Dr. Link has been aggressive in my treatment but not so much so that I suffered any negative effects. I appreciate her stance on things like only transferring one embryo at a time but I also feel like she would hear me out of I truly wanted something different. ... Every interaction I have had with Dr. Link she has gone over everything in so much detail (even often making drawings and explaining medical terms and processes to me) and has answered all of my questions. As someone who meticulously researches things, I often have a full list of questions for her (and follow-ups to her answers) and she goes through each and every question with me and ensures I understand while not making me feel like I worry too much or ask too many things.
UCRM is very busy and sees a huge number of patients. I never felt like this lessened their care for me but I did mean I had to wait quite awhile to initially be seen and I generally have to schedule appointments fairly far out. As UCRM is based at a research institution (University of Utah), they are very research oriented and this sometimes does make me feel like their treatment options and protocols are more "in the box." UCRM has impressive statistics and I do feel that I stand the best chance of getting a baby by choosing them as my clinic.
How was your experience with Megan Link at University of Utah?
I've been seeing Dr. Link at UCRM for over 2 years now. From the very beginning she was so patient, kind and informative. I had a negative experience with a previous RE but Dr. Link has been the polar opposite to that person. Every interaction I have had with Dr. Link she has gone over everything in so much detail (even often making drawings and explaining medical terms and processes to me) and has answered all of my questions. As someone who meticulously researches things, I often have a full list of questions for her (and follow-ups to her answers) and she goes through each and every question with me and ensures I understand while not making me feel like I worry too much or ask too many things. My appointments have never been rushed and she makes sure I leave feeling empowered and ready for whatever is next. Although I have not yet gotten pregnant, she remains very positive while not sugarcoating the situation.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Megan Link at University of Utah?
Ask whatever questions you have (no matter how small or detailed they might be) Dr. Link. She is wonderful about breaking things down and making sure her patients feel heard and are informed. Having all my concerns and questions answered has made this long process much easier.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Megan Link at University of Utah?
From the start of my time with Utah Center of Reproductive Medicine I have felt that my needs and concerns were being taken seriously. My questions are answered in a timely manner and my treatment plan has been clear. I was concerned at first that such a large clinic based at a Tier 1 research institution would lead to me being treated as a number but this has not been the case whatsoever.
Describe the protocols Megan Link used in your cycles at University of Utah and their degree of success.
Dr. Link has been aggressive in my treatment but not so much so that I suffered any negative effects. I appreciate her stance on things like only transferring one embryo at a time but I also feel like she would hear me out of I truly wanted something different. My treatment protocol was dialed down as I was responding well and I appreciated this. I did not want to risk OHSS. After my first failed transfer, Dr. Link spend another appointment with me going over everything we did and my results. We talked about a plan of action for the next round and she also was very accommodating when I asked for additional testing and procedures (such as a hysteroscopy, which resulted in a removed polyp).
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Utah. (Assigned nurse: Lisa)
Lisa was my IVF nurse. She was very organized and kept in constant contact with me. I was so nervous that I was going to mess something up with my meds and waste thousands of dollars but she explained everything so clearly and answered all the questions I had throughout the cycle. The nursing staff in general at UCRM has been very kind and helpful. I have had a few nurses who seemed to lack some of the attention to detail I had gotten so used to and I had to be much more of an advocate for myself when dealing with them.
Describe your experience with University of Utah.
UCRM is very busy and sees a huge number of patients. I never felt like this lessened their care for me but I did mean I had to wait quite awhile to initially be seen and I generally have to schedule appointments fairly far out. As UCRM is based at a research institution (University of Utah), they are very research oriented and this sometimes does make me feel like their treatment options and protocols are more "in the box." UCRM has impressive statistics and I do feel that I stand the best chance of getting a baby by choosing them as my clinic.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Megan Link at University of Utah.
All of my diagnostic costs were covered by my insurance. I paid completely out of pocket for all IVF expenses. My full IVF retrieval cycle was about $9000 (not including ICSI, which we did not do). Medications were another $4000. The clinic does offer a guarantee program which we will be using for our next IVF cycle. I found UCRM's prices to be reasonable but potentially higher than other local clinics. However, UCRM has better success rates, from what I can tell.
Describe Megan Link's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Utah.
Dr. Link prefers not to transfer more than one embryo at a time. She went over her rationale for this and used scientific, research-based statistics for why she wants patients to only transfer one at a time. That said, I do believe that if I pushed for more than one embryo and had the medical rationale for it, she would be receptive to it.
What specific things went wrong at University of Utah?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at University of Utah.
I had one negative experience with a nurse (Jennifer S.) who I had to call back multiple times before she got me the information I needed. As such, an appointment for a procedure that should have been scheduled right away after a consultation I had with Dr. Link took MONTHS to schedule. There was absolutely no reason this needed to be the case. The nurse was not good at communicating with me and put the blame on others. I came very close to reporting her to Dr. Link and to this day I dread having to work with her again. But again, this did not taint my overall experience with UCRM.
9
Clinic
University of Utah
Salt Lake City