Nicole Banks

Dr Banks is very knowledgeable and explained her steps in depth. She sat with us and answered every question completely. She also was concerned with another medical condition that I have unrelated to fertility. I had the most comprehensive work-up with her than any other Doctor.

Remain open-minded to the process and be patient because she will order a load of tests to give you the outcome possible. No question is too small; so, ask them all and she will definitely give you an answer.

She ordered blood work that showed low ovarian reserve. She prescribed medication to start a cycle and to see if I could sustain a pregnancy which was successful. She also did laser surgery to remove scar tissue. Everything was a success and after the quarantine I will be ready for transfer.

I was not given this information. My insurance paid for testing.

I would love to do multiple transfer, but Dr Banks only does single transfer to decrease chances of a problem.

Dr. Banks is very kind and compassionate and we have been happy with our treatment so far. The clinic is consistently busy so we don't feel like we always have access to her, but if we schedule in advance she has been willing to speak with us. Hoping we will have success with our next cycle/future treatments.

Be sure to have your questions ready prior to your visits as they are typically very quick. You can schedule time to speak with Dr. Banks if you plan in advance to get on her schedule during openings.

Birth control started 23 days prior to injections 13 days of Injections included Gonal-F Pen, menopur (10 days) added ganirelix (3 days) Pregnyl trigger shot on day 13 43 eggs retrieved, 37 mature, 30 fertilized, 19 on day 3, 5 on day 5 Unfortunately most of the embryos stop developing past day 3 Did fresh transfer of one "early blast" and one morula 3 day 6 4CB embryos frozen Progesterone in oil injections post retrieval Negative pregnancy test after transfer

Still awaiting bills from insurance for recent cycle and procedures

We did fresh transfer of two most developed embryos and were not successful

Dr. Banks made the diagnostic and iui process less daunting and stressful. She was excellent at giving me the facts while also being compassionate and comforting. I felt comfortable and prepared after every visit. Even when we lost the pregnancy Dr. Banks was patient and supportive of our next steps. She even was supportive of me going to a different clinic to try a different path.

Do not let the phone system deter you from visit this office, the doctors and nurses are wonderful, it is just hard sometimes to get through to them.

Dr. Banks performed all the necessary diagnostic tests to create a plan of action for my husband and myself. After determining I had a blocked tube she suggesting going to IVF. Cost however was a major issue for us so we elected to try iui first. She supported us and advised us to give it a try at least once but no more than 3 times. I was put on Clomid and montitored before the iui. I responded very well to the clomid and proceeded with the iui. It was successful on the first try and we were so excited. Unfortunately, the pregnancy ended in a checmical pregnancy. With Dr. Banks support we are currently participating in an IVF medication trial at another clinic.

The costs for iui and ivf are much lower at VCU than other fertility clinics in Virginia.

Dr. Banks was excellent at listening to our wishes and advising us of the chances for success while being compassionate and realistic.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.