are often running early for appointments. Everyone is friendly and caring and make me feel like I am being cared for every step of this journey. Scheduling is often quite easy with my work schedule. If I have to call and leave a message, someone is calling me back in less than an hour... This clinic has given me hope.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I have copays for every visit with the doctor. I often have $20-40 to pay after insurance for my ultrasounds/screen-scans. Medication has ranged from $10 per cycle to $175 per cycle after insurance.
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9
9
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IVF, Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Male Factor
9
9
We are on our second round of testing through Yale doing the Endometrial Function Test [with Dr. Shavell]...treating the endometriosis by doing 2 months of Lupron prior to testing month. We are also adjusting estrogen and progesterone doses...is super compassionate. You can also tell that she wants to hear from you, how you are feeling and what your concerns are. She will take what you are saying and will fully consider how it could potentially be affecting your treatment. I also feel as if she has never given up on us, even though we have not yet been able to concieve. She continues to sign to try to figure it out.
When I first started going to the clinic [The Fertility Center of Michigan] it felt unorganized. Since then, I have noticed that they have done a good job about putting out surveys and I feel as if they have really taken the information and made changes. The last couple of years have been much better...For the most part the nurses in the office are nothing but excellent. There have been times however where I have felt as if they were not familiar with my case or where I was with my protocol. When I would ask questions I felt as if rather than reviewing my filing and getting be solid information, I would receive some guess work. This has only happened a couple of times. For the most part they are on the ball.
Age
30 - 35
Treated
2014 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IVF, Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Male Factor
9
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
As a patient, I would highly recommend her. She is well educated and compassionate. She has an awesome bed sideanner and you truly feel like she is listening. She also has so e a great job of trying to figure our case out by tapping into the knowledge of her partners and other fertility clinic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
When you do get time with her, ensure you write down all of your questions before hand so you don't forget anything. She is great but you don't get a ton of one on one time with her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavelle is super compassionate. You can also tell that she wants to hear from you, how you are feeling and what your concerns are. She will take what you are saying and will fully consider how it could potentially be affecting your treatment. I also feel as if she has never given up on us, even though we have not yet been able to concieve. She continues to sign to try to figure it out.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Round 1 -Egg retrieval and fresh transfer using Gonal F, Menpur, and Cetrotide. - chemical pregnancy
Round 2 Frozen embryo transfer using Lupron, Estrace, Progesterone. - negative
Round 3 - Frozen embryo transfer using Lupron, Estrace, and resistant uterine protocol of ibuprofen, Xanax, prednisone. - negative
Round 4 - Frozen embryo transfer, stimulation cycle using gonal. Thought was that I responded better to stimulation rather than suppression - negative
Round 5 - Did an Endometrial Receptivity test prior to frozen embryo transfer. Showed I needed 12 less hours of prednisone if following previously used stimulation protocol. Negative
Round 6 - Full retrieval with PGS testing of embryos followed by a frozen embryo transfer with previously suggested protocol from ERA. Negative
Round 7 - yet to transfer. We are on our second round of testing through Yale doing the Endometrial Function Test. First round showed potential endometriosis and that I was taking too much progesterone. With this second round of testing we are treating the endometriosis by doing 2 months of Lupron prior to testing month. We are also adjusting estrogen and progesterone doses.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
For the most part the nurses in the office are nothing but excellent. There have been times however where I have felt as if they were not familiar with my case or where I was with my protocol. When I would ask questions I felt as if rather than reviewing my filing and getting be solid information, I would receive some guess work. This has only happened a couple of times. For the most part they are on the ball.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
When I first started going to the clinic it felt unorganized. Since then, I have noticed that they have done a good job about putting out surveys and I feel as if they have really taken the information and made changes. The last couple of years have been much better.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
For all treatment thus far, we have spent almost $80,000.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Shavelle has always been very honest about how many embryos are recommended. It seems that the office has protocols as to how many they are willing to transfer in which situations.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Provided conflicting information
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10
10
Age
38 - 41
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
3 IVF, Surrogacy
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Other
10
10
[Dr. William Dodds] Updated me every step of the way. Even called me after egg retrievals to go over things and give me his opinion even after business hours...I believe he is a very compassionate caring doctor. Very knowledgeable and truely cares. Will do what is best for the pt and he listens to what you have to say. Will come to a conclusion that works for everyone involved...On the first round we only ended up with 1 frozen embryo. So with the second and third round we did the same dosage of Menopur decreased the Gonal F and grew the follicles bigger due to the fact I had a more immature eggs duing the first round.
The office staff [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] are very nice and helpful. They all are very compassionate and willing to listen and help you out. They began to know you by name. I think it would be nice to see the same physician when they are adjusting med dosages but besides that they do a wonderful job...Loved Robin [nurse] very informative and helpful. Could call her for anything When she would get back with you in a timely manner.
Age
38 - 41
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Black or African-American
Income
—
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IVF, Surrogacy
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Other
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I believe he is a very compassionate caring doctor. Very knowledgeable and truely cares. Will do what is best for the pt and he listens to what you have to say. Will come to a conclusion that works for everyone involved.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is great. And easy to talk to. Do not be afraid to ask questions or tell him how you really feel about something.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He always talked to me. Updated me every step of the way. Even called me after egg retrievals to go over things and give me his opinion even after business hours.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I used Menopur 75,Gonal F, (do not rememberdose)and added cetrotide and then a trigger shot. On the first round we only ended up with 1 frozen embryo. So with the second and third
round we did the same dosage of Menopur decreased the Gonal F and grew the follicles bigger due to the fact I had a more immature eggs duing the first round. The first round 5 retrieved 1 frozen. Second round 7 retrieved 3 frozen. Third round 14 retrieved 10 frozen.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Robin s)
Loved Robin very informative and helpful. Could call her for anything When she would get back with you in a timely manner.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The office staff are very nice and helpful. They all are very compassionate and willing to listen and help you out. They began to know you by name. I think it would be nice to see the same physician when they are adjusting med dosages but besides that they do a wonderful job.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Monitoring was always done in the morning so if medications needed to be changed they would call you in the afternoon to let you know. It went like a well oiled machine in my book.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Well we are around 24,000 which includes 3 rounds of IVF, monitoring, medications, and some of our gestational carriers things are paid for.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
No he said it was up to me and my gestational carrier.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
28 - 29
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 Egg Freezing, IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
10
If you are looking for a fertility doctor that will cover all aspects of your health, (physical, mental and emotional) Dr. Mili Thakur is the right doctor for you. Her knowledge of the field and compassionate bedside manor will give you confidence that you are in the best hands. She wants nothing more than success for all her patients on the safest path...encouraged me to take multiple vitamins such as prenatal, CoQ10, folic acid, vitamin C, fish oil, D-3, vitamin E and Metformin. There were multiple injections I used such as Lupron, Progesterone, and other standard medications for IVF treatment. We discussed ICSI and Blastocyst as the best options for my pregnancy success.
The clinic [The Fertility Center of Michigan] offers FREE counseling sessions with their in house counselor. They also have a monthly support group session that I have found helpful. The clinic is modern, clean and easy to access...The nurses give extreme patience with the many questions I've asked, sometimes multiple times. Their bedside manor also shows great compassion and understanding of the emotional roller coaster infertility dishes out. The nurses show incredible care with detail and being thorough.
Age
28 - 29
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Architect
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 Egg Freezing, IVF
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
During my time at The Fertility Center - Grand Rapids, Dr. Thakur has take incredible care of me through the many delays I've experienced. There were multiple surprises along the way due to my health, not any reflection of my clinic or doctor, such as surgeries to better improve my chances of pregnancies (tube removal and endometriosis removal). These issues were diagnosed by Dr. Thakur and she was able to change my medical plan to suit those needs.
Dr. Thakur has been incredibly informative and empathetic. I feel Dr. Thakur truly cares about me and my opinion with my best interest and safety in mind.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
If you are looking for a fertility doctor that will cover all aspects of your health, (physical, mental and emotional) Dr. Mili Thakur is the right doctor for you. Her knowledge of the field and compassionate bedside manor will give you confidence that you are in the best hands. She wants nothing more than success for all her patients on the safest path.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Mili Thakur has amazing bedside manor. She has kept me feeling reassured and well taken care of. Her ability to deliver news, both positive and negative, with extreme compassion rather an only clinical view let's me know I am at the right office with the right doctor.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Dr. Thakur encouraged me to take multiple vitamins such as prenatal, CoQ10, folic acid, vitamin C, fish oil, D-3, vitamin E and Metformin. There were multiple injections I used such as Lupron, Progesterone, and other standard medications for IVF treatment. We discussed ICSI and Blastocyst as the best options for my pregnancy success.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nurses give extreme patience with the many questions I've asked, sometimes multiple times. Their bedside manor also shows great compassion and understanding of the emotional roller coaster infertility dishes out. The nurses show incredible care with detail and being thorough.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I have a limiting schedule with my career to allow for the many doctors appointments IVF warrants. The scheduling staff always found a way to fit my schedule. The clinic offers FREE counseling sessions with their in house counselor. They also have a monthly support group session that I have found helpful. The clinic is modern, clean and easy to access.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
For an egg retrial, fresh embryo transfer and the medications associated with it, I spent roughly $14,000.
Describe Mili Thakur's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Mili Thakur has guided me through the process to the right decisions. Due to my age, medical diagnosis and preference, we have chosen to go the route of multiple embryo transfer with not more than 2 embryos.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
7
10
Age
33
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
—
7
10
The next cycle she [Dr. Shavell] bumped my clomid dose up to 150 because it still wasn't helping the follicles to develop any sooner or bigger than it had at the 100. That definitely worked. At the next middle ultrasound, I had three good sized follicles instead of only one small one...She took the time to both ask and answer questions about my husband and I. We both felt valued and hopeful after having our consultation visit. She knew exactly which steps we should take next and we both felt confident in her knowledge, abilities and understanding of where we were currently at in our infertility journey.
The fertility center has been super helpful in letting me get lab work done at a place covered by my insurance, so that im not incurring unnecessary costs. They also recommended a cheaper pharmacy that I could get the Ovidrel shot from.(It wasn't covered by my insurance.) I went from paying $170 for the shot to $90...the IUIs that I've done were each $600 out of pocket...This Clinic knows their stuff! They are also just incredibly personable, friendly, compassionate, upbeat people. I definitely felt well guided and cared for during any treatment that I've received there. They help cultivate hope for your situation. I feel very relaxed at this clinic.
Age
33
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
—
7
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
When we met with her the first time, we were impressed by her professional manner and knowledge of the process. She was very good at answering the questions that we both had, as well as making questions of us. She made us feel hopeful about our ability to be able to eventually conceive and made us feel like we had many options and possibilities yet to pursue. She has a very calming demeanor, which for me was maybe a little too clam. Where I definitely appreciate that you need to exude peace in what can be a stressful situation in people's lives, I personally love when doctors can make you feel like they understand the particular situation that you're in and still express an upbeat fun attitude. That being said, she was very nice and gentle with the way she talked and discussed different treatment options with us.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be prepared to feel like you have a wealth of possibilities that you gain from her knowledge. You'll definitely feel like your being cared for and helped, but don't expect an excess of laughter or jokes. She seems to be very calm, steady and even keeled.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She took the time to both ask and answer questions about my husband and I. We both felt valued and hopeful after having our consultation visit. She knew exactly which steps we should take next and we both felt confident in her knowledge, abilities and understanding of where we were currently at in our infertility journey.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
After our consultation visit, she decided to do some more lab work that we hadn't previously had yet...testing the ovarian reserve, my thyroid levels and a couple other things that I can't remember. She also decide to increase the dose of Clomid that I had previously been taking from my OB/GYN. (Which is where we started out in this process.) We went from 50 to 100. She also had me schedule a mid cycle ultrasound to measure the developing follicles and thickness of the uterine lining. By upping the dose, she was hoping to stimulate a better response from my follicles than what I had been getting on just the 50. I was also told about the trigger shot ovidrel, and used that to push ovulation. The first Cycle like that we did with just timed intercourse. The next cycle she bumped my clomid dose up to 150 because it still wasn't helping the follicles to develop any sooner or bigger than it had at the 100. That definitely worked. At the next middle ultrasound, I had three good sized follicles instead of only one small one. We moved on to an IUI that cycle...still with the Ovidrel. A nurse in the office actually performed the IUI, not the doctor herself. That both of those cycles ended with a negative pregnancy test. We are currently coming to the end of our third cycle with this Doctor and office. This cycle we did all the same things, 150 cComid, Ovidrel, IUI. (Just one follicle this time, but still on the bigger side.) The only thing that changed this time is that during the mid cycle ultrasound it was noticed that my lining was on the thinner side, so I was prescribe esterase tablets to take vaginally to help thicken the lining. I started taking them cycle day 12 and am still taking them now on cycle day 19. I was advised to take them until I take a pregnancy test..which will be soon. That being said, we don't know the results yet of this current treatment cycle.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff at the fertility center are incredible. They are overflowing with compassion. I was almost shocked by the amount of care and concern they showed the first time I had to call in because I had started my period after our first treatment cycle. I felt very cared for and even comforted. For the most part, all of the nurses are warm, compassionate and fun. They are also very knowledgeable and confident in helping you or answering any questions that arise. The nurse I had for my first IUI was so great and talking me through the process and calming any nerves that I had. Great nursing staff!
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
This Clinic knows their stuff! They are also just incredibly personable, friendly, compassionate, upbeat people. I definitely felt well guided and cared for during any treatment that I've received there. They help cultivate hope for your situation. I feel very relaxed at this clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My insurance only covered half the cost of ultrasounds and lab work only if it was done somewhere else and then sent to the Fertility center. The fertility center has been super helpful in letting me get lab work done at a place covered by my insurance, so that im not incurring unnecessary costs. They also recommended a cheaper pharmacy that I could get the Ovidrel shot from.(It wasn't covered by my insurance.) I went from paying $170 for the shot to $90. The ultrasounds cost me about $100 after the insurance and the IUIs that I've done were each $600 out of pocket.
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10
10
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
7 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Other
10
10
He [Dr. William Dodds] had us try clomid for 6 rounds. unsuccessful. we then trying to set my body my body up for ivf, where my body did not respond to the drugs . this is when we found out that the D&C damaged uterus lining. he did everything to make sure we could have our family. he performed a surgery to attempt to restore my lining . unsuccessful...[Dr. Dodds] is caring . Explains plans in details. Answers all our questions. calls us back if we have questions. knows who we are
Everyone one at the clinic [The Fertility Center of Michigan] is patient, compassionate and understanding. No matter how many times you call or email, they are happy to assist you with their knowledge...Egg Donor process was slow moving . they had us wait months for a certain nurse, who did not end up being there for our initial appointment. I like the clinic because they never are frustrated with things. they are completely understanding and show empathy every phone call, email, or visit.
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 7 Docs
Treatment
7 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Other
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Dodds I did recommend to my best experiencing infertility. Reason is that he is knowledgeable and can run several test that may determine a solution. He always makes sure we fully understand the steps in the plan and what are options are .
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
This process is overwhelming . Your head is foggy with anxiety , sadness and negativity. Before you go to the appointment, write down your goals and questions
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Dodds is caring . Explains plans in details. Answers all our questions. calls us back if we have questions. knows who we are
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
when we first met Dr Dodds, I had miscarried three times. he understood getting pregnant was not an issue for us , but staying pregnant was . He had us try clomid for 6 rounds. unsuccessful. we then trying to set my body my body up for ivf, where my body did not respond to the drugs . this is when we found out that the D&C damaged uterus lining. he did everything to make sure we could have our family. he performed a surgery to attempt to restore my lining . unsuccessful.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Robin Strouse)
Everyone one at the clinic is patient, compassionate and understanding. No matter how many times you call or email, they are happy to assist you with their knowledge
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Egg Donor process was slow moving . they had us wait months for a certain nurse, who did not end up being there for our initial appointment.
I like the clinic because they never are frustrated with things. they are completely understanding and show empathy every phone call, email, or visit.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I think that being drugs for me, ultrsounds, tests, consultations,egg donor. We are well over 50k
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10
9
Age
30 - 33
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
8 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor
10
9
[Protocols with Dr. William Dodds were] Clomid and scheduled intercourse - not successful...Clomid and IUI - not successful...Clomid and injectables - successful...has personally called me numerous times to discuss treatment plans. I was also able to contact him through email and he was quick to respond with an in depth, detailed answer. He is really easy to talk to and would talk to me about things other than my treatment plan (because sometimes that gets old and tiring). We would talk about his kids, my interests, his interests, etc.
The employees at the front desk [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] are AWESOME. Every time I am there they greet me with a smile and call me by my first name. They are easy to communicate with and have multiple means of communication. Their response time is quick. It's clean. It's professional...For the most part, they [nurses] are so nice. Two nurses told me about their own fertility journeys which made me feel so comfortable and at ease... knowing they had gone through what I was going through. Weakness - I didn't have one primary nurse so at times I felt like they didn't know my treatment plan. Sometimes I needed to tell them what the plan was,
Age
30 - 33
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
8 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor
10
9
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is awesome. If anyone out there is reading this and wondering if they should pursue care under Dr. Dodds, the answer is YES.
I was nervous going into my first consultation. I didn't know what to expect. He put me at ease as soon as he walked into the room. He is friendly and personable. He opened up about himself which made me feel comfortable. He has called me personally numerous times to go over treatment plans. You can tell he truly wants to find what will be successful for you.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds has personally called me numerous times to discuss treatment plans. I was also able to contact him through email and he was quick to respond with an in depth, detailed answer.
He is really easy to talk to and would talk to me about things other than my treatment plan (because sometimes that gets old and tiring). We would talk about his kids, my interests, his interests, etc.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Clomid and scheduled intercourse - not successful
Clomid and IUI - not successful
Clomid and injectables - successful
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Strengths - For the most part, they are so nice. Two nurses told me about their own fertility journeys which made me feel so comfortable and at ease... knowing they had gone through what I was going through.
Weakness - I didn't have one primary nurse so at times I felt like they didn't know my treatment plan. Sometimes I needed to tell them what the plan was,
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The employees at the front desk are AWESOME. Every time I am there they greet me with a smile and call me by my first name. They are easy to communicate with and have multiple means of communication. Their response time is quick. It's clean. It's professional.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I do not remember the initial cost of the consultation. An ultrasound and nurse visit ranged from $275-$385. An IUI was $600. The medications were EXPENSIVE but that price depends on insurance so it is different for everyone.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Provided conflicting information
- Scheduled the wrong procedure
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10
10
Age
31 - 34
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
He [Dr. William Dodds] would call me personally to talk about results or procedures...Such a nice Doctor. Completely trust him. He explained everything so well and was kind to us through each of our journeys to get pregnant. I always appreciated his calls to congratulate me on a success or see how I was doing after a failure...After 6 failed IUIs he suggested that we either start stronger injectables or begin IVF. After our first fresh cycle IVF we transferred two embryos and got pregnant with one baby. Most recently we transferred 2 frozen embryos and did not get pregnant. He suggested we thaw 3 the next time and pick the best 2. Which was good because one of the embryos did not make it. After transferring those two good embryos we did get pregnant and it looks to be one baby after the 6 week ultrasound.
They [nurses at The Fertility Center of Michigan] were always there to answer questions if I had them. They explained the medications that I had to take and when I needed to take them...They are very good at their jobs. They are helpful with questions and even provide monthly meetings for new patients to come and learn more about the fertility center. The weakness would just be the costs associated but I know there is not much they can do about that. It would be great if more insurances would cover some costs.
Age
31 - 34
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Accountant
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Such a nice Doctor. Completely trust him. He explained everything so well and was kind to us through each of our journeys to get pregnant. I always appreciated his calls to congratulate me on a success or see how I was doing after a failure.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Trust Dr Dodd’s. He knows what he is doing and he is always looking out for your best interests.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He would call me personally to talk about results or procedures.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
After 6 failed IUIs he suggested that we either start stronger injectables or begin IVF. After our first fresh cycle IVF we transferred two embryos and got pregnant with one baby. Most recently we transferred 2 frozen embryos and did not get pregnant. He suggested we thaw 3 the next time and pick the best 2. Which was good because one of the embryos did not make it. After transferring those two good embryos we did get pregnant and it looks to be one baby after the 6 week ultrasound.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They were always there to answer questions if I had them. They explained the medications that I had to take and when I needed to take them.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They are very good at their jobs. They are helpful with questions and even provide monthly meetings for new patients to come and learn more about the fertility center. The weakness would just be the costs associated but I know there is not much they can do about that. It would be great if more insurances would cover some costs.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We had to pay out of pocket for everything except ultrasounds and prescriptions. That is the worse part about infertility, the costs are so high
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
28 - 31
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
10
He [Dr. James Young] can be a bit dry but overall very personable. I felt very comfortable discussing my concerns with him. I feel that he was keeping my best interests in mind during the course of my treatment. There was one instance where he forgot my name but I didn't take it personal...He will be thorough if you ask the questions...My 3rd IVF cycle followed the same protocol as my 2nd cycle but was cancelled prior to the frozen embryo transfer because my uterine lining was possibly over-stimulated by the hormones and was not suitable for pregnancy.
Approximately $8000 for egg retrieval and fresh transfer [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] including medications and ultrasounds...It's a beautiful clinic with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The clinic is up-to-date and very clean. My favorite part is that they offer an on-site fertility counselor free of charge. The fertility counselor has been a great resource for managing my anxiety through my fertility treatments... She [nurse] communicates to me via email (at my request) as it is difficult for me to answer phone calls discussing personal matters while I'm at work. She is always very thorough in her instructions and answers ALL of my questions. I feel very comfortable communicating with her and am so glad that I was blessed with such an amazing IVF nurse.
Age
28 - 31
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 4 Docs
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Tubal Blockage
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He can be a bit dry but overall very personable. I felt very comfortable discussing my concerns with him. I feel that he was keeping my best interests in mind during the course of my treatment. There was one instance where he forgot my name but I didn't take it personal.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be open, honest, and express all of your concerns. He will be thorough if you ask the questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He always was very thorough in answering my questions and explaining our fertility treatment plan. He apologized and showed concern when the outcome of our treatment was negative.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
My first cycle was an embryo retrieval and fresh transfer of 2 embryos. If I remember correctly, gonal-f, hcg trigger were used and then progesterone through the 11th week of pregnancy. This procedure resulted in a successful pregnancy and birth of my daughter.
My 2nd IVF cycle was a long protocol with frozen embryo transfer. The medications were Lupron, estradiol, and progesterone. This cycle did not result in pregnancy.
My 3rd IVF cycle followed the same protocol as my 2nd cycle but was cancelled prior to the frozen embryo transfer because my uterine lining was possibly over-stimulated by the hormones and was not suitable for pregnancy.
I am currently on my 4th IVF cycle. I have reverted back to the same protocol as my first cycle but with lower dose gonal-f as I do not require multiple follicle production. I do not yet know if the transfer produced a positive pregnancy.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Kim Helm)
Kim Helm is the most kind-hearted, caring, and knowledgeable nurse I've ever communicated with. She communicates to me via email (at my request) as it is difficult for me to answer phone calls discussing personal matters while I'm at work. She is always very thorough in her instructions and answers ALL of my questions. I feel very comfortable communicating with her and am so glad that I was blessed with such an amazing IVF nurse.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
It's a beautiful clinic with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The clinic is up-to-date and very clean. My favorite part is that they offer an on-site fertility counselor free of charge. The fertility counselor has been a great resource for managing my anxiety through my fertility treatments.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Approximately $8000 for egg retrieval and fresh transfer including medications and ultrasounds. Approximately $5000 for frozen embryo transfer including medications and ultrasounds.
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Young is responsible with selecting the number of embryos to transfer. He has always suggested 2 embryos for my transfers in hopes of single or double births but no more than that as multiple births come with added risks and potential complications.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call with results
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10
10
Age
30 - 33
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Other
10
10
Dr. Dodds is very good at taking the time to make you feel as if you're his only patient. I feel incredibly comfortable voicing concerns (if I have any) and discussing options. He is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and empathetic...we have been doing rounds of menopur + timed intercourse. My body is reacting appropriately this time and we actually became pregnant on the third try; however, I miscarried at 6 weeks. We just began a fourth cycle with menopur + estrace and will do an IUI with progesterone suppositories to follow.
The nursing staff at The Fertility Clinic is very understanding, patient, and compassionate. They are very helpful and knowledgeable, having the ability to answer many of my questions without asking the doctor...Our insurance did not cover our IVF procedure which ran us $9-$10k, I think. Each frozen transfer is around $3k...This is a very busy clinic so at times, it is difficult to schedule appointments with your preferred doctor and wait times can be longer than usual. However, the majority of the time, they are very efficient and well-run. While I prefer to see my doctor, I trust the entire team and will gladly be seen by another partner.
Age
30 - 33
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Graphic Designer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Other
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds is very good at taking the time to make you feel as if you're his only patient. I feel incredibly comfortable voicing concerns (if I have any) and discussing options. He is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and empathetic.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be open and trusting of his process. He knows what he is doing. However, don't be afraid to ask questions and push the boundaries.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds went out of his way to familiarize himself with our case. He took the time to troubleshoot our situation and even called outside of office hours to talk to us.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started with menopur + timed intercourse but I kept overstimulating, even with a change in doses, so we moved to IVF. I continued the menopur, did an HCG trigger, and we retrieved 18 eggs. We were able to fertilize 12, transferring two (fresh transfer) and freezing the rest. I started Progesterone in Oil (PIO) injections following the transfer. I became pregnant but miscarried at 9 weeks. After three failed frozen transfers (slightly different protocol each - #1 was identical to the first (prep with estrace, PIO shots after transfer), #2 we incorporated xanax, prednisone, and motrin, #3 we incorporated xanax, prednisone, Motrin, and zithromax), we did an ERA which concluded we were transferring in the wrong window of receptivity. Grew our remaining 5 embryos to blastocysts, transferred two, and I became pregnant. That resulted in the birth of our son. When our son was 12 months, we transferred our remaining blastocyst (one did not make through the thaw). I became pregnant but miscarried again - 6 weeks this time. Since then, we have been doing rounds of menopur + timed intercourse. My body is reacting appropriately this time and we actually became pregnant on the third try; however, I miscarried at 6 weeks. We just began a fourth cycle with menopur + estrace and will do an IUI with progesterone suppositories to follow.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff at The Fertility Clinic is very understanding, patient, and compassionate. They are very helpful and knowledgeable, having the ability to answer many of my questions without asking the doctor.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
This is a very busy clinic so at times, it is difficult to schedule appointments with your preferred doctor and wait times can be longer than usual. However, the majority of the time, they are very efficient and well-run. While I prefer to see my doctor, I trust the entire team and will gladly be seen by another partner.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Our insurance did not cover our IVF procedure which ran us $9-$10k, I think. Each frozen transfer is around $3k. My medications and ultrasounds are mostly covered - a $20 copay applies for each office visit. For my Timed Intercourse cycles, my medications are $50 - $100 total, depending on how much I need that cycle. I believe IUI, which we are hoping to do soon, is around $600.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Dodds did not have a strong preference on 1 vs. 2 but did properly warn us on the risks of multiples.
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10
10
Age
30 - 37
Treated
2012 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, 2 IVF, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
10
10
He [Dr. James Young] doesn't give false hope, he tells it like it is. I like his dry sense of humor. He really knows his stuff and is up to date on the latest things to try...you can message him questions on MyHealth if you think of any later. He is very receptive to questions...Long med protocol IVF, uterine scratch (worth a try, knew it might not help), grew embryo to blastocyst, next time doing a clotting factor panel and and ERA biopsy before transferring another embryo, will thaw all remaining and grow them all to blast to see how many keep going. No pregnancy yet, but we have embryos left. If the next round doesn't stick he said we can look into gestational carriers.
Nursing Staff
[The Fertility Center of Michigan] is clean and pretty...The staff all work well together. The billing ladies are very helpful, too...There is one nurse that mixed up the date of our pregnancy test, which led to me seeing results before I was prepared to. Other than that, they have been excellent. Some have even shared their own fertility journeys. That was very helpful...We are at 25,000 out of pocket after three IVF cycles. The office covered the $800 time lapse photography for free for our last egg retrieval.
Age
30 - 37
Treated
2012 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 2 IVF, 2 Embryo Freezing
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young is very up front and honest. He explains things without making you feel dumb for asking. After each of our three failed IVF cycles, he made a personal phone call to express his condolences after. He answered calls from the on call doctor on a Saturday to make the best decision for some time sensitive treatment. He doesn't give false hope, he tells it like it is. I like his dry sense of humor. He really knows his stuff and is up to date on the latest things to try.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Ask questions about anything you don't understand. Take notes and you can message him questions on MyHealth if you think of any later. He is very receptive to questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young is very up front and honest. He explains things without making you feel dumb for asking. After each of our three failed IVF cycles, he made a personal phone call to express his condolences after. He answered calls from the on call doctor on a Saturday to make the best decision for some time sensitive treatment.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Long med protocol IVF, uterine scratch (worth a try, knew it might not help), grew embryo to blastocyst, next time doing a clotting factor panel and and ERA biopsy before transferring another embryo, will thaw all remaining and grow them all to blast to see how many keep going. No pregnancy yet, but we have embryos left. If the next round doesn't stick he said we can look into gestational carriers.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
There is one nurse that mixed up the date of our pregnancy test, which led to me seeing results before I was prepared to. Other than that, they have been excellent. Some have even shared their own fertility journeys. That was very helpful.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
It is clean and pretty. I hate the fish tank though, when you have a procedure that requires a full bladder the running water noise on the tank makes you want to pee more! The staff all work well together. The billing ladies are very helpful, too.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We are at 25,000 out of pocket after three IVF cycles. The office covered the $800 time lapse photography for free for our last egg retrieval.
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They let me transfer 2 at once, but said 3 was too risky with my younger age of 36 and embryo quality.
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10
10
Age
30 - 36
Treated
2013 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
He [Dr. James Young] was always patient with our concerns and questions...has a wonderful and caring personality. He can put the most nervous or upset person at ease. He was very patient during our appointments. He made us feel completely comfortable and confident with the care we were receiving...I had 2 embryos transferred which resulted in our healthy baby girl being born...We used the antagonist protocol with bravelle and menopur to stimulate follicle production for about 11 days.
They [nurses at The Fertility Center of Michigan] were super comforting throughout the process. Very good communication and made sure we knew exactly what to do and what to expect...Monitoring appointments were held during a window of time in the morning. I loved this because I was able to go before work. It allowed me to minimize using my personal time off for appointments...Approximately $12,000 total for blood work, ultrasounds, medications, egg retrieval, and transfer.
Age
30 - 36
Treated
2013 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 3 Docs
Treatment
6 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young has a wonderful and caring personality. He can put the most nervous or upset person at ease. He was very patient during our appointments. He made us feel completely comfortable and confident with the care we were receiving.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Write down any questions or concerns you have before your appointment. Then you won't forget to ask them. I always wrote the answers down so I could remember later. Sometimes being nervous you may forget to ask questions or forget the information you were given. You could always call back and clarify if you need to.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He was always patient with our concerns and questions.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We used the antagonist protocol with bravelle and menopur to stimulate follicle production for about 11 days. After a few days of taking stimulation medicine they also added a morning injection of ganirelix to prevent premature ovulation. After 12 nights of stimulation Injections I had to administer a Lipton trigger shot to mature the eggs. I had my egg retrieval the next morning. The day of egg retrieval I started progesterone in oil injections. 2 days after retrieval I had 2 embryos transferred which resulted in our healthy baby girl being born.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They were super comforting throughout the process. Very good communication and made sure we knew exactly what to do and what to expect.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I felt welcomed to the fertility clinic during the first call to schedule my new patient consultation. The receptionists were very knowledgeable and friendly. The medical assistants and nurses were always reassuring. The doctors always made us feel safe, comfortable, and confident in our next step of treatment. We even got a personal call from our doctor congratulating us on our positive pregnancy test. Great office all around. You will not be disappointed.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Monitoring appointments were held during a window of time in the morning. I loved this because I was able to go before work. It allowed me to minimize using my personal time off for appointments.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Approximately $12,000 total for blood work, ultrasounds, medications, egg retrieval, and transfer.
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8
9
Age
37 - 38
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Other
8
9
He [Dr. Young] was candid and straight forward about treatment and our options. I feel like he followed SART guidelines and ethics protocol. I am very detail oriented so I would have preferred more in depth explanations, but overall he communicated well...He has a dry sense of humor which can come off as insensitive and might be off putting to some. My husband thinks he is hilarious... Protocol was chosen based on age, single Fallopian tube, prior ectopic pregnancy and normal AMH & FSH values. Currently stimulating for first egg retrieval.
Approximately $9500 for egg retrieval and transfer [at The Fertility Center of Michigan]...They have a good track record, are organized, kind, compassionate, nice facility, offer services like genetic counseling, a fertility counselor, and support group. They have 4 offices throughout the state and are relatively easier to reach. They coordinate with my local clinic for monitoring which has been very helpful...[nurses is a] Very effective communicator. Took into consideration my personality (Type A) when giving info (eg I want all the details, numbers,etc) Friendly and excellent at organization.
Age
37 - 38
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Lawyer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Other
8
9
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He was candid and straight forward about treatment and our options. I feel like he followed SART guidelines and ethics protocol. I am very detail oriented so I would have preferred more in depth explanations, but overall he communicated well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He has a dry sense of humor which can come off as insensitive and might be off putting to some. My husband thinks he is hilarious.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He remembered details about my husband and myself, kept a sense of humor and conversed with us about non fertility topics.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Antagonist protocol (BCP, 150 Gonal f, 75 menopur, cetrotide, hCG & Lupron trigger). I used Gonal during IUI so we had a good idea how I would respond. Protocol was chosen based on age, single Fallopian tube, prior ectopic pregnancy and normal AMH & FSH values. Currently stimulating for first egg retrieval.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Sandy)
Very effective communicator. Took into consideration my personality (Type A) when giving info (eg I want all the details, numbers,etc) Friendly and excellent at organization.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They have a good track record, are organized, kind, compassionate, nice facility, offer services like genetic counseling, a fertility counselor, and support group. They have 4 offices throughout the state and are relatively easier to reach. They coordinate with my local clinic for monitoring which has been very helpful.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Approximately $9500 for egg retrieval and transfer - totally out of pocket. After partial insurance about $100 for mock transfer/sonohytogram. Insurance covered office visits with $20 co pay. $400 annually for embryo storage. All the remaining lab testing and ultrasounds are partially covered by insurance, and balances vary based on type of test and remaining deductible.
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Based on age I knew transferring 2 was a possibility, but was surprised that we could transfer up to 3. Otherwise, i trust that my doctor will only transfer the number of embryos he believes is healthy and safe.
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10
10
Age
31
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
I felt so comfortable with Dr. Mili Thakur. She explained things so well & didn't blame either my partner nor myself. She is always available to answer our questions & wants to help us get pregnant...She also has a great bedside manner that makes you feel she cares and wants to help you in your dream of becoming parents come true...suggest we do up to three rounds of IUI if the sperm count was good. I thought that was a great amount of time and very reasonable.
Nursing Staff
I always got right in to do my procedures or see my doctor [at The Fertility Center of Michigan]. Hardly no wait time. They are friendly and greet you when you go into the office. They are very personable yet professional. I have no compliments about the clinic...The nursing staff was very helpful. They called us in a timely fashion about our lab results and if we called with questions they called us back fairly quickly...
Age
31
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I had a great experience with Dr. Mili Thakur. She was the first doctor to take us seriously. My regular OBGYN didnt want to do any testing. Dr. Mili Thakur explained everything in detail at every consultation we had. What our next steps would be and what the procedures would involve. One consultation we couldn't make it to the office so she called us on the phone. I feel confident with her. I would suggest her to anyone going through this journey. She also has a great bedside manner that makes you feel she cares and wants to help you in your dream of becoming parents come true.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She is a great doctor and really wants to help you conceive. Very kind and personable.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I felt so comfortable with Dr. Mili Thakur. She explained things so well & didn't blame either my partner nor myself. She is always available to answer our questions & wants to help us get pregnant.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
At our first consultation she put me on a pill called femara & suggest we do up to three rounds of IUI if the sperm count was good. I thought that was a great amount of time and very reasonable.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff was very helpful. They called us in a timely fashion about our lab results and if we called with questions they called us back fairly quickly.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I always got right in to do my procedures or see my doctor. Hardly no wait time. They are friendly and greet you when you go into the office. They are very personable yet professional. I have no compliments about the clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We had to pay for office visits, ultrasounds and our IUI treatments. Our insurance only covered some medication & some lab work.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
36
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Uterine Fibroids
10
10
we have found that male factor infertility is a possible issue due to low sperm count. Dr. Dodds is working with us to try to help increase the sperm count with the hope that IVF could be avoided. He has suggested a male hormone treatment to raise testosterone levels which would hopefully raise sperm count...great bedside manner. Very approachable. He takes the time to explain medical terms and procedures...is very personable and we felt very comfortable asking questions. Our first appointment/consultation, felt a little rushed. After a few tests and blood work, we met again to go over the results. This appointment felt slower and we had more time to discuss next steps and treatment. We realize its hard to discuss everything the first meeting so we were not that upset.
The staff [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] is great about using names...The nursing staff we have interacted with have all been very friendly. We appreciate the use of our names and the approachable personalities...Based on research, we felt the costs were inline with other clinics. They do have finance options and offer info on grants...They are good about returning calls, but it has been hard to get a person on the phone at the time I'm making the calls. (My calls have been scheduling and billing related, not medical.)
Age
36
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Uterine Fibroids
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds is very personable and we felt very comfortable asking questions. Our first appointment/consultation, felt a little rushed. After a few tests and blood work, we met again to go over the results. This appointment felt slower and we had more time to discuss next steps and treatment. We realize its hard to discuss everything the first meeting so we were not that upset.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
There is so much to learn, be ready to listen. Do some research before had, it will make the first few visits go more smoothly. Having some knowledge about infertility and treatments will help in asking questions that directly relate to your situation. Don't go alone, having a spouse/family member/friend will help during the down times to discuss all the info being shared with you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
The staff is great about using names. Dr. Dodds have a great bedside manner. Very approachable. He takes the time to explain medical terms and procedures.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We are still in the diagnostic stage of our infertility treatment. However, we have found that male factor infertility is a possible issue due to low sperm count. Dr. Dodds is working with us to try to help increase the sperm count with the hope that IVF could be avoided. He has suggested a male hormone treatment to raise testosterone levels which would hopefully raise sperm count.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff we have interacted with have all been very friendly. We appreciate the use of our names and the approachable personalities.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The office itself is a welcoming and calming environment. They make every effort to protect your privacy. They offer a lot of info and don't leave anything on the table. You feel welcome to ask any questions.
The biggest issue I have, is when calling by phone there are way too many prompts. I understand it is how the world runs, but there are so many prompts that sometimes I'm not sure if I'm getting to the right person/department. Whenever I have called, I always end up with a voicemail. They are good about returning calls, but it has been hard to get a person on the phone at the time I'm making the calls. (My calls have been scheduling and billing related, not medical.)
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Based on research, we felt the costs were inline with other clinics. They do have finance options and offer info on grants. Overall, its just expensive treatment to pursue.
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9
10
Age
30 - 31
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
10 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Other
9
10
if you want someone who will shoot you straight, and push forward without haste, then Dr. Young will be a great fit...may seem quiet and reserved at first, but he will become a fierce advocate, giving you nothing but his best...I have PCOS, so the first treatment strategy was Clomid with monitoring to see if that would help me ovulate. The outcome was little to no results.next I was put on Metformin (indefinitely). The next strategy was a combination of Clomid, Follistim, Ovidrel and timed intercourse. This treatment was successful in getting me to ovulate, but unfortunately it didn’t result in a pregnancy. With the help of Dr. Young we decided to stop current treatments and move forward with IVF. Within a month of stopping treatment, we got pregnant naturally but unfortunately suffered a chemical pregnancy. We are currently saving for IVF.
Every single nurse [at The Fertility Center of Michigan], every single time, from a long visit to a quick in and out visit, was nothing but caring, respectful, honest and empathetic. The nursing staff was prompt to respond to every message I left, little issue or big...The office was determined to find me the best deal for medicines that weren’t covered by insurance. They work with an online fertility pharmacy, and would give me the information to figure out what pharmacies near me had the best price for meds.
Age
30 - 31
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
10 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Other
9
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
There was never a time that I left Dr. Young feeling confused about treatment, unheard about my feelings or concerns, or worried about what would be next. From the very beginning, my husband and I felt a sense of relief and calmness from our meetings with Dr. Young. He is soft spoken, but delivers news, treatment plans and options with conviction. If you want a Dr. that is going to tip-toe and proceed with caution, Dr. Young may not be the doctor for you. But if you want someone who will shoot you straight, and push forward without haste, then Dr. Young will be a great fit.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Know that Dr. Young may seem quiet and reserved at first, but he will become a fierce advocate, giving you nothing but his best.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Although Dr. Young is very thorough, it is sometimes his emotion, or lack of, during delivery of information that can seem a bit cold. I could see how, to some, the lack of emotion could equate to feeling like a number. However, with a matter such as infertility, I would rather have a Dr. be completely honest, straightforward, with less emotion, than a Dr. that sugar coats and withholds.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I have PCOS, so the first treatment strategy was Clomid with monitoring to see if that would help me ovulate. The outcome was little to no results.next I was put on Metformin (indefinitely). The next strategy was a combination of Clomid, Follistim, Ovidrel and timed intercourse. This treatment was successful in getting me to ovulate, but unfortunately it didn’t result in a pregnancy. With the help of Dr. Young we decided to stop current treatments and move forward with IVF. Within a month of stopping treatment, we got pregnant naturally but unfortunately suffered a chemical pregnancy. We are currently saving for IVF.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Amy and Julie)
I have zero constructive criticism for the nursing staff. Every single nurse, every single time, from a long visit to a quick in and out visit, was nothing but caring, respectful, honest and empathetic. The nursing staff was prompt to respond to every message I left, little issue or big. If they didn’t have the answer, they would assure me that they would work until they found it, and they did. I can’t imagine this journey without them!
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They are busy, so make sure if you’re a new patient, to plan ahead! Initially it took a month and a half to get my first appointment. Now that I’m an established patient, I never have any issues getting appointments. The front desk staff is always on the ball, and accommodating. They have always tried their hardest to make sure that we have all of the information we need, and have worked with my strange work schedule on many occasions to make sure I got the appointment I needed. The first visit can be overwhelming, but very informative. You receive a large packet of all of the information discussed, in case you can’t remember it all. The staff is always there to answer any questions you may have.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My Insurance does not cover infertility treatments, however the billing staff would work with me to code things appropriately to save me the most money. Each visit I had a copay of $35. My medicines were sometimes covered, sometimes not. Although I believe this has to do with my insurance, not the provider. Clomid- $45. Metformin-$15. Follistim- $300/300iu $600/600iu. Ovidrel- $107. The office was determined to find me the best deal for medicines that weren’t covered by insurance. They work with an online fertility pharmacy, and would give me the information to figure out what pharmacies near me had the best price for meds.
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A
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8
10
Age
27
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
8
10
Doctor Young took the time to explain everything in terms that both my husband and I would understand, even drawing pictures at times. He made sure that we both agreed and understood the plan going forward...He also gave us ways to increase our chances such as reduce alcohol use, exercise, eat well, etc... With that and my husband's low motility, he had us start with IUI, first having me take Femera so I would ovulate on time and possibly produce more then one egg, then going to an ultrasound to make sure an egg had formed, and then using ovidrel so they could time the IUI treatment even closer to ovulation.
Because the doctors [The Fert Ctr] rotate to their other offices, it isn't uncommon that you talk to all of them at one point or another. I personally think that is a good thing, because I feel like I get all of their expertise involved in my care. Everyone is very knowledgeable in what they do and they are able to make you feel like you have control going forward and they give you hope again.
Age
27
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
8
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He was very good at describing our treatment in easy to understand terms also providing pictures when necessary. He always made sure we understood before moving on to the next area. He took time to ask about what we do and got to know us a little bit and also joked around with us. It helped for us to both feel comfortable and we left feeling like we had some control over the situation again.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Doctor Young will go over everything you need but I think it is always good to know a little background on fertility treatments.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Doctor Young took the time to explain everything in terms that both my husband and I would understand, even drawing pictures at times. He made sure that we both agreed and understood the plan going forward and even took some time to get to know what we both do and joked with us. He made us feel comfortable during a tough discussion and made us feel like we had some small amount of control back.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Before we had met Dr. Young my obgyn had already had me try 4 rounds of clomid because of my irregular cycles. With that and my husband's low motility, he had us start with IUI, first having me take Femera so I would ovulate on time and possibly produce more then one egg, then going to an ultrasound to make sure an egg had formed, and then using ovidrel so they could time the IUI treatment even closer to ovulation. He also gave us ways to increase our chances such as reduce alcohol use, exercise, eat well, etc.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
After my ultrasound the nurse sat down with me to do over the next steps for treatment. She made sure I was able to get the medicine I needed on time and that I understood what would happen going forward.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Because the doctors rotate to their other offices, it isn't uncommon that you talk to all of them at one point or another. I personally think that is a good thing, because I feel like I get all of their expertise involved in my care. Everyone is very knowledgeable in what they do and they are able to make you feel like you have control going forward and they give you hope again.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I don't remember the cost of the initial consultation appointment but the ultrasound and meet up with the nurse was around $250 and the actual IUI was $600. They gave me resources to get the ovidrel at a more reasonable cost, which was around $35.
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8
10
Age
25 - 26
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
8
10
Mili Thakur was very kind when we had our first visit. Going into fertility treatments we were scared and unsure, but she did her best to explain everything and give us a written plan/ timeline of what to expect. Even after our miscarriage she was sure to call weeks after to see how we were doing and offered any type of therapy if needed through the fertility center.... Before seeing her I took provera for 10 days to jump start my period and then on cycle day 3 Femara 2.5mg though my OB
The knowledge that the clinic [Fertility Ctr of Michigan] has is by far their greatest strength. I have no doubt going in there each time. A weakness might be that sometimes when getting transferred from the nurse to scheduling on the phone I'm not always clear on what the nurse wants me to schedule.... The nursing staff have been nothing but awesome! Everytime i have an appointment they are very friendly. When I had my miscarriage my ultrasound techs were so comforting and supportive, they didn't treat me like just another person who miscarried.
Age
25 - 26
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
8
10
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Mili Thakur was very kind when we had our first visit. Going into fertility treatments we were scared and unsure, but she did her best to explain everything and give us a written plan/ timeline of what to expect. Even after our miscarriage she was sure to call weeks after to see how we were doing and offered any type of therapy if needed through the fertility center.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be patient with her accent and language barrier because she is a great doctor!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She didn't make me feel like she was just talking to another patient for the day. She was kind and explained our plans and the next steps we were taking very thoroughly. Keeps in contact to check on how things are going.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Before seeing her I took provera for 10 days to jump start my period and then on cycle day 3 Femara 2.5mg though my OB and then had my appt with the fertility center in November 2018. They monitored the rest of the cycle out which I then found out we were pregnant December 2018. She monitored very closely with bloodwork. In January of 2019 we miscarried. In Febuary we started provera again for 10days to jump start my period and in March 2019 we tried Femara 5mg and with cycle 14 ultrasound it showed the foliciles were too small so for 5 days I took Femara 7.5g mg to grow the foliciles and returned in 10 days to see that the folices had tripled in size, due to no ovulation that time I started another round of femara 7.5mg in April. Now we are awaiting to see folicile size. This round we will be doing a ovadril shot for ovulation.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff have been nothing but awesome! Everytime i have an appointment they are very friendly. When I had my miscarriage my ultrasound techs were so comforting and supportive, they didn't treat me like just another person who miscarried. The nurses after each ultrasound have been so thorough about the next step in the cycle. I do not have one bad thing to say about the nursing staff at the fertility center.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The knowledge that the clinic has is by far their greatest strength. I have no doubt going in there each time. A weakness might be that sometimes when getting transferred from the nurse to scheduling on the phone I'm not always clear on what the nurse wants me to schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I believe my co pays for office visits have been around 30 to 40 dollars each time
Describe Mili Thakur's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Have not had to deal with this situation
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10
10
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
7 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
10
10
I think Dr. Dodds is exceptional and he wants all of his patients to succeed. What I like best is even though I am under his primary care, all of the doctors have great communication and I am able to feel comfortable with any of them.... Dr. Dodds has discussed multiple times the risks of transferring multiple embryos and their clinic holds a strong stance on transferring one is best, which I respect that they are looking at the overall picture and the health of the mother and baby.
The main clinic [Fertility Ctr of MI] is in Grand Rapids which is where all procedures are performed but the normal appointments can be at one of their other locations, we went to the Kalamazoo clinic. We liked the staff at both locations, and appreciate that they know us by name and are always friendly. They are also very respectful when things go poorly... Every nurse I have encountered has shown great empathy and compassion and some can relate to the journey which is comforting.
Age
34 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
7 IUI, 3 IVF, Donor Eggs
Diagnosis
Poor Egg Quality, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I think Dr. Dodds is exceptional and he wants all of his patients to succeed. What I like best is even though I am under his primary care, all of the doctors have great communication and I am able to feel comfortable with any of them.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Do your research, ask questions until you feel comfortable. If you are walking in with no prior knowledge regarding infertility, like I did, I felt very lost and confused but he is willing to explain things in a way for you to understand until you feel comfortable.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
From the time we had our first consult we felt that Dr.Dodds genuinely wanted to help us succeed and every visit since we leave with that same feeling.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We took our time trying these out slowly. We started with timed intercourse with clomid and gonal f then moved to iui’s with gonal f, eventually moving to IVF which is where we discovered my egg quality was poor. We retrieved 3 times and I really appreciated that each time the doctors discussed my case and tried different approaches, however in the end my eggs are just too poor and we are moving on to donor eggs.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Every nurse I have encountered has shown great empathy and compassion and some can relate to the journey which is comforting.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The main clinic is in Grand Rapids which is where all procedures are performed but the normal appointments can be at one of their other locations, we went to the Kalamazoo clinic. We liked the staff at both locations, and appreciate that they know us by name and are always friendly. They are also very respectful when things go poorly (when I found out I miscarried).
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Though we have not had any transfers yet, Dr. Dodds has discussed multiple times the risks of transferring multiple embryos and their clinic holds a strong stance on transferring one is best, which I respect that they are looking at the overall picture and the health of the mother and baby.
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6
8
Age
32 - 34
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
6
8
I felt really good about our first consult in 2017. We had a solid treatment plan/ path established....we decided to re-consult. I felt like Dr Dodds didn't take any time to review my chart prior to coming in the room. He waffled on the recommended treatment course, at first recommending up to 4 more cycles of IUI. As we talked further, he backtracked and decided that IVF was what he was going to recommend. I felt like I had to steer the conversation, as he was saying things that weren't applicable to me
All of the nursing staff [Fertility Center of Michigan] has been beyond friendly and sympathetic!... I believe the clinic overall is a solid one. I believe they have very fair prices, but I do wish they would look into Invocell IVF. This would give people like myself a chance at IVF due to the lower cost.... Each round of IUI ended up being around $800. IVF is expected to cost around $10,000 plus meds, anesthesia, etc.
Age
32 - 34
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
6
8
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Strengths-I do believe he truly wants to help his patients achieve the end goal of bringing home a baby
Weakness-I believe he is a very busy man and I didn't feel as supported by him as I would have liked. I think he focuses the majority of his support on IVF patients
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Speak up about your wants and if something doesn't sound right or applicable to your case
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I felt really good about our first consult in 2017. We had a solid treatment plan/ path established. We did 2 rounds of IUI, with the second ending in a miscarriage/ possible ectopic. We then took a break.
Fast forward to 2019, we decided to re-consult. I felt like Dr Dodds didn't take any time to review my chart prior to coming in the room. He waffled on the recommended treatment course, at first recommending up to 4 more cycles of IUI. As we talked further, he backtracked and decided that IVF was what he was going to recommend. I felt like I had to steer the conversation, as he was saying things that weren't applicable to me or were untrue.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We did 2 rounds of IUI with femara and Ovidrel. The rationale was that due to my husband's lower sperm count and motility, having more eggs and putting the sperm closer to them would increase the chance of pregnancy. I had one negative cycle and one pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage/ possible ectopic
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
All of the nursing staff has been beyond friendly and sympathetic!
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I believe the clinic overall is a solid one. I believe they have very fair prices, but I do wish they would look into Invocell IVF. This would give people like myself a chance at IVF due to the lower cost.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Each round of IUI ended up being around $800. IVF is expected to cost around $10,000 plus meds, anesthesia, etc.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A we did not do IVF
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10
10
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
5 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
We felt she [Dr. Thakur] was thorough and helping us identify the issues as well as solutions. She followed up with us personally when she found out from the nurse that I was hesitant about the retrieval based on tests. She followed up directly when I had some slight concern of overstimulation (turned out I wasn’t ohss but she wanted to call to chat anyway). She called when she’d heard I was sick from the meds to see about adjusting them even though I’d commented I’d tough it out. She was available when we needed her by phone or office visit and was just really great to work with.
They [Fertility Ctr of MI] were overall a really great place to be working with. The few complaints I have are quite minor, they seem to be very busy and I get that but getting back to people on administrative stuff is not their strong suit. Getting record copy’s, talking to their billing department, finding out what paperwork is needed next all took longer than necessary. While the nurses and docs will call back within the day the office itself won’t call back for a fee sometimes, or forget to email paperwork or forms etc. so that part was frustrating.
Age
34 - 35
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Lawyer
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
5 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We felt she was thorough and helping us identify the issues as well as solutions. She followed up with us personally when she found out from the nurse that I was hesitant about the retrieval based on tests. She followed up directly when I had some slight concern of overstimulation (turned out I wasn’t ohss but she wanted to call to chat anyway). She called when she’d heard I was sick from the meds to see about adjusting them even though I’d commented I’d tough it out. She was available when we needed her by phone or office visit and was just really great to work with.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Don’t hold back on questions because she will draw pictures and explain everything you just have to ask. In the beginning I don’t think I asked as much, with nerves etc and so wish I had as she was so great at taking the time to explain things to us.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She was great about sitting ya down and going through every detail of the process. We had a prior doc and felt like a number and this was a million times better. She was sympathetic, called to check in when she knew I’d been sick even though I hadn’t called. She was our team mate not our doctor.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started with femara lightly and an IUI because we weren’t sure how severe the sperm motility was. She switched us to clomid and objectively gonalf to grow additional eggs and grow them more friendly to penetration by softer sperm as we didn’t have a lot of strength on our side. We tried different variations of that. We learned I react very very poorly to any progesterone and in the end canceled my retrieval to see what else could be tried safely before we did a retrieval and transfer.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The nurses were mostly pretty great. There were times it felt like it was difficult hearing back and we’d play a lot of phone tag as they didn’t seem to answer the phone ever but because I was working I couldn’t always pick up when they called back.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They were overall a really great place to be working with. The few complaints I have are quite minor, they seem to be very busy and I get that but getting back to people on administrative stuff is not their strong suit. Getting record copy’s, talking to their billing department, finding out what paperwork is needed next all took longer than necessary. While the nurses and docs will call back within the day the office itself won’t call back for a fee sometimes, or forget to email paperwork or forms etc. so that part was frustrating.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Iui’s were broken between the lab and the insemination itself. Lab was $350, procedure $250 for a total of $600. Meds were usually sent to freedom pharmacy unless you requested otherwise. Consults were $350ish even though the nurse will always say on the phone 200 they always bill at the higher coding rate. Sperm analysis are $200, genetic testing is $100 for each spouse.
Describe Mili Thakur's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We had heard the field was cutting back on transfers but our doctor said that they still transfer two if we really wanted it or if we’ve down more than one IVF already.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call with results
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10
10
Age
22 - 24
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
10
Dr. Dodds made me feel very comfortable and confident with his treatment plan. He told me all of the details and made me hopeful. The only thing that I wish could have done differently is that he would have suggested the hsg test before I started the Femara.... I had an ultrasound done and Dr. Dodds could tell that I had pcos. Because of the multiple cysts on my ovaries and infertility as well as some other symptoms he was confident
The strengths they [Fertility Center of Michigan] have are fast scheduling, prompt return calls, so caring and knowledgeable, great at explaining the next step. They have multiple doctors that you can see if your doctor isn't available and they are all great! When you call with questions they call you back within the hour and always answer all of your questions.... The nursing staff has been incredible! They make me feel comfortable and are genuinely concerned
Age
22 - 24
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds made me feel very comfortable and confident with his treatment plan. He told me all of the details and made me hopeful.
The only thing that I wish could have done differently is that he would have suggested the hsg test before I started the Femara.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Ask every question you can think of! There are no stupid questions!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He took the time to answer all of my questions and to explain the diagnosis of PCOS. He gave me hope with the treatment plan he decided and explained to me!
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I had an ultrasound done and Dr. Dodds could tell that I had pcos. Because of the multiple cysts on my ovaries and infertility as well as some other symptoms he was confident with the diagnosis. He started me on Femara 5 mg for the first cycle. It worked but the second cycle we decided to add the trigger shot to take out the guess work of when I ovulate. Now this third cycle because I only had one follicle the previous two we increased my dosage to 7.5 of Femara with the trigger shot. I had one large follicle again. I have a consultation scheduled in a couple weeks if I am not pregnant to go over the next options.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff has been incredible! They make me feel comfortable and are genuinely concerned and so caring every time I call or come in for my appointments. They make the visits each month as enjoyable as they can be.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The strengths they have are fast scheduling, prompt return calls, so caring and knowledgeable, great at explaining the next step. They have multiple doctors that you can see if your doctor isn't available and they are all great! When you call with questions they call you back within the hour and always answer all of your questions.
I can't really think of any weaknesses at this point.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I paid everything out of pocket.
Consultation $250.
Ultrasound $200
Nurse consultation $75
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8
8
Age
33
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Unexplained
8
8
Dr. Dodds wants to try two cycles of hybrid medications with IUI to increase my chances of conceiving. I will be using Femara 5.0, and Gonal F at 450iu at 75iu per injection for a few days days, and a trigger shot of Ovidrel at 250 mcg/.5 ml He also gave me the success rates for all of the options that he gave me (such as, I could try Laproscopic surgery to check for endo but it would only increase my chances of conceiving by about 20%, or I could do the hybrid and IUI which on average 60% conceive within 3 cycles, or IVF which is a 60% change on the first try no matter if I have endo or anything else, with the added bonus of having egg retrieval and FET at the age of 32 instead of later in life, especially with my low ovarian reserve.
it is a nice sized clinic [The Fertility Center of MI-Kalamazoo] but it is kind of like a satellite clinic, they can do consultations,ultrasounds etc. there but for anything else you might need or want done ( IUI, HSG, IVF) you have to go to Grand Rapids to do. Which at times can make for time constraints especially for work hours. The clinic is also only open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (which isn't a problem for me but I could see it causing issues for some people depending on their work schedule or commute time)
Age
33
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
3rd of 3 Docs
Treatment
9 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Unexplained
8
8
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds was very well spoken and personable, he told me the findings of my blood work and what was normal or abnormal and what he thought we needed to work on. He have me several different options as to what my next steps should be, but also rated them as what he would "suggest if I were his own child" . He made it very clear that he wanted to get me to what my husband and my goal of having a child in the most cost effective and healthy way possible.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is very open and will explain anything that you want/need.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodds took the time to look at my information and decide what he thought was the best for me, he was caring but also to the point. He seemed sincere and concerned for my best interest in all aspects.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Dr. Dodds wants to try two cycles of hybrid medications with IUI to increase my chances of conceiving. I will be using Femara 5.0, and Gonal F at 450iu at 75iu per injection for a few days days, and a trigger shot of Ovidrel at 250 mcg/.5 ml He also gave me the success rates for all of the options that he gave me (such as, I could try Laproscopic surgery to check for endo but it would only increase my chances of conceiving by about 20%, or I could do the hybrid and IUI which on average 60% conceive within 3 cycles, or IVF which is a 60% change on the first try no matter if I have endo or anything else, with the added bonus of having egg retrieval and FET at the age of 32 instead of later in life, especially with my low ovarian reserve.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Amy)
Everyone was very sensitive and supportive, every time I go into the clinic I feel at ease and supported, everyone is very sensitive to the situation and you feel like they are all rooting for you to win
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
it is a nice sized clinic, but it is kind of like a satellite clinic, they can do consultations,ultrasounds etc. there but for anything else you might need or want done ( IUI, HSG, IVF) you have to go to Grand Rapids to do. Which at times can make for time constraints especially for work hours. The clinic is also only open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (which isn't a problem for me but I could see it causing issues for some people depending on their work schedule or commute time)
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
with no insurance coverage, my consultation was around $240, ultrasound runs around $275, medication costs Femara $6, Ovidrel $100 Gonal-F $450, Initial consultation was $375, Blood work all together was around $600
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A
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10
9
Age
28 - 30
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
7 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained
10
9
Dr. Shavell was very thorough from the very first consultation. ... When it was time to delve into the more difficult news, the information was provided in an informing and caring manner. ... The laparoscopy resulted in finding and removing stage 2 endometriosis. Dr. Shavell wanted to try IUI again now that we found a potential cause. ... Everything looked just fine for implantation and the mock transfer went smoothly as well.
The billing department and front desk staff [The Fertility Center of MI] have had billing miscommunications within their computer system. The front desk staff would have us pay off our entire balance and then I'd receive a bill for services we already paid for and they would say what we paid must have been applied to a different procedure balance. No one could actually identify the issue so we just paid what they said we owed and we haven't had a problem since.
Age
28 - 30
Treated
2017 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
7 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained
10
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell was very thorough from the very first consultation. There was a lot of information to take in but it provided me with everything I needed to know and to further research myself. Any questions resulting from my research and conversations with others in similar situations were always received positively and answered appropriately no matter how silly some questions may have sounded. She was more available to the nurses than me, however. She did not conduct the 7 IUIs but still communicated with the nurses before starting the next round. Although she was not available to conduct my laparoscopy, she did my pre-op and post-op and made sure I was very comfortable and doing well. Most recently she did my sonohysterogram and mock embryo transfer and was very gentle and calming through the discomfort. She ensured all parts were in working fashion to proceed with IVF in the coming month.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
If you feel like you need a face to face meeting, do not be scared to call and make the appointment. It can be difficult playing phone tag with the nurses who have to communicate with the doctors and then back to you. It can be time consuming, especially if you miss phone calls due to work or other daily activities.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell was always kind and sensitive to the nature of our conversations. When it was time to delve into the more difficult news, the information was provided in an informing and caring manner. Our meetings weren't rushed. After providing a certain amount of information she always asked if I had any questions instead of dumping a ton of information at once and waiting until the end to ask if I had questions. It is always difficult to remember so much, but with the breaks for questioning between information, it made it feel more human and personable.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
The first test I had completed was an HSG. Everything looked perfect with no signs of obstructions. Dr. Shavell mentioned there is some research showing women getting pregnant in the following three months. Unfortunately that was not the case for me.
We started a cycle of clomid in December 2017 with a trigger shot of Ovidrel followed with an IUI. A negative pregnancy was the result. We continued with the same protocol for 3 more IUIs. Dr. Shavell provided statistics that show IUIs increasing positive outcomes after 3 IUIs, again they all resulted in negative pregnancy tests.
We had a meeting with Dr. Shavell to discuss the next steps. She stated she would like to see my egg quantity and quality response with a protocol of pills and injectables with IUI. We switched to letrozole pills as I started having very bad headaches and long lasting nausea with clomid, and added Gonal F 75 IU daily, triggered with ovidrel followed with IUI. We did this for 2 rounds and both resulted in negative pregnancy tests. However, there was an increase in the number of follicles and size.
At this point I could not continue to see negative tests and chose to take a month off. We met again and discussed having a laparoscopy to inspect the outside of my anatomy. We had a good pre-op conversation consisting of laparoscopy information and IVF information. The laparoscopy resulted in finding and removing stage 2 endometriosis. Dr. Shavell wanted to try IUI again now that we found a potential cause. We did IUI with letrozole, gonal f, and ovidrel. Another negative pregnancy test.
That was the final IUI. Being that I was provided with IVF information a few months prior, I decided to schedule an IVF consultation in January 2019. The meeting was with an IVF nurse and she provided all the procedures,medication, and protocol information Dr. Shavell wants me to do.
I was scheduled for a Sonohysterogram and mock embryo transfer with Dr. Shavell February 7, 2019. Here she wanted to get a better view of inside the uterus to ensure there weren't fibroids, polyps, scar tissue or other abnormalities that would prevent implantation. Everything looked just fine for implantation and the mock transfer went smoothly as well.
Dr. Shavell will carry out my egg retrieval and embryo transfer in March 2019.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff was fairly easy to communicate with. In most cases I left voicemails for them and they would call back. Some of my messages may have been long and it seemed like they may not have listened to all of it at times. Regardless, they still answered my questions after getting them on the phone and mentioning it again.
The nurses carried out the IUIs and were as gentle as possible and comforting. They were able to provide information regarding the seman sample prewash and postwash prior to the IUI.
The IVF nurse who did my IVF consult was very thorough and informative.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The clinic has a lot of staff so you may not always be familiar with who you are speaking to. The billing department and front desk staff have had billing miscommunications within their computer system. The front desk staff would have us pay off our entire balance and then I'd receive a bill for services we already paid for and they would say what we paid must have been applied to a different procedure balance. No one could actually identify the issue so we just paid what they said we owed and we haven't had a problem since. The clinic is very clean and well organized. Be aware, that some fertility clinics have separate areas for those with no children and not pregnant and those who have children or currently pregnant, this is not one of those clinics. You will frequently walk into the waiting room where there are multiple children per family. Anyone of the more sensitive nature may feel uncomfortable.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We do not have infertility insurance, however we do have coverage for monitoring and some procedures such as the HSG and laparoscopy which resulted in significant savings.
Ultrasounds performed at one of their smaller locations (Mason) were typically $180 or $75 after insurance. However, if it was one of the Doctors that did the ultrasound as an ultrasound technician wasn't available, an extra $30 was added. If they were done at the Grand Rapids office, regardless of who did it, an extra $30 was tacked on. The bill would show it as a meeting, even though no meeting took place, it was just the ultrasound.
IUIs were out of pocket. For the semen wash and the procedure it was $500 per IUI, we did this 4 times. Pricing changed and the IUIs were then $600 per, we did this 3 more times.
The laparoscopy was a reasonable and fair price.
For IVF, we will be paying $9,867 just for the procedures. This price includes the $1,850 we paid for a case management fee. We have a $8,017 balance due at the end of February 2019.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Shavell provided statistics on the success rates of single vs. Multiple embryo transfer along with specific criteria as to why a two embryo transfer is ideal for me. As I do not meat criteria for increased high risk pregnancy, we both agreed a two embryo transfer is ideal. She made sure to discuss the possibility of selective aborting if there were more than 2 or 3 developing babies.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Provided conflicting information
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
0
0
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
0
0
Upon meeting Dr. Dodds, he quickly explained to me that I had two options due to my age (39y.o.) ... He would have kept running the same thing over and over, even though we got no better results each time. ... No pregnancies resulted from all 4 IUIs I had done. ... He in no way was interested in discovering why we are unable to conceive. ...
Weaknesses: staff [The Fertility Ctr of MI] is not friendly, or welcoming. You are shuffled room to room for procedures and consults. No continuity in staff throughout a week let alone a cycle. ... It was obvious I had been crying. The staff checking me out, starting asking me about my bill, and a discrepancy with my insurance. ... It was a frustrating, confusing, stressful, and impersonal experience with the staff overall.
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
0
0
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Upon meeting Dr. Dodds, he quickly explained to me that I had two options due to my age (39y.o.): 1) The "European method". He explained this as "...if you want a baby ASAP, I can get you one using IVF. I call it the European method because it's cheaper and used more often in Europe. It's like the deluxe package". Or we could go the 2). Conservative route. Which would be try more medicated cycles and then IUIs and see what we could get to happen. But that we had maybe a 15-30% chance of ever conceiving this way. I was, and still am, diagnosed as Unexplained Infertility. I do not have PCOS, endometriosis, or diminished ovarian reserve, I ovulate regularly, am healthy, and all tests have come back in good range. I believe the only reason he said IVF was my best option is my age. He in no way was interested in discovering why we are unable to conceive. At one time he used the phrase "Well it's a good thing that's how the good Lord made you!" when discussing female reproductive anatomy. He commented on how "great" my husband's sperm analysis was several times. He called him an "overachiever". I left feeling hopeless, pressured to spend anywhere from $10-25,000 for IVF with them, and that my body was a complete failure. I never met with him in person again. I went through 4 IUI cycles in which he supposedly read the monitoring reports and made recommendations. It took me changing Drs to get a new protocol. He would have kept running the same thing over and over, even though we got no better results each time.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Go in confident. Do not let him pressure you to make decisions. Ask questions, and ask them again. Ask that you see him in person once in awhile to check in. Ask if he personally is monitoring your cycle. I doubt he will, but I wish I had demanded it more.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
The entire office is impersonal, and you can see a different nurse, tech, or doctor each time. There is little to no consistency nor connection with your primary doctor. You are called through the same process each visit and can see others doing the same. I felt like cattle being processed for ultrasounds and IUIs. I was rarely referred to by name. Doctors who had performed IUIs on me, did not remember me from cycle to cycle. I once walked into the wrong consult room (down a long hallway, all doors look the same) and Dr. Dodds welcomed me in and asked me to sit down. He was in fact waiting for a different patient. He was not my Dr. that day, didn't recognize me, (note: he is considered my PRIMARY Dr. and has met me in-person) nor, apparently, the patient he was supposed to be waiting for. I excused myself and went to the Dr. I was seeing that day.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
My first medicated cycle, he had me do 100mg of Clomid days 3-7. I produced 6-8 mature follicles. They recommended we switch to timed intercourse rather than IUI to avoid multiples. Then, I used 50 and 100 mg of Clomid days 3-7 (alternating days), with transvaginal monitoring on Day 1, and then closer to ovulation. We hoped to get 3-5 follicles of good size. I produced these each time, with some of them getting to a very large size---38mm was my largest. Ovidril was used to trigger ovulation and IUI was performed around 24-36 hrs later. I used progesterone the day following and for the next 14 days. I was not told that progesterone could stop my period from coming and I needed to stop after a negative test in order to allow myself to bleed. This lead to quite a bit of disappointment and heartache right off the bat. By the time we came to IUI #3, my lining was severely thinning due to the Clomid. I then started using estradiol to help build my lining. No pregnancies resulted from all 4 IUIs I had done.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
A new person every time. The ultrasound techs were aloof and impersonal. They seemed upset to be there. The nursing staff would make recommendations or changes in the protocol which were in direct contradiction to the original protocol. I never felt confident when they told me to change the protocol b/c they did not seem sure or confident when I questioned why we were changing. It was a frustrating, confusing, stressful, and impersonal experience with the staff overall.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Weaknesses: staff is not friendly, or welcoming. You are shuffled room to room for procedures and consults. No continuity in staff throughout a week let alone a cycle. I was crying with frustration in a consultation room once. I go myself back together and went to check out. It was obvious I had been crying. The staff checking me out, starting asking me about my bill, and a discrepancy with my insurance. I had fulfilled my deductible. She continued to ask for payment for services that were coming back as "going to deductible". I understand business, and this is one, but I was very obviously upset and it was not an appropriate time to ask for these things. This is still a very emotional journey.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
With medications, consults, 4 IUIs, etc. about $7,000. A 10 min conversation with the Dr following my ultrasound would cost me about $150 each time. Ultrasound: $120 ea. IUI: $1200 +.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Failed to order appropriate test
- Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
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9
9
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
7 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
9
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. ... I was also put on synthroid because my absorption rate was "normal" but hypo for someone who is TTC. ... 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.
It is still very early in my treatment at the clinic [FC - MI] 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. ... When setting up my first appointment I was given a range of about how much my visit would cost ... hey were very helpful and compassionate, they made sure that any questions I had were answered and that I had everything I needed.
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
7 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Unexplained
9
9
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
This is a new experience, don't expect the same experience.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
They were very helpful and compassionate, they made sure that any questions I had were answered and that I had everything I needed.
Describe your experience with 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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
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10
10
Age
27 - 28
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor, PCOS, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
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...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.
Nurses [The Fertility Ctr of Michigan] 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.... 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.
Age
27 - 28
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor, PCOS, Poor Egg Quality
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Great doctor- he has perfect bedside
Manner and is excellent at his profession.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
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.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
$300 for each ultrasound - which were multiple in some cycles. $600 -iui. $500 - first months dose of gonal f. $50 - femara. $50- metformin.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Provided conflicting information
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10
9
Age
28
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
9
She [Dr. Shavell] talked me through my first IUI procedure as she did everything. She has the most calming voice I've ever heard. She is so nice and I am so glad I am seeing her...listened to our stories and looked closely at everything we had presented her with. She fixed my leutal phase with progesterone and had given us the blunt info that we needed to see that my husband's sperm was fine but definitely needs some help. She performed my first IUI and she was calm and explained everything. She is great
I emailed the nursing staff [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] asking them if I could use a trigger shot this cycle. I mentioned in my email how frustrated I was that this is taking a long time (11 months total, only 2 IUI's so far with the fertility center) and she didn't dismiss that, she empathized with me how the journey is long and hard. It was nice she 'heard me' and she communicated with me about it. All staff is nice and they smile when you arrive. They're happy to see you.
Age
28
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
2 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I had no idea what to expect at my first appt for a consult.
My husband's urologist said nothing was wrong with his sperm so I wasn't sure why we weren't getting pregnant. I also had a very short leutal phase and my own OB said it was only because my TSH levels were off.
Dr. Shavell listened to our stories and looked closely at everything we had presented her with. She fixed my leutal phase with progesterone and had given us the blunt info that we needed to see that my husband's sperm was fine but definitely needs some help.
She performed my first IUI and she was calm and explained everything.
She is great
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Make sure you listen, she's soft spoken and calm so you could miss something :)
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She talked me through my first IUI procedure as she did everything.
She has the most calming voice I've ever heard.
She is so nice and I am so glad I am seeing her.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I take Femara to help with producing more mature follicles
I take progesterone 3 days after IUI to lengthen my leutal phase
I was just prescribed a trigger shot this cycle in which I'll use in the next few days to make sure I ovulate all mature follicles
She has me doing IUI once I get a positive OPK (when I wasn't using a trigger shot)
So far IUI's #1 and #2 did not work. I am hopeful for #3, it's all a waiting game.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
I emailed the nursing staff asking them if I could use a trigger shot this cycle. I mentioned in my email how frustrated I was that this is taking a long time (11 months total, only 2 IUI's so far with the fertility center) and she didn't dismiss that, she empathized with me how the journey is long and hard. It was nice she 'heard me' and she communicated with me about it.
All staff is nice and they smile when you arrive. They're happy to see you.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
So far I have had a pleasant experience with the clinic overall.
The only weakness I recall is my first ultrasound looking for poll-ups and follicular size. The ultrasound tech was a little rough with the wand that was inside me and took my by surprise and kind of hurt me with the amount of pressure she put on me. Otherwise everything is great and I would definitely recommend the clinic to anyone who is going through infertility struggles
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I guessed that our costs would be a lot higher than they ended up being. I wish they mapped out procedure costs a little better. I have pretty good insurance so that definitely helps with my journey
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
N/A
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10
10
Age
27 - 30
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
Dr. Dodd’s comes in the room shaking your hand always starting a conversation and never immediately about infertility. We never feel rushed while meeting with him. ... The phone calls he makes when the news isn’t always great is so sincere and positive. I really appreciate the time he takes during appointments and phone calls he makes.
The staff [The Fertility Center of MI] is top notch, a beautiful welcoming facility. They all do a wonderful job in making you feel as comfortable as possible and are great at making the stress of the procedures a bit less. ... There was not ever a line [for monitoring appointments] we waited in the waiting room as if it was a regular appointment. We scheduled the time we were able to make it
Age
27 - 30
Treated
2016 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Native American
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We love Dr. Dodd’s he was able to change up our transfer each time it didn’t work to try something different to try and set us up for success. After a failed fresh transfer and a failed frozen transfer he never made us feel like we wouldn’t conceive. After our 2nd frozen transfer we conceived and carrier our son to term. The phone calls he makes when the news isn’t always great is so sincere and positive. I really appreciate the time he takes during appointments and phone calls he makes.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Ask questions he is more then willing to answer them
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodd’s comes in the room shaking your hand always starting a conversation and never immediately about infertility. We never feel rushed while meeting with him. He’s interested/ask question about things that are not related to infertility just to make it a less stressful experience.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We used the resistant uterine protocol on our last frozen cycle. I believe that is what worked for us. Unfortunately I can’t remember the entire process or meds that were prescribed
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff was always very kind and supportive during the process.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I do not have any weaknesses that I can think of in regards to the clinic. The staff is top notch, a beautiful welcoming facility. They all do a wonderful job in making you feel as comfortable as possible and are great at making the stress of the procedures a bit less.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
There was not ever a line we waited in the waiting room as if it was a regular appointment. We scheduled the time we were able to make it
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Around $14000 I believe with the retrieval and 3 transfers (1 fresh 2 frozen)
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
He was very set on not transferring more then 2. He did say the odds of successful pregnancy were slightly higher when transferring 2.
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7
8
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
8
We had our egg retrieval [with Dr. Dodds] and got 22 follicles 18 were mature, 14 were fertilized, 2 were implanted and 11 were frozen. We resulted in a positive pregnancy but at the 6 week ultrasound it wasn't looking good. I continued to take progesterone injections and at our follow up ultrasound we found both embryos implanted but we're not viable and I miscarried...Was very knowledgeable and seemed honest with us every time we spoke. He seemed to really want to help us with our family and offered different suggestions we could take. He left a lot up to us on how quickly we wanted to move forward and supported any decisions we made for our treatments.
They [staff at The Fertility Center of Michigan] seemed to care about our situation and we're hopeful with helping us on our infertility journey...[nurses were] Very helpful with any situation. Always returned my calls when I had any questions I had regarding our procedure to make sure I was still following our plan and things were progressing normally...The only thing was when we had our miscarriage after our first IVF procedure [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] it was much harder to receive help...
Age
34
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
7
8
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Was very knowledgeable and seemed honest with us every time we spoke. He seemed to really want to help us with our family and offered different suggestions we could take. He left a lot up to us on how quickly we wanted to move forward and supported any decisions we made for our treatments.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
They seemed to care about our situation and we're hopeful with helping us on our infertility journey.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started with 3 rounds of femara resulted all negative pregnancy tests, had an HSG done results were normal. I started IVF procedures with injections in the morning and also in the evening. I don't remember every injection but was closely monitored by blood work and ultrasounds every other day. Once we got the okay I had a trigger shot and another injection. We had our egg retrieval and got 22 follicles 18 were mature, 14 were fertilized, 2 were implanted and 11 were frozen. We resulted in a positive pregnancy but at the 6 week ultrasound it wasn't looking good. I continued to take progesterone injections and at our follow up ultrasound we found both embryos implanted but we're not viable and I miscarried.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Very helpful with any situation. Always returned my calls when I had any questions I had regarding our procedure to make sure I was still following our plan and things were progressing normally.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Great at providing a way to get pregnant. Offers many more options and insight that regular ob's are not able to do. The only thing was when we had our miscarriage after our first IVF procedure it was much harder to receive help. There were other circumstances and factors that occurred during this time which made it more difficult. In hindsight I would have found a better OB sooner to help with the process.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I was given a few options based on availability and I picked what I was able to do between my work schedule and office hours.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
With our original insurance we had all of our procedures covered outside of a minor copay for each appointment. With our new insurance they do not work with so everything is now out of pocket even though our current insurance offers fertility treatments the same as our previous insurance it's just now out of network.
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9
10
Age
26 - 27
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
3 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Male Factor
9
10
Valerie [Dr. Shavell] has always been very warm...In the beginning we did state we wanted to do embryo adoption right off the bat and were told to do 3 iuis first, which all failed which was discouraging. We wasted a lot of money and time for it not to work. But shavell has always been reassuring and positive!...First IUI was a natural cycle and it failed. Second cycle we used clomid and trigger shot, it was very hard to get through my uterus and ended up having to do an ultrasound, that cycle failed. Third cycle was clomid, estrace, and trigger shot with ultrasound guidance, that failed as well. All 3 cycles were with donor sperm. I just started week 2 of lupron shots as we start our frozen embryo adoption cycle.
They [staff at The Fertility Center of Michigan] are pretty good at listening to what the patient wants and what they expect. They have been known to run late, i think we've been taken back on time 3 times in total out of all of our apppintments. Front desk is always kind and knows us by name, billing had been a dream to work with, makes things easy! And the embryo RN has been unbelievable! She has really been there for us. We've emailed back and forth countless times, everytime my questions get answered.
Age
26 - 27
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
No
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Male Factor
9
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Valerie has always been very warm anf compassionate. In the beginning we did state we wanted to do embryo adoption right off the bat and were told to do 3 iuis first, which all failed which was discouraging. We wasted a lot of money and time for it not to work. But shavell has always been reassuring and positive!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She is almost overly kind sometimes, but thats important when dealing with such sensitive topics.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Valerie always made time to talk with us, in person or via phone. She was kind and compassionate and never was trying to answer questions quickly just to get us iut the door.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
First IUI was a natural cycle and it failed. Second cycle we used clomid and trigger shot, it was very hard to get through my uterus and ended up having to do an ultrasound, that cycle failed.
Third cycle was clomid, estrace, and trigger shot with ultrasound guidance, that failed as well. All 3 cycles were with donor sperm.
I just started week 2 of lupron shots as we start our frozen embryo adoption cycle.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Some were amazing, some were there because it is there job. But more good than bad.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Overall the clinic is very warm and inviting. They are currently short staffed, so it can take time to hear back from someone which can be hard at times but that is out of their control. They are pretty good at listening to what the patient wants and what they expect. They have been known to run late, i think we've been taken back on time 3 times in total out of all of our apppintments. Front desk is always kind and knows us by name, billing had been a dream to work with, makes things easy! And the embryo RN has been unbelievable! She has really been there for us. We've emailed back and forth countless times, everytime my questions get answered.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Expensive! But in Michigan most insurance doesn't over anything for infertility. Ive had 4 or 5 ultrasounds each being between $275-$350. 3 iuis each $550, multiple appointments ranging from $200-500 each time. Medications have been about $900 so far, male factor testing has been almost $2,000, my testing has been about the same at $2,000. We just paid almost $10,000 for embryo adoption.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Valerie recommended a single transfer due to my age but was VERY receptive that we wanted to transfer 2, and we will be transfering 2 hopefully in May
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8
8
Age
36 - 37
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
8
8
Dr. Shavell is great and really spends the time to help my husband and I by explaining everything and letting us ask a ton of questions...is so compassionate she almost comes off as meek in the consult room, which might be good for some people, but I prefer a doctor to be blunt and tell me like it is. She did perform surgery when I had an ectopic pregnancy and she's much more to the point in the operating room so I was happy with that and she did a great job.
you're always seeing someone different [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] so there's bound to be conflicting information...After four rounds of clomid, I've now been told that clomid can actually cause a thin lining, which was my issue, so now I've switched to Femera for the last two cycles and that really helped thicken my lining...I would estimate that each IUI costs around $1000 including drugs, ultrasounds, and procedure.
Age
36 - 37
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
—
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
8
8
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell is so compassionate she almost comes off as meek in the consult room, which might be good for some people, but I prefer a doctor to be blunt and tell me like it is. She did perform surgery when I had an ectopic pregnancy and she's much more to the point in the operating room so I was happy with that and she did a great job.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I would suggest going into an appointment prepared with lots of questions to ask. I've done a lot of my own research and make lists of things I want to ask her about.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell is great and really spends the time to help my husband and I by explaining everything and letting us ask a ton of questions.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I've done 4 IUI's under Dr. Shavell's primary care. At the Fertility Center you basically see whichever doctor or nurse is available during your procedures though so a lot of these protocols were assigned by other providers.
Each IUI cycle started with Clomid cycle days 3-5, midcycle ultrasound ~day 10-12, IUI ~day 13-15.
The first two were negative. The third IUI was positive, but resulted in an ectopic pregnancy found at the 6 week ultrasound. Dr. Shavell recommended methotrexate to terminate the pregnancy. That was followed by two weeks of Beta HCG blood tests every few days and my numbers weren't going down. She recommended a second dose of methotrexate over surgery and that was also ineffective. Two weeks later I finally had surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy and my fallopian tube. After methotrexate you have to wait 3 months to conceive and then the first month we could try, I was ovulating on the side my tube was removed from. After many months of waiting, we just did our 4th IUI this week so hoping for a positive result!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
They are wonderful. I've communicated a lot with Kristy and Lori over the phone. They are very knowledgable and caring. I've also seen Erica quite a few times in the office to go over protocols and she's great too.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I think they do a good job for the most part. The reception staff is very sweet. The medical assistants, ultrasound techs, etc. are really compassionate and willing to do whatever they can to help you out.
The one thing I would change if I could, is being able to see my primary doctor/nurse for every appointment/procedure. They are so busy that you basically just see whoever is available. Which makes sense since fertility is such a time sensitive thing and comes down to the day you're ovulating so they can't always be available for you, but another doctor/nurse always is.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I would estimate that each IUI costs around $1000 including drugs, ultrasounds, and procedure. They don't bill insurance for the male portion, which is $350 for the cleaning and storage of the sperm. But they've billed my insurance for everything else and majority of it has been covered by Blue Care Network. I don't think BCN covers anything for IVF though.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to consider drug intolerance
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10
10
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
10
10
[Dr. Dodds]is very knowledgeable about the latest research, is kind with good and bad news, is honest and goes out of the way to make a patient feel heard and clarified anything that you ask...never made me feel as though my fertility and dream of a family was a lost cause. I knew my age was a factor and he always found a way to help me through the emotions... he said that my diminished ovarian reserve needed more of “the Cadillac treatment” the best medicine. Iui’s- two were successful but resulted in early miscarriages. Dr. Dodd’s reviewed the plan each time and is continuing to support me on my journey with the latest research
The nurses [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] are fabulous!! They are great in handling not only the physical aspects of infertility, but also the emotional ones. They remind you to be gentle with yourself and were always my biggest cheerleaders!...Iui’s were not covered and totaled $600...The clinic has multiple locations, but most of the bigger procedures take place in Grand Rapids. The clinic is clean, inviting, and the staff is always friendly. It would be nice if the hours at the clinics were more conducive to work schedules with later appointments. With that being said, the schedulers always did their best to find an appointment that supported times I had available so that I did not have to take a lot of time off of work.
Age
39 - 40
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 2 Docs
Treatment
4 IUI
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Doctor Dodd is very knowledgeable about the latest research, is kind with good and bad news, is honest and goes out of the way to make a patient feel heard and clarified anything that you ask. Dr. Dodd never made me feel as though my fertility and dream of a family was a lost cause. I knew my age was a factor and he always found a way to help me through the emotions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is honest and will do his best to even be honest and supportive when the news isn’t always positive. Ask questions! He appreciates it and will do his best to answer to the fullest
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Doctor Dodd personally called me when I had concerns and worries about my plan. He is very kind and gentle during this tumultuous journey
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Injections- he said that my diminished ovarian reserve needed more of “the Cadillac treatment” the best medicine. Iui’s- two were successful but resulted in early miscarriages. Dr. Dodd’s reviewed the plan each time and is continuing to support me on my journey with the latest research
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Amy )
The nurses are fabulous!! They are great in handling not only the physical aspects of infertility, but also the emotional ones. They remind you to be gentle with yourself and were always my biggest cheerleaders!
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The clinic has multiple locations, but most of the bigger procedures take place in Grand Rapids. The clinic is clean, inviting, and the staff is always friendly. It would be nice if the hours at the clinics were more conducive to work schedules with later appointments. With that being said, the schedulers always did their best to find an appointment that supported times I had available so that I did not have to take a lot of time off of work.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My insurance covered most of the meds- I paid $40 for each med order. Iui’s were not covered and totaled $600
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10
10
Age
32
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
I have just switched to Dr shavelle this year although I have been going to their clinic since 2014, I thought maybe I’d give another doc a try to maybe get a 2nd opinion.... after meeting with her she wrote up a plan to first get new bloodwork on everything. Found out I am a probable candidate for PCOS, have high liver enzymes and high blood sugar. Had me meet with my OBGYN to take metformin to level everything out.
I have been going to the clinic [Fertility Ctr of MI] since 2014, I have never thought about switching facilities because they do treat you awesome there. They pretty much know you by name and make you feel right at home. They are overall really on top of things and know what they are doing.... Overall the nursing staff was great and showed empathy. Only one incident there was a ultrasound tech who said something I thought was a little insensitive but that could’ve just been me being overly sensitive
Age
32
Treated
2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
South Asian
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
10
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I officially got diagnosed with infertility 2014. I seen Dr Dodds. He was witty and nice but for a long time I just progressing and doing the same medications over. On my 5th year I decided to stay at the same clinic but try a woman specialist to see maybe if she had a different opinion. I had a consult with her and she wrote up a new plan for me and was very personable. She could tell I was a little discouraged but made me feel at ease and not embarassed or uncomfortable. My only regret is not seeking her out sooner as my result who knows might’ve been a pregnancy already. All the money could’ve went towards ivf if I had known facts sooner and understood.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be patient as always. You will love her
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I have just switched to Dr shavelle this year although I have been going to their clinic since 2014, I thought maybe I’d give another doc a try to maybe get a 2nd opinion. I had a consult with her in feb and loved how personable she is and made me feel at ease and not just another number. I wish I had seen her sooner as maybe we could’ve moved further had I known facts sooner. Its been a long 5 years.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We looked at my history since 2014. I did countless clomid/femara cycles. I did a couple rounds of ovidrel and one round of follistim. This time after meeting with her she wrote up a plan to first get new bloodwork on everything. Found out I am a probable candidate for PCOS, have high liver enzymes and high blood sugar. Had me meet with my OBGYN to take metformin to level everything out. Had me do an hsg again, and for two cycles use a higher dosage for femara and do 2 iui’s before discussing ivf again. Although no pregnancy I have never had 2 months in a row with mature follicles so I’m thinking the higher dosage of femara has helped. Moving forward I have another consult at the end of this month about ivf. Not sure what the cost and fees are as I’m a little nervous because we have spend so much money on the other medications and feel hopeless. Hoping I will be qualitfied foe this grant, will be life changing
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Overall the nursing staff was great and showed empathy. Only one incident there was a ultrasound tech who said something I thought was a little insensitive but that could’ve just been me being overly sensitive
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I have been going to the clinic since 2014, I have never thought about switching facilities because they do treat you awesome there. They pretty much know you by name and make you feel right at home. They are overall really on top of things and know what they are doing. Also ver clean
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7
5
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
8 IUI, 1 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Uterine Fibroids
7
5
Dr. Young is a very knowledgeable guy. He has a very dry sense of humor but he always made me feel comfortable. He always explained everything pretty clearly but it never seemed like he was talking down to us. He keeps an extremely tidy office... For IUI- We did femara along with injectables to hopefully get a better number of mature eggs without the extra cost of doing all injectables. For 3 cycles that worked.
I really have nothing great to say about the nurses [Fertility Center of MI]. None of them were particularly friendly. They never took the time to get to know us and never remembered us. We honestly had to explain our situation at every appointment. The ultrasound tech, Jillian, was the only one I felt comfortable with. Almost always when calling I had to leave a message and they would usually wait until the end of the day to return my call. They often returned it after they shut their phones off (at 3:30pm!) and if I didn't catch their call I would have to wait until the following day to speak with them.
Age
32 - 33
Treated
2018 - 2019
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
8 IUI, 1 IVF, Donor Sperm
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS, Uterine Fibroids
7
5
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Young is a very knowledgeable guy. He has a very dry sense of humor but he always made me feel comfortable. He always explained everything pretty clearly but it never seemed like he was talking down to us. He keeps an extremely tidy office, which seems to be rare for most doctors I have visited. He has a very steady hand and that always made me feel more at ease with him.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Ask as many questions as you can think of, he will answer them all. Don't ever leave, wishing you had the courage to ask something that may seem dumb. He will take his time and explain everything to you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Every time we met with a nurse or doctor, we had to explain everything to them. They almost never remembered that we were using donor sperm... I hated repeating that over and over. Not a single person in 2 years remembered our names.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
For IUI- We did femara along with injectables to hopefully get a better number of mature eggs without the extra cost of doing all injectables. For 3 cycles that worked. On the 4th and 5th, we had absolutely no response to the meds and the IUI was cancelled. All 3 cycles produced negative results. We also used the ovidrel trigger shot 24 hours before IUI.
IVF- we started with birth control the month before to hopefully "align" the follicles. We began the cycle with Gonal-F and Menopur, added lupron to prevent early ovulation. When the majority of the follicles reach 18-20mm, we used an HCG trigger. Exactly 35 hours, we had the egg retrieval. The 12 eggs were fertilized using ICSI and 7 actually fertilized. All 7 made it to day 2, two 4 cell "day two embryos" were transferred and the other 5 were frozen. Both embryos implanted but only one progressed to have a heartbeat, the other disappeared over the next 16 weeks. We gave birth to a healthy son at 38 weeks.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
I really have nothing great to say about the nurses. None of them were particularly friendly. They never took the time to get to know us and never remembered us. We honestly had to explain our situation at every appointment. The ultrasound tech, Jillian, was the only one I felt comfortable with. Almost always when calling I had to leave a message and they would usually wait until the end of the day to return my call. They often returned it after they shut their phones off (at 3:30pm!) and if I didn't catch their call I would have to wait until the following day to speak with them. It was extremely frustrating, especially when we are dealing with a time sensitive issue.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
You have to strongly advocate for yourself. You will get lost in the mountain of patients otherwise. If you feel like the treatment they have you on isn't working, speak up. They let us keep going until we said "stop". We were 8 IUIs in when we finally realized this.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
IUI procedure was about $400
Full ivf was about $12,000
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They explained it to us but really left the choice up to us. They allowed us to transfer 2
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
- Failed to convey critical information
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10
10
Age
34 - 38
Treated
2015 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS, Unexplained
10
10
Dr Dodds shows compassion and care while working with me as a patient. Paying close attention to how sensitive this is for anyone going thru infertility treatments. He truly shows care and is an amazing doctor....While meeting with Dr. Dodds he goes over everything with you slowly and carefully to be sure that you understand. He shows care and compassion during your visit and knows how sensitive it is for anyone going thru infertility treatments.
When you call to make an appointment [at the Fertility Center of Michigan] you can generally get in right away. Once you are a patient and going thru treatments making future appointments is easy and you can get in right away. If you call and leave a voicemail for their nursing staff with a question, they get back to you immediately.... The nurses also show care and compassion to myself and other patients taking into consideration how sensitive and private infertility treatments are.
Age
34 - 38
Treated
2015 - 2019
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
PCOS, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
While meeting with Dr. Dodds he goes over everything with you slowly and carefully to be sure that you understand. He shows care and compassion during your visit and knows how sensitive it is for anyone going thru infertility treatments.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
If you are struggling with infertility see Dr. Dodds. He will be with you every step of the way.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Dodds shows compassion and care while working with me as a patient. Paying close attention to how sensitive this is for anyone going thru infertility treatments. He truly shows care and is an amazing doctor.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We did 3 timed intercourse cycles. First and second cycles were with clomid and Ovidrel. Third cycle was a hybrid where I was on clomid, did the gonal-f and there was no success. So they stair stepped it with femara and it was successful with follicle growth. Gave and Ovidrel shot with progesterone.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nurses also show care and compassion to myself and other patients taking into consideration how sensitive and private infertility treatments are. They are also gentle while doing ultrasounds and make you feel comfortable.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
When you call to make an appointment you can generally get in right away. Once you are a patient and going thru treatments making future appointments is easy and you can get in right away.
If you call and leave a voicemail for their nursing staff with a question, they get back to you immediately.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Depending on your type of insurance, an ultrasound would cost $45, a 5 day dose of Gonal-F would cost $750. Clomid $10. Ovidreal $75
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10
10
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
6 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
He [Dr. Dodds] is super helpful in guiding you through this process. It's hard to get the diagnoses, but he will help you in any way needed. ... He was very helpful in walking through each necessary steps needed. When he said IVF was our next option, he didn't force us right away to make the decision. We decided to wait a year due to cost. He was very kind and felt like he really cared about me and my husband.
The front office [The Fertility Center of Michigan] receptionist was amazing. Very kind and thoughtful. More signage on where to go when you leave the consulting rooms would be helpful. I got turned around a few times. ... The waiting room is great. I love the fish tank. Watching the fish made me less tense for appointments. ... Many of them were so kind and helpful. There was one nurse that was not helpful and seemed mean, but I only saw her once.
Age
33
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
6 IUI
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He was very helpful in walking through each necessary steps needed. When he said IVF was our next option, he didn't force us right away to make the decision.
We decided to wait a year due to cost. He was very kind and felt like he really cared about me and my husband.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is super helpful in guiding you through this process. It's hard to get the diagnoses, but he will help you in any way needed.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He wanted to get to know you as a person, not as numbers on a form.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started with a round of Clomid. After a negative pregnancy test and horrible dreams, he decided to change to Femara with a trigger shot. After a round of Femara, he suggested trying an IUI. My husband and I chose to do two rounds of IUI's with Femara and a trigger shot. After those didn't work, Dodds suggested using Femara along with Gonal-F and a trigger shot. After two rounds of that and negative pregnancy test, he said our next option was IVF. My husband and I have held off on IVF for a year due to funding. We hope to start this spring.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Many of them were so kind and helpful. There was one nurse that was not helpful and seemed mean, but I only saw her once.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The waiting room is great. I love the fish tank. Watching the fish made me less tense for appointments. The front office receptionist was amazing. Very kind and thoughtful. More signage on where to go when you leave the consulting rooms would be helpful. I got turned around a few times.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
IUI's went up twice while I was there, which wasn't very helpful. They started at $500 and then went up to $600. I'm unsure if they are still that expensive. Many of my medication and visits, were subsidized through insurance. I think each cycle was around $1500.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I have not gone through IVF yet, but as a potential geriatric mom I would prefer multiple embryo transfers.
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10
10
Age
29 - 35
Treated
2012 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
Dr Young always took time to explain everything and keep us informed of all options and advise us. ... He was compassionate and supportive of us and the decisions we made. Very thankful he was our physician. ... Our infertility was due to male factor. After multiple failed IUIs we tried IVF. After a fresh transfer resulted in a pregnancy loss we did a frozen transfer using the long protocol
It is clean, comfortable, and feels private. All of the staff [The Fertility Center of Michigan] are friendly and helpful and really seem to go above and beyond. You always know what to expect and feel safe in their hands. All of the physicians I encountered were amazing. Although we did not utilize them, support groups and counselors are offered to help you with this difficult journey. The nursing staff are all awesome as well. They almost feel like and family and are some of your biggest supporters and cheerleaders throughout the IVF process
Age
29 - 35
Treated
2012 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Awesome doctor! He always explained everything clearly and answered our questions thoroughly. We always felt like he genuinely cared and was rooting for us. He was compassionate and supportive of us and the decisions we made. Very thankful he was our physician.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
This is not an easy journey to be on. Be open and honest. Ask any questions you may have
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Young always took time to explain everything and keep us informed of all options and advise us. He seemed to genuinely care about us and helping us have a family
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
Our infertility was due to male factor. After multiple failed IUIs we tried IVF. After a fresh transfer resulted in a pregnancy loss we did a frozen transfer using the long protocol
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Wonderful! All were very supportive and helpful throughout the entire process. They cheered with you and were empathetic when things did not go as hoped. They made sure you understood everything from meds to procedures and were always available to answer questions
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
It is clean, comfortable, and feels private. All of the staff are friendly and helpful and really seem to go above and beyond. You always know what to expect and feel safe in their hands. All of the physicians I encountered were amazing. Although we did not utilize them, support groups and counselors are offered to help you with this difficult journey. The nursing staff are all awesome as well. They almost feel like and family and are some of your biggest supporters and cheerleaders throughout the IVF process
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My health insurance did not cover anything. Overall with medications and treatment we spent around $20,000
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I’m glad we transferred two. I had a singleton pregnancy but would have been okay with two babies as I always hoped to have a large family
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8
9
Age
30 - 34
Treated
2014 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
8
9
Dr. Dodd’s was very friendly and informative every step of the way. He was very compassionate when we had a miscarriage. He did adjust our meds protocol for our second retrieval which we had wonderful results with. However, I did always feel rushed during our consults...We moved onto IVF and the first retrieval gave us 4 embryos. We transferred two and I became pregnant with a singleton resulting in a miscarriage at 9weeks pregnant. We then transferred the last two 4 months laters, which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. A year later we started the retrieval process again and this time the started the drugs at a stronger dose to jump start my follicles and we received 9 embryos at a 3 day blast. We transferred 2 and one embryo split and I was pregnant with triplets. Unfortunately at 10 weeks I lost the faturnal Twins. However my 3rd baby grew strong and we now have a 6 week beautiful baby girl!
I felt that [The Fertility Center of Michigan] was thorough during our treatments and were compassionate during our miscarriage. The only improvement I would like to see is that the doctors do not seem like they are in a rush during consultation. I did feel rushed during those meetings...Nurse Sandy is an absolutely wonderful nurse and person! She went above and beyond for me and she was my rock through this whole process! She always made sure I understand all the meds and process and would take multiple calls from me while I was panicking and always made me feel better.
Age
30 - 34
Treated
2014 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Sales Representative
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 2 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Poor Egg Quality
8
9
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Dodd’s was very friendly and informative every step of the way. He was very compassionate when we had a miscarriage. He did adjust our meds protocol for our second retrieval which we had wonderful results with. However, I did always feel rushed during our consults.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be prepared with all your questions for him. So you feel informed of the process you are about to endure.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
I felt that the fertility center was thorough during our treatments and were compassionate during our miscarriage. The only improvement I would like to see is that the doctors do not seem like they are in a rush during consultation. I did feel rushed during those meetings.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started with IUI and gonal f shots. All resulting in a negative pregnancy test. We moved onto IVF and the first retrieval gave us 4 embryos. We transferred two and I became pregnant with a singleton resulting in a miscarriage at 9weeks pregnant. We then transferred the last two 4 months laters, which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. A year later we started the retrieval process again and this time the started the drugs at a stronger dose to jump start my follicles and we received 9 embryos at a 3 day blast. We transferred 2 and one embryo split and I was pregnant with triplets. Unfortunately at 10 weeks I lost the faturnal Twins. However my 3rd baby grew strong and we now have a 6 week beautiful baby girl!
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Sandy)
Nurse Sandy is an absolutely wonderful nurse and person! She went above and beyond for me and she was my rock through this whole process! She always made sure I understand all the meds and process and would take multiple calls from me while I was panicking and always made me feel better.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They are all friendly and accommodating. They are very open and will share their infertility stories with their patients. I do feel it would help the financial stress of this process if they allowed payment plans.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
8,000 for the ART program. 5,000 medication 2,000 blood work /ultrasounds, etc.
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10
10
Age
38 - 41
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
He [Dr. William Dodds] seemed to really care and wanted us to have a family almost as badly as we wanted to have one...I felt like if I ever needed to talk to Dr. Dodds about something he would make sure he was there for me. You can tell he has been doing this for a long time and creating families is his passion...suggested we move to IVF due to my age of 38...We were very happy Dr. Dodds allowed us to transfer 3 embryos on two separate occasions due to my age and my biological clock running out.
The Fertility Center is extremely knowledgeable and compassionate. Two qualities that are important and needed when a family is going through such a personal and sometimes devastating struggle to make their family bigger...Each one [nurse] again showed compassion and care for our story. Some of them had their own stories which helped to know they sort of knew the struggle we felt...We were very happy Dr. Dodds allowed us to transfer 3 embryos on two separate occasions due to my age and my biological clock running out.
Age
38 - 41
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We felt like family with Dr. Dodds. I think he truly cares about our story and knows how badly we wanted a family. On the visits we didn't see Dr. Dodds, we saw exceptional and caring Drs I felt like if I ever needed to talk to Dr. Dodds about something he would make sure he was there for me. You can tell he has been doing this for a long time and creating families is his passion.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Keep going. What you are doing is a team effort with Dr. Dodd's. He will do his part and you will need to do your part.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He seemed to really care and wanted us to have a family almost as badly as we wanted to have one.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
My husband and I had been trying to conceive for 4 years prior to seeing Dr. Dodd's. We had tried several IUI's with my OBGYN. One resulted in a pregnancy that ended in a stillbirth at 30 weeks. We never got pregnant on our own or any other time trying IUI with my OBGYN.
In the consult with Dr. Dodd's, he talked about trying IUI twice with Clomyd before moving to more intensive treatment. I got pregnant and then miscarried with my first IUI treatment with Dr. Dodds. He then allowed me to try more than 2 IUI's, knowing I was able to get pregnant with the first round. After the 4th or 6th (can't remember how many we did) IUI that year, he then suggested we move to IVF due to my age of 38. My husband and I were hesitant due to the cost. We soon realized we needed to take the next step to IVF. We contacted Dr. Dodd's to let him know we wanted to take the next step and then it moved fast from there. We did the egg retrieval a couple of months later and did a live embryo transfer (3 embryos) two days later. We froze the 5 remaining. I had a successful pregnancy and gave birth to our son at 36 weeks and 5 days in May 2017. We then did an embryo transfer of 3 frozen embryos in March/April 2018 that resulted in a negative pregnancy test. Then in August 2018 we transferred our last 2 frozen embryos with a IUI two days prior to the embryo transfer. This round resulted in a positive pregnancy test. We soon found out we were pregnant with twins. Then I miscarried the twins at 7 weeks. At that point I was done trying due to my age and all that we had been through. We are happy with our son in heaven and our son on this earth. We are so grateful to Dr. Dodds, Dr. Shavell and Dr. Thakur for all their support and care they provided through our treatments. They showed compassion and humanity and some of their own personal stories. I can not say enough good things about The Fertility Center's team of doctors.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Each one again showed compassion and care for our story. Some of them had their own stories which helped to know they sort of knew the struggle we felt.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The Fertility Center is extremely knowledgeable and compassionate. Two qualities that are important and needed when a family is going through such a personal and sometimes devastating struggle to make their family bigger.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We were very happy Dr. Dodds allowed us to transfer 3 embryos on two separate occasions due to my age and my biological clock running out.
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10
10
Age
28
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
Dr. Shavell is very caring and considerate. She will do everything that she can to help her patients conceive. She is very empathetic to situations and explains in detail different options to choose from when one doesn't work....When we first started our journey with the fertility center, Dr. Shavell had me do blood work and also go in for an ultra sound to check the lining of my uterus and what not. She then proscribed me with femara, I was to take it cycle day 3-7
This clinic [Fertility Ctr of Michigan] is very great at accommodating to every patients needs. They will even open on weekend to preform necessary procedures to ensure your best chances at conceiving. The clinic is very great at making sure each step to your journey is done on time and correctly by helping you set up appointments and also setting reminders by giving you a set outline....The nursing staff were all very nice and considerate of the patients feelings. They know that infertility is a stressful thing to endure so they would always be sure to smile and make you feel warm and welcomed in the atmosphere.
Age
28
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European, Latino
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell is very caring and considerate. She will do everything that she can to help her patients conceive. She is very empathetic to situations and explains in detail different options to choose from when one doesn't work.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Don't stress and stay calm, everything is very face passed and starts immediately after your consultation. This is to ensure things get to moving and to help you reach your dreams of parenthood as fast as possible.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She made me feel very welcomed and made me feel like she too was eager to help reach our dream of becoming parents. She started right in on what was needed to do so and started treatments right away, she was very genuine and caring throughout everything.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
When we first started our journey with the fertility center, Dr. Shavell had me do blood work and also go in for an ultra sound to check the lining of my uterus and what not. She then proscribed me with femara, I was to take it cycle day 3-7. I was monitored with more ultra sounds making sure I was producing eggs and that follicle sizes were where they needed to be. She stated that we could use a trigger shot or ovulation test to see when ovulation occurred. We used ovulation tests and once I got a positive we were to head to the clinic to preform the IUI procedure. On the day of the procedure my husbands count was unfortunately low but Dr. Shavell reassured me that it only takes one, so we went ahead and tried. We however did not convince but we have been on the course of increasing my husbands count with seeing a urologist and him also being on clomid. We hope to try for another IUI here soon!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff were all very nice and considerate of the patients feelings. They know that infertility is a stressful thing to endure so they would always be sure to smile and make you feel warm and welcomed in the atmosphere.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
This clinic is very great at accommodating to every patients needs. They will even open on weekend to preform necessary procedures to ensure your best chances at conceiving. The clinic is very great at making sure each step to your journey is done on time and correctly by helping you set up appointments and also setting reminders by giving you a set outline. I strongly feel like I did not ever experience any weaknesses with this clinic, everything was great.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My insurance through my work unfortunately is very limited to what it will cover fertility wise. Some medications were covered like the femara along with ultra sounds. However the IUI procedure was not covered but Dr. Shavell worked with us tremendously with that.
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9
9
Age
28 - 32
Treated
2014 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF, 1 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
9
9
Dr Dodds is an excellent physician. He is relatable and has been so instrumental in helping us grow our family. He is kind and patient and takes the time necessary to make sure we understood what was happening. After each of our IVF/Frozen embryo cycles, he called us personally to go over the results (3 positives and one negative)... He gave advice with statements like "if you were my daughter...."
I like how they have multiple locations. This is even better now that they have computerized charting and don't have to send your chart all over the place. The staff is friendly and it is fairly easy to get ahold of who you need to when you call (nurse, billing, scheduling, etc)... Overall, I was very impressed with the nursing staff... I do not remember for sure, but I think my fresh IVF with meds, labs, etc cost about 8K and my frozen transfers with labs, meds, etc we're around 5K
Age
28 - 32
Treated
2014 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
—
Occupation
Nurse or HC Services
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IVF, 1 Egg Freezing
Diagnosis
Anovulation, PCOS
9
9
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Dodds is an excellent physician. He is relatable and has been so instrumental in helping us grow our family. He is kind and patient and takes the time necessary to make sure we understood what was happening. After each of our IVF/Frozen embryo cycles, he called us personally to go over the results (3 positives and one negative)
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He is a smart man. His plan worked to grow our family and I hope it will work for you too.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
He gave advice with statements like "if you were my daughter...."
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
I did three rounds of injections for timed intercourse. These were not successful as I either did not produce large enough follicles or I produced too many follicles. We then moved on to IVF. I produced many many eggs. I think between 25 and 40 eggs were retrieved. Per our request, only 6 we're fertilized through ICSI, 12 were frozen, and the rest we're not high quality enough to use. I had a fresh transfer of 2 embryos and the other 4 were frozen through cryopreservation. I because pregnant with twins through the fresh transfer, but lost them at 22 weeks gestation to an incompetent cervix. I got pregnant through frozen embryo transfer of 1 embryo with 2 year old son. Then I did not become pregnant with a second frozen embryo transfer of one embryo. Then I became pregnant with our third frozen embryo transfer of one embryo with my 5 month old daughter. In about a year, we plan to go back for our sixth and final embryo. We most likely will not need to use my frozen eggs as we've had so much success with our embryos.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Julie Sokolow )
Julie Sokolow was a bit quirky and the primary for my fresh IVF cycle. Some of the things she said to me it was obvious that she had said them a million times before.... rattling off lists etc. It was hard to keep up with as it was my first time hearing that information.
I worked with a different Julie for my frozen transfers and she seemed much more kind and understanding. Also, it was easier for me to understand what was going on with her. Maybe because she was better at explaining and maybe because it was not my first time going through everything. Overall, I was very impressed with the nursing staff
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I like how they have multiple locations. This is even better now that they have computerized charting and don't have to send your chart all over the place. The staff is friendly and it is fairly easy to get ahold of who you need to when you call (nurse, billing, scheduling, etc)
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I do not remember for sure, but I think my fresh IVF with meds, labs, etc cost about 8K and my frozen transfers with labs, meds, etc we're around 5K
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr. Dodds said for my age and the health of my embryos he would be willing to transfer 1 or 2. We agreed with him and his logic.
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7
9
Age
30
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
7
9
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.... 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,
It's a nice environment in a great location. The interior [Fertility Ctr of MI] 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.... 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.
Age
30
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
Fertility Medications
Diagnosis
Recurrent Pregnancy Loss
7
9
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Ask your questions, she gives you time.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols Valerie Shavell used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
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.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe Valerie Shavell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
does not apply
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
10
10
Age
32 - 39
Treated
2011 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor, Unexplained
10
10
We have been seeing Dr Young since 2011. He has always taken his time with us, explaining every little detail. He remembers what my husband and I do for a living and what we do for fun. When we lost our daughter at 19 weeks, he called us and shared his condolences. When our last FET failed, he was just as confused and sad that it didn’t work and ordered tests to make sure he wasn’t missing anything before we attempt our last transfer. I may cry in our talks, but I always end up smiling by the time I leave his office.
[Fertility Center of MI's] Weakness: The cost. We have some insurance coverage for treatment (meds, labs, ultrasounds, etc) but the IUIs, Retrieval and FETs all come out of pocket for us. They have a Family Building Fund, but you only if you make less than a certain amount of income, so we don’t qualify for help. Strengths: Everything else. This long, almost 8 year journey that we are still on has been more bearable because of the kind and compassionate care that we have received from everyone in the office
Age
32 - 39
Treated
2011 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
4 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Anovulation, Male Factor, Unexplained
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
There is seriously nothing that My husband and I don’t like about Dr Young. He seems truly vested in us creating our family. When he is doing procedures he walks us through each step and often uses humor, which I appreciate. If there was one thing that I think needs to be improved upon is his handshake. It is very firm/confident and my husband always brings it up after our appts.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Tell him what your goals are and what your timeline is. He won’t make you rush into anything, but he will make sure that he looks into everything before suggesting major procedures
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We have been seeing Dr Young since 2011. He has always taken his time with us, explaining every little detail. He remembers what my husband and I do for a living and what we do for fun. When we lost our daughter at 19 weeks, he called us and shared his condolences. When our last FET failed, he was just as confused and sad that it didn’t work and ordered tests to make sure he wasn’t missing anything before we attempt our last transfer. I may cry in our talks, but I always end up smiling by the time I leave his office.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
He was very patient with us. He put both my husband and I through testing, then we did some cycles on clomid. When those didnt work he ordered a hystosalpinogram to make sure my clear. When those weren’t successful, he suggested IUIs and we did 2-3 and when those weren’t successful he did laparoscopic surgery to see if there was anything getting in the way. We tried one more IUI before he suggested IVF with ICSI because of my husbands sperm issues
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Julie S, Julie M, and Ashley)
All of the nurses that I have interacted with have been amazing. Kind, caring, answering all of my questions and returning calls in an incredibly timely manner. They have made this whole journey incredibly more tolerable
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Weakness: The cost. We have some insurance coverage for treatment (meds, labs, ultrasounds, etc) but the IUIs, Retrieval and FETs all come out of pocket for us. They have a Family Building Fund, but you only if you make less than a certain amount of income, so we don’t qualify for help. Strengths: Everything else. This long, almost 8 year journey that we are still on has been more bearable because of the kind and compassionate care that we have received from everyone in the office
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Over the course of our 8 year journey, we have probably spent close to $30,000 to $40,000 out of pocket
Describe James Young's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
Dr Young had us transfer 2 each time and we were good with that. He always explained multiples were possible and the dangers of that, but the rewards out-weighed the risks for us
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9
9
Age
32
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
9
9
Dr Dodds does go over info in a matter of fact and easy way to understand, but also gets to know you as a person. He calls himself when needed and makes sure you understand the plans moving forward but respects how you want to proceed with treatment. ... We have done one round of IUI Femara Protocol so far. ... We have not conceived yet so are trying another round of that same protocol and increasing the dose of Femara
The [Fertility Center of Michigan] environment is welcoming and comfortable. They are professional and organized for the most part. Every person we have encountered has been kind and willing to answer questions. ... There was one instance where the nurse had told me over the phone that she would send the prescriptions in and they were not at our pharmacy after a couple days.
Age
32
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
1 IUI
Diagnosis
Male Factor, PCOS
9
9
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
We are in the middle of our fertility journey so I haven't had too many encounters with Dr Dodds yet, however the ones I have had been positive. Upon meeting him he was very informative, but in a way thats easy to understand. He let us know what he thought the best plan for us was and also took some time getting to know us. He is professional but understanding and compassionate. He also called me personally the day of our IUI to discuss how it went and his thoughts for moving forward. We are confident and happy with the care we are receiving.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Don't be afraid to ask questions! He is more than happy to elaborate if you don't understand. Also don't be afraid to ask for a different option if you're not comfortable with the one he gives. For example, he thought we may be better off trying IVF but we decided to exhaust the IUI option first. He was supportive of this decision.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Dodds does go over info in a matter of fact and easy way to understand, but also gets to know you as a person. He calls himself when needed and makes sure you understand the plans moving forward but respects how you want to proceed with treatment.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We have done one round of IUI Femara Protocol so far. We are using Femara, a mid cycle ultrasound, and ovidril injection. We have not conceived yet so are trying another round of that same protocol and increasing the dose of Femara
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
The nursing staff has been supportive, kind, and informative. They encouraged us when we were upset, answered all of our questions without making us feel silly, and have been incredibly professional during treatments.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
The environment is welcoming and comfortable. They are professional and organized for the most part. Every person we have encountered has been kind and willing to answer questions. We were really nervous on our first visit but the nurses made it more comfortable. You will first meet with a nurse to go over your information, then your Dr will meet with you in their office. We were very worried that it would be a very emotional experience, but the staff and environment made it much easier than we thought.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
We are only beginning. Our first patient visit we just paid a copay because our insurance covers diagnostic costs. The cost of IUI was $600 (not including our medication, that was an additional $120)
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
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10
10
Age
24 - 27
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
—
10
10
He [Dr. Young] 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. ... 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. ...
When you walk in the front desk [Fertility Center of Michigan] is fast and to the point to get you signed in. ... My IUI that I had performed NOT by dr young was different then how he did it. ... So consistency was off. ... 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. ... $500 for IUI ...
Age
24 - 27
Treated
2015 - 2018
Success with this Doc
Yes
Race
Prefer not to answer
Income
—
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
—
10
10
How was your experience with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Confident.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols James Young used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Fun enjoyable nice kind knowledgeable
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Young at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
$500 for IUI
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10
10
Age
29 - 31
Treated
2016 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained, Other
10
10
It was determined I have a heart-shaped (bicornuate) uterus ... He [Dr. Dodds] 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.
Great staff [Fertility Center of Michigan], 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. ... 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.
Age
29 - 31
Treated
2016 - 2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Doctor
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI
Diagnosis
Endometriosis, Unexplained, Other
10
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
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.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
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8
10
Age
29
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Unexplained
8
10
Very nice and great bedside manner. He [Dr. William Dodds] 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.... 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 do not have any negatives to say about any of the staff at The Fertility Center. All were kind, excellent communicators, compassionate, concise, knowledgeable.... 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.
Age
29
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
Other
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Doctor
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
3 IUI, 1 IVF
Diagnosis
Diminished Ovarian Reserve, Unexplained
8
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Very kind and compassionate for what you are going through. Knowledgeable.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Very personable and funny.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with your nurse at The Fertility Center of Michigan. (Assigned nurse: Ashley)
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.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
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Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
9
9
Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
—
9
9
She [Dr. Thakur] always greeted me or us with a warm smile, a hand shake, and some sort of memory from previous conversations even if it wasn’t treatment related. She has given excellent advice in times of stress and she is very good expressing concern based on experience and allowing you to make the final decisions in your journey...She expressed concern about not “wasting time” and that we will need to be more aggressive as we go. We left the consultation feeling confident in our new RE. I believe it take some a special confidence and tremendous courage to put faith in your doctor and we felt both and still feel both working with Dr Thakur.
Each time I call [The Fertility Center of Michigan- Grand Rapids], I am greeted genuinely and the nurses are so good and answering all my questions and making sure I understand their answers or anything I may be confused on. They are prompt when having to return my call as well. They are incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable...They have a few locations to serve the Michigan community. I have the option of two locations that are fairly close to me which I appreciate. They coordinate my appts well with my work schedule. I also appreciate that. The staff is friendly and at this stage, I haven’t seen any weaknesses.
Age
35
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European, Other
Income
$50K - $99K
Occupation
Operations
Order & Number of Docs Seen
2nd of 2 Docs
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
—
9
9
How was your experience with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr Thakur’s approach is that of passion, compassion, expertise, and specialized education. She specializes in individualized care and doesn’t make you feel polarized based on your journey thus far. Her first question to my husband and me was “What is it that you have planned for your treatment. What would you like to this journey to be?” We expressed our thoughts on med induced cycles with timed inter course and if those failed after a few attempts, we would like to move on to IUI. After looking at our medics history, she agreed that that is a good approach. She expressed concern about not “wasting time” and that we will need to be more aggressive as we go. We left the consultation feeling confident in our new RE. I believe it take some a special confidence and tremendous courage to put faith in your doctor and we felt both and still feel both working with Dr Thakur.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Be honest about your journey. She is very receptive. She has the experience to guide not only to where you want to go, but down the path you want to travel. She gives excellent and advice and has a fact based approach to back it up. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and for clarity.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She always greeted me or us with a warm smile, a hand shake, and some sort of memory from previous conversations even if it wasn’t treatment related. She has given excellent advice in times of stress and she is very good expressing concern based on experience and allowing you to make the final decisions in your journey.
Describe the protocols Mili Thakur used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
We started off trying 50mg of Clomid, with prenatals, Vitamin D supplements because let’s be honest, living in Michigan doesn’t provide optimal Vitamin D. I’m also taking Synthroid to keep my T-SHIRT down to a level that can sustain pregnancy. She felt strongly that my ovaries would respond well to 50mg of Clomid, and they did! Although I have had 3 failed cycles, she holds confidence in us moving on to IUI. She wants to put me on Progesterone to lengthen my Luteal Phase and increase the Clomid to 100mg to give us optimal rate of success. We are very excited to move forward!
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
Each time I call, I am greeted genuinely and the nurses are so good and answering all my questions and making sure I understand their answers or anything I may be confused on. They are prompt when having to return my call as well. They are incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
They have a few locations to serve the Michigan community. I have the option of two locations that are fairly close to me which I appreciate. They coordinate my appts well with my work schedule. I also appreciate that. The staff is friendly and at this stage, I haven’t seen any weaknesses.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Mili Thakur at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
My insurance has covered a great deal of my office visits and ultrasound appointments. I have paid maybe $300 out of pocket so far for Clomid cycles with timed intercourse. The IUI will be $600 our the door and I think that’s affordable as all get out. This clinic is known for their success rates and fair pricing. Lowest in the state if I’ve not mistaken.
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8
10
Age
35 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Tubal Blockage, Unexplained
8
10
I was provided information [by Dr. William Dodds] on the risks of single vs. multiple and the recommended number to implant based on my age...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 [at The Fertility Center of Michigan] 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...There was just some miscommunication this last cycle with the medications I was supposed to be on and when I was supposed to start. It is unclear if it was more the pharmacy's fault or the clinic's, but it was stressful not receiving medications until the day before I was supposed to start my medications.
Age
35 - 36
Treated
2017 - 2018
Success with this Doc
No
Race
European
Income
$100K - $199K
Occupation
Teacher
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1st of 4 Docs
Treatment
1 IVF
Diagnosis
Male Factor, Tubal Blockage, Unexplained
8
10
How was your experience with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Make sure to ask lots of questions.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
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.
Describe the protocols William Dodds used in your cycles at The Fertility Center of Michigan and their degree of success.
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.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff.
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.
Describe your experience with The Fertility Center of Michigan.
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.
Describe the costs associated with your care under William Dodds at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
IVF treatment with ICSI was around $9000; ultrasounds and blood work were separate costs. Medication was between $2800-$3400
Describe William Dodds's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at The Fertility Center of Michigan.
I was provided information on the risks of single vs. multiple and the recommended number to implant based on my age.
What specific things went wrong at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
- Provided conflicting information
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10
10
Age
31
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Treatment
—
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
Dr. Shavell was kind and seemed deeply aware of the stress and emotions that go along with infertility. ... I feel she is always actively listening to me. She makes eye contact and is reassuring with her body language. She ensures you feel comfortable and your voice is heard at your appointments. ...She always made sure I knew what the next step of the process was and that I was comfortable with it. What I like most is she reminds you that you are strong and capable of handling the stress and struggles of IVF.
The prices seemed reasonable and seemingly followed other average costs. The building was very clean and well designed. It [Fertility Center of Michigan] was relaxing atmosphere and the waiting room was calming and inviting. While walking through the halls other staff members greeted you. ... [Nursing Staff] Very kind and welcoming. All my phone calls were pleasant and my interactions at the center were great
Age
31
Treated
2018
Success with this Doc
?
Race
European
Income
$0 - $49K
Occupation
—
Order & Number of Docs Seen
1 Doc Seen
Treatment
—
Diagnosis
Male Factor
10
10
How was your experience with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
Dr. Shavell was kind and seemed deeply aware of the stress and emotions that go along with infertility. She always made sure I knew what the next step of the process was and that I was comfortable with it. What I like most is she reminds you that you are strong and capable of handling the stress and struggles of IVF.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of Michigan?
She is ready to work for you and make sure you are ready for the work!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Valerie Shavell at The Fertility Center of