He [Dr. Michael Lanham] didn't take the time to look into the health history of either me or my partner. He started hinting at IVF treatment the minute we walked into the door, without even doing any teats first. All our results came back normal, and he didn't take the time to properly diagnose, so he just put unexplained infertility. He wanted to perform IVF procedure on our third visit, without even suggesting starting with some simpler procedures.
[The nurses at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine were] Hectic, unorganized, uninformed. I saw a different nurse every time I came in, and none of them had any idea what was going on in my case. The place is a total chaos...We didn't want to do IVF, so we refused to go over the cost options, which they were constantly pushing. We said from the beginning we were interested in exploring other options, and they refused to provide them. So, we went to see a different doctor, and literally the same month after switching the medications I got pregnant.
How was your experience with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Not pleased with the experience at all. He suggested doing IVF the moment me and my partner walked into the door. Neither him or his staff took the time to communicate with us, diagnose properly, or get to know our health history. We ended up going to a different doctor, and switching just one medication lead to a healthy natural pregnancy. He might be good at IVF and other specialized infertility procedures, but if you really want to get to the bottom of your infertility causes, and try to get pregnant naturally without having to spend tons of money, this is not the doctor for you. He is a businessman who sees his patients as sources of income. And him and his team are not very subtle either, they don't offer any alternatives, or try to work with a couple to figure out the strategy that works for them. Overall, very poor experience. Never thought we would be treated like that in University of Michigan of all places. The attitude and service quality was equivalent of a shady scam clinic somewhere in Eastern Europe.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Only go to him if you are absolutely sure IVF is the way you want to go, and all other options have already been explored
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
He didn't take the time to look into the health history of either me or my partner. He started hinting at IVF treatment the minute we walked into the door, without even doing any teats first. All our results came back normal, and he didn't take the time to properly diagnose, so he just put unexplained infertility. He wanted to perform IVF procedure on our third visit, without even suggesting starting with some simpler procedures.
Describe the protocols Michael Lanham used in your cycles at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
He did not suggest any treatment strategy. All tests for me and my partner came out normal, so he suggested doing IVF the third time he saw us. We felt like it was rushing a bit. He continued to saying that no other treatment options have good chance of succeeding except for IVF. We felt like we were being taken for idiots, as a lot of our couple friends got pregnant using treatments other than IVF, and we were not even informed of any such options.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Hectic, unorganized, uninformed. I saw a different nurse every time I came in, and none of them had any idea what was going on in my case. The place is a total chaos.
Describe your experience with University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I would not recommend the clinic to anyone. The only doctor we had good experience with was the urologist, Dr. Ohl, who I believe is also a member of the reproductive medicine clinic also. He is an amazing professional, who was ultimately the one who helped my partner and I get pregnant by adjusting my partner's medications. The infertility team headed by Dr. Lanham are not even worth talking about.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
We didn't want to do IVF, so we refused to go over the cost options, which they were constantly pushing. We said from the beginning we were interested in exploring other options, and they refused to provide them. So, we went to see a different doctor, and literally the same month after switching the medications I got pregnant.
Describe Michael Lanham's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
NA
What specific things went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Lost paperwork
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Every time I came to an appointment I saw a different nurse, and none of them knew what stage of the treatment I was at, what was supposed to be done next, and what test results were supposed to be ordered and why. They basically were trying to push for IVF at every stage without properly diagnosing. At the end of both of my appointments I had to wait for at least 30 minutes before they gave me all the paperwork becasue Dr. Lanham would not properly communicate with the nurses. Also, for the 2 times when we did see Dr. Lanham in person, we had to wait 30 minutes in the exam room for him.
[Dr. Michael Lanham is] amazing to talk with...ALWAYS treated us sincerely and had wonderful bedside manner...The protocol for our very first worked, but he changed it due to “new findings” and it didn’t work several times. When he finally went back to the first protocol it worked. This was very frustrating. We didn’t realize until it worked- but then we thought why did he ever “fix something that wasn’t broken”?...First IVF used BC, Lupron, estradiol, PIO, medrol, trigger, later switched to progesterone suppositories. Later cycles included suppositories only and none of those produced successful pregnancies. Last cycle went back to PIO only and worked beautifully.
Receptionists [at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine] were very kind. Office was pleasant. Professional. Not a spa as I imagine Other clinics may be. Timely. Loves all the ultrasound techs. Clean. I felt Like it was hard to talk directly to anyone on short notice. The phones aren’t on in the early morning even though they’re seeing patients. Lots of email through portals...Only assigned a primary nurse the first time. Received much more attention. But the clinic was significantly less busy. After that you see/talk to whoever. Only one nurse I experienced Poor communication with. Received a beta hcg of 5 and she gave me that call and told me I wasn't pregnant. She didn’t explain the numbers or why I was Getting positive pregnancy tests at home.
How was your experience with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
The protocol for our very first worked, but he changed it due to “new findings” and it didn’t work several times. When he finally went back to the first protocol it worked. This was very frustrating. We didn’t realize until it worked- but then we thought why did he ever “fix something that wasn’t broken”?
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
None. He’s amazing to talk with.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Over time our care at the clinic became less personalized as they took on more and more patients. The Dr. himself ALWAYS treated us sincerely and had wonderful bedside manner.
Describe the protocols Michael Lanham used in your cycles at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
First IVF used BC, Lupron, estradiol, PIO, medrol, trigger, later switched to progesterone suppositories. Later cycles included suppositories only and none of those produced successful pregnancies. Last cycle went back to PIO only and worked beautifully.
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine. (Assigned nurse: Dhalane)
Only assigned a primary nurse the first time. Received much more attention. But the clinic was significantly less busy. After that you see/talk to whoever. Only one nurse I experienced Poor communication with. Received a beta hcg of 5 and she gave me that call and told me I wasn't pregnant. She didn’t explain the numbers or why I was Getting positive pregnancy tests at home.
Describe your experience with University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Receptionists were very kind. Office was pleasant. Professional. Not a spa as I imagine Other clinics may be. Timely. Loves all the ultrasound techs. Clean. I felt Like it was hard to talk directly to anyone on short notice. The phones aren’t on in the early morning even though they’re seeing patients. Lots of email through portals.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
12k for IVF ICSI
4500 for RX
2500 for frozen transfer
$1200/yr storage- first 6 months free
Describe Michael Lanham's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
He did not push multiple embryo transfer or even suggest (maybe allow) until multiple failed cycles.
What specific things went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
One nurse called to tell me I wasnt Pregnant when beta was a 5. She didn’t explain to me that 5 was too low to be a viable pregnancy and why I was Getting positive home tests. This was confusing and scary and after hours so after I thought About it I couldnt Reach anyone to explain and called an on call dr from my reg Obgyn. Ultimately it wasn’t a viable pregnancy but that should have included that info
I saw Michael [Lanham]for my second and third rounds of IVF (after a successful IVF cycle and birth of my son). The first cycle with him did very unexpectedly not go well at all...he was honest but encouraging throughout the process...As a single parent by choice, my insurance was not going to cover my care because they didn't think there was enough evidence I couldn't conceive naturally. I found out about this days before my retrieval was expected. Little did I know Michael had already been going to bat for me on my behalf with the insurance company.
I think one of their [U of Michigan] strengths is that everyone on the team, physicians, nurses, fellows, lab folks know about every patient. They are all 100% in on your care and all know what's going on with you at any point in time. I always felt like we were all rooting for my success. ...there are also trainees in this clinic...med students, residents, fellows....There is a team of nurses at the clinic...they all know about every patient and are all involved in a cycle.
How was your experience with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
I saw Michael for my second and third rounds of IVF (after a successful IVF cycle and birth of my son). The first cycle with him did very unexpectedly not go well at all...he was honest but encouraging throughout the process. I didn't have anything to transfer, which was heartbreaking. There was a technical glitch that let me know this before he had a chance to call me to tell me (my appointment was automatically cancelled and I received an alert). He was very apologetic and is continually striving to do better for his patients and the clinic. Although he thought the chances of being successful were low, he let me pursue a 3rd cycle. I made it to transfer that time, but did not end up pregnant. It was heartbreaking...he was supportive and understanding. We talked about other alternatives to build my family. As a single parent by choice, my insurance was not going to cover my care because they didn't think there was enough evidence I couldn't conceive naturally. I found out about this days before my retrieval was expected. Little did I know Michael had already been going to bat for me on my behalf with the insurance company. He's a true gem and a gift to the field of reproductive medicine. Although my cycles under his direction were not successful, I would highly recommend him to anyone.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Be honest with him about any fears or anxieties that you have...he will let you know that you're not the only one and let you know what clinical evidence there is to support his answer. He's very easy to talk to and supportive of all family building situations, single parents, same sex parents, and heterosexual families.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Michael is kind, warm, and brilliant!! He took as much time as I needed in all visits. He is readily reachable and wonderful to work with and very easy to talk to. He was just as disappointed as I was when my cycles did not go as expected. He helped me with alternatives to care that they were not able to provide in their clinic and was very honest with me when he thought it would be very difficult for me to conceive given my circumstances. I would highly recommend Michael to anyone.
Describe the protocols Michael Lanham used in your cycles at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
Did agonist protocol for one cycle, flare protocol for the cycle I insisted on.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
There is a team of nurses at the clinic...they all know about every patient and are all involved in a cycle. They are wonderful, sweet, experienced, knowledgeable, easy to reach, encouraging, and supportive. Overall they are awesome!
Describe your experience with University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I think one of their strengths is that everyone on the team, physicians, nurses, fellows, lab folks know about every patient. They are all 100% in on your care and all know what's going on with you at any point in time. I always felt like we were all rooting for my success. That being said, if you have a great relationship with a particular provider, you may not see that person on the day of a retrieval or a transfer. There are also trainees in this clinic...med students, residents, fellows. Feel free to request they are not a part of your care or certain procedures if you don't want them there.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I do not recall...I had insurance coverage for the two cycles that I did with Michael.
Describe Michael Lanham's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I had multiple embryos transferred every time I had a transfer because of my age and the embryo quality.
What specific things went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Describe the specific things that went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
In one of my cycles a fellow did not get the Rx to the mail order pharmacy in time for me to get my medications. The nurses helped me get what I needed locally and at a reasonable price in order to make it through to the next day. It was a technical error...there was a problem with the online ordering system. Once I let the nurses know there was an issue they worked very hard to find out what happened and to rectify the situation.
We did antagonist protocols with ICSI [with Dr. Michael Lanham]. I did PGS for one of four cycles when I had concerns about my uterine receptivity...We always did single embryo, but he was willing to do double with poor quality...He listens, is accessible...is warm. He's knowledgeable. He did a great job with my retrieval cycles. I came to him as a new patient and ended up being tricky, though overall a good responder. He changed my medication protocols to find one that worked for me.
[University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine] is a solid clinic, but is not necessarily willing to do more experimental treatments or protocols. It's probably a good starting place for most. Overall I find the physicians kind and knowledgeable...I wish I were assigned to a specific nurse, but that's not the case as far as I can tell. Different nurses respond to my portal messages...We did antagonist protocols with ICSI. I did PGS for one of four cycles when I had concerns about my uterine receptivity.
How was your experience with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
Dr. Lanham listens and is warm. He's knowledgeable. He did a great job with my retrieval cycles. I came to him as a new patient and ended up being tricky, though overall a good responder. He changed my medication protocols to find one that worked for me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
He's no longer seeing patients : (
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?
He listens, is accessible, and is knowledgeable.
Describe the protocols Michael Lanham used in your cycles at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine and their degree of success.
We did antagonist protocols with ICSI. I did PGS for one of four cycles when I had concerns about my uterine receptivity.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I wish I were assigned to a specific nurse, but that's not the case as far as I can tell. Different nurses respond to my portal messages.
Describe your experience with University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
Michigan is a solid clinic, but is not necessarily willing to do more experimental treatments or protocols. It's probably a good starting place for most. Overall I find the physicians kind and knowledgeable.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Michael Lanham at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
I don't recall, but the insurance coverage was good - maybe $2k per cycle with meds included for my first cycle.
Describe Michael Lanham's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine.
We always did single embryo, but he was willing to do double with poor quality.
What specific things went wrong at University of Michigan Center for Reproductive Medicine?