Nicole Banks

Dr. Banks is brand new to the clinic but she obviously knows her stuff. I immediately felt like we were in good hands. She was thorough and I never felt rushed. She listened, answered all our questions, and gave us plenty of information (such as follicle count, lining thickness..things other doctors may not think to actually tell you).

She is new to the clinic so you may not be able to find a lot of reviews. But her credentials are impressive and she is warm and knowledgable. I highly recommend her.

Dr. Banks is warm and knowledgeable. She took the time to answer our questions and was extremely supportive of our decision to move on to IVF. We are not doing IVF through her clinic (we're going out of state) but she still offered to monitor for us.

We did IUI with donor sperm (same-sex couple). We did 100 mg Clomid for 5 days, then trigger shot (HCG) 36 hours before the procedure. We also came in for a baseline monitoring appointment and a second monitoring appointment on CD 13 to check whether the follicles were ready to trigger.

The nursing staff at VCU is great. We've had Wendy, Christine, and Kim. All are great.

The clinic is in the new building at Stoney Point. It's a really nice office. They seem to only do monitoring/IUI appointments before noon Mon-Sat. The nurses and doctors are great (Dr. Lucidi is the other doctor at the clinic).

IUI out-of-pocket cost is $250. Ultrasound monitoring was billed to my insurance (I don't have any fertility coverage but it was covered). Insurance did not cover Clomid, but it was pretty cheap at Walmart. I paid a sperm bank for donor sperm and shipping...the clinic would mail back the cryotank for me after delivery (no extra cost).

n/a (did not do IVF)

Dr. Banks is warm, intelligent, and thoughtful. She made me feel like we were partners in the process. One little difference that I love is that she always angles the ultrasound monitor screen so that I can also see it, and describes to me what she's seeing. I felt so much more knowledgeable and better able to participate in decision making. I appreciated that she respected my personal preferences, risk assessments, and decisions, while always providing counsel to help me make an informed decision (e.g., when I decided to cancel an IUI cycle because I didn't like the follicle maturation pattern, or when we decided to try one cycle with Clomid).

Dr. Banks always remembered details of my case, greeted me warmly, and asked about my daughter. Our appointments felt like a continuing conversation rather than rapid processing. She always takes time to answer questions, explain procedures, and set expectations.

We primarily did natural cycle IUIs. I have no diagnosed fertility issues - doing IUI because I'm a single mother by choice using donor sperm. I appreciated that Dr. Banks did not make me do extensive fertility testing before starting treatment, as all of the testing would have been out of pocket. She was very thoughtful about what was truly required versus nice to have, and let me make the cost/benefit trade off. When I had a few cycles that were "off" - the follicle wasn't maturing at my normal pace and ovulation was delayed - we tried one cycle with a small dose of Clomid. We did not do an IUI that month since I produced 10+ eggs and she said that even if I was willing to go through with insemination, she wasn't (very fair!). We went back to natural cycles after that, though she said that if we ever needed to move to IVF, we know my body responds well to Clomid. My pregnancy is the result of a natural cycle IUI.

It's a lean operation. They don't so much have nurses as supporting staff. I like them all and they treated me well, but the primary relationship is with the doctor.

This is not a fancy place. They're smart, they're caring, and they've done this for awhile, but they're a lean operation. I had straightforward needs - no infertility diagnosis and natural cycle IUIs - and they have been great at treating me for both of my pregnancies (one live birth, one 10 weeks along). If you need a ton of hand-holding or want the front office to run like clockwork they may not be right for you, but if you're looking for a less-expensive, capable option for fertility treatment, they're a great alternative to the bigger operations in the area.

Their care is so much less expensive than any of the other area options! My natural cycle IUI cash rate should have been a $795 flat fee (includes all ultrasounds and blood work), but they actually grandfathered me into the rates from my first pregnancy with them, so I paid even less than that.

We didn't discuss embryo transfer, but did discuss the number of mature follicles that she was willing to proceed with for an IUI. She said that two would be a conversation, but not a major concern. Three mature follicles would be a very serious conversation and potentially counsel to not proceed. Four or above she would not be willing to proceed with the IUI.