How was your experience with Julie Lamb at Pacific NW Fertility?
We initially chose to see Dr Lamb (as opposed to the another clinic provider) because her bio on the clinic website seemed like the best initial fit. As a lesbian couple who (initially) was “only needing IUI,” we were worried about feeling like “less of a priority” because we weren’t seeking IVF or something else complicated. But from our very first visit with Dr Lamb, it felt very clear that she was going to dedicate whatever time and attention our treatment plan required. We really felt like to only patients in the clinic when she was sitting in front of us—she was never rushing off to another clinic appointment, never seemed annoyed by our questions—even when we had a half dozen of them! She has always been very compassionate in her demeanor and is easy to talk to about very intimate details of our lives.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Julie Lamb at Pacific NW Fertility?
Don’t be afraid to ask the “hard questions” that you really want answers to or are wondering about — it might be scary to hear the answer, but hearing it from Dr Lamb really does make it a little easier!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Julie Lamb at Pacific NW Fertility?
Dr Lamb has always been very forth-coming with the level of detail we were looking for in terms of understanding the science of what is (and is not) happening, AND she does it in a very compassionate and empathetic manner. She reads people (at least she reads us!) very well, and seems to truly understand that even when we are struggling to understand the science, we are still in the midst of a very emotional process. She responds to our emotional display in slowing down a bit, asking if we need a break, etc—but never witholding or “sugar-coating” the information we are seeking.
Describe the protocols Julie Lamb used in your cycles at Pacific NW Fertility and their degree of success.
We started with a very basic protocol because all labs, u/s, and hysterosalpingogram were normal. For our first 5 cycles, I took letrozole days 3-7, had a day 12 u/s, then timed ovulation trigger based on u/s results.
For the 6th cycle, we tried a ten-day course of letrozole, but because of thin ing of the uterine lining, we didn’t continue that in cycle 7.
Cycle 7 we did letrozole days 3-7 + injectables, with day 12 u/s.
We used letrozole instead of clinic per Dr Lamb’s recommendation to lower the risk of multiples.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Pacific NW Fertility. (Assigned nurse: Michelle Peterson)
Ms Peterson was assigned to us a bit later in our treatment course—Dr Lamb’s primary medical assistant had had a couple of health-related leaves of absence, and while the clinic was trying to provide coverage, things just weren’t going as smoothly as we expected. When we raised this concern to Dr Lamb, she immediately asked Ms Peterson to follow-up and address our MA-RN related concerns. Tim’s Peterson exceeded our expectations for timely and thoughtful communication, and was clearly invested in preventing any further communication-related frustration.
Describe your experience with Pacific NW Fertility.
Front desk staff is friendly, compassionate, and very responsive—both when we are standing in front of them and on the phone. The andrology lab seems to run really smoothly. When we come in for procedures, the rooms are prepared appropriately. We don’t have much experience with the on-site lab for blood draws. The clinic seems to always be running on time, which is pretty amazing. There was only one occasion when they were about ten minutes behind schedule, and we were informed at check-in, and an MA came out to give us an updated timeline so we knew what to expect (again, for just a ten minute delay).
Describe the costs associated with your care under Julie Lamb at Pacific NW Fertility.
We were provided with a price sheet at the very first appointment, and while we did not expect our insurance to cover any of our fertility-related care, the clinic agreed to bill insurance prior to collecting payment from us. Our insurance ended up covering some components of the care, and it was super convenient to us that hey had been willing to bill.
Describe Julie Lamb's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Pacific NW Fertility.
N/a
What specific things went wrong at Pacific NW Fertility?
- Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy