Brandon Bankowski

Dr. Bankowski is very matter-of-fact and to the point when it comes to delivering information. He doesn't sugarcoat things and will lay the facts our plainly. He's not the warmest in regards to bedside manner, but he is smart and does his job well.

If you need more from him - be it empathy, information, or warmer bedside manner, speak up and ask for it.

My first IVF cycle was a typical antagonist protocol. Each monitoring appointment, my dosage was increased as I was responding poorly. Dr. Bankowski and I mutually agreed to cancel the cycle after 7 days of stim meds due to poor response. The second IVF cycle was a Lupron flare + HGH protocol, which my body responded to better. 8 eggs were retrieved, 7 were mature, 6 fertilized via ICSI, and 5 made it to day-5 blasts. Grading were all between AA and AB. We opted not to PGS test. We did a single embryo fresh transfer which failed to implant (negative pregnancy test). Then did a double frozen embryo transfer which resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Last we did another double frozen embryo transfer which resulted in a singleton pregnancy. At our 20 week anatomy scan it was discovered the baby suffered from bilateral multicystic kidney dysplasia and severe oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid). The MFM explained the diagnosis was fatal and there was no chance to have a full term live birth. We chose to terminate for medical reasons at 20 weeks.

We have spent approximately $28,000 at ORM for professional services in addition to approximately $9,600 in medications.

Dr Bankowski was great. On our initial consultation phone call (due to Covid) he took all the time that I needed to answer all my questions. He was very understanding of my situation and seemed to ask all the right questions for him to have a better understanding of what I was going through. If I didn’t think to tell him he knew to ask.I happen to ovulate so that I had to have my IUI on a Sunday. He doesn’t work Sundays but he was so nice to introduce me to the doctor that would be performing my IUI. I felt comfortable at all times.

Don’t be afraid to ask him any and all questions. Even if you feel like it’s a silly question.

Minimal Letrozole. 2.5mg a day for 5 days. CD3-7. I didn’t respond very well, only produced one egg. But I did get pregnant! Unfortunately it ended in an ectopic. To no fault of anyone.

This is one of the best parts. They do their best to code your treatments so that your regular health insurance will cover such costs as ultrasounds and different monitoring appointments. I was able to pay very little for my IUI. Much less than I thought I was going to have to pay. It is such a great asset to the clinic that their billing department knows how to do that.

Dr. Bankowski showed he cared for our story and what we are going through. He asked about our journey and what our goals are. He explained things thoroughly and made sure we asked any questions we had. He did explain all the details of how the reproductive systems work, which was review for me, but I think it helped my husband understand more clearly the state of our situation. Dr. Bankowski made it clear what the next steps would be for us. We knew who would be contacting us and when.

Be as candid as you can. Share your story with him. He will listen.

He was honest about what we were dealing with once we discovered my endo. I had no idea. The disappointment was that my eggs just weren’t of quality and he recommends moving forward with donor egg, Honest, hard to hear, but I respect how he didn’t try to just try again and again with likely the same results. But so expensive, otherwise we would have gone this route immediately.

This is truly a journey, don’t set any strict limits of what you’d really be willing to do because you really don’t know until you get there. Or maybe you won’t, but knowledge is power.

We decided to pretty much give me the highest doses for the treatment trying to get as many possible eggs my damaged ovaries might produce. We retrieved 4 mature and that was actually really good! We were very hopeful for 2, and 2 did grow to day 3. But didn’t make it to day 5.

The drugs were about $5500 out of pocket, and we spend roughly $20k to the doctors and clinics and lab. All in house but it is classified into 2 categories. Our I strange didn’t cover anything expect a small discount on our initial consultation.

We wanted to try 2 to transfer because I was extremely hopeful for twins. Still I would love twins but obviously we would just be thrilled with 1!

He was very complete with explanations and helpful. He gave realistic explanations and explained failure rates fully. He was experienced and prompt with communication. He gave good clinical advice when needed

Feel free to ask any questions. As a medical doctor myself I was very thorough with queries and Brandon Bankowski answered all my queries immediately.

We used an experienced egg donor with a proven egg donor record to increase our chances of creating viable embryos. We did a split cycle with both partners fertilising half the eggs collected with their own sperm with the hope that we would save on overall costs and only have to do the egg retrieval procedure once. We then tested the blastocysts created to ensure they were chromosomal normal. We were lucky that both of us ended up with at least 2 chromosomal normal Day 5 blastocysts. We transferred only one blastocysts to lower risks to our surrogate and were lucky to have a single live birth following that transfer.

$55000 for egg donor, embryo creation, testing of embryos, surrogate assessment and transfer of blastocyst

He explained both to us and the risks involved as well as the success rates of each. We made the decision to do an eSET

Brandon Bankowski is not a super warm doctor but he gives you all of the facts and always answers questions. He often draws pictures to help explain complicated fertility problems which are really helpful. He doesn’t waste time on small talk, but I appreciate that, he’s all business.

Write down all of your questions before your visit and don’t be shy to ask questions. He may come across as not super warm and fuzzy but he is knowledgeable and caring.

I am currently undergoing IVF due to a genetic factor - Balanced Robertsonian Translocation 13;14.

IVF treatment, care, plus genetic testing of up to 10 embryos - $20,200 ; prescriptions $3-5k;

My doctor said for me he would recommend transferring multiple embryos because any risks are low but chance of conceiving is higher.

I went to see Dr. Bankowski at age 40, after a lifetime of unexplained infertility, and finally a diagnosis of mild endometriosis at age 35. I had had one terrible experience at CCRM in Colorado at age 36, in which the doctor there told me that because of my AMH of 1.0 and FSH of 8.7, I would need to commit to doing 3 cycles of IVF, which would have cost $60k, plus more to travel to Colorado 3 times. I felt like this must mean IVF would be a huge gamble for me, and didn't think it was worth investing $60k and maybe not even having a baby to show for it in the end. So I ended up making the decision to go straight to donor eggs, to improve my odds. So we spent $40k on 13 frozen eggs, and had 2 embryos in the end to transfer. At age 40, when I went to see Dr. Bankowski, he explained to me that there was no need to require 3 cycles at 36 with an AMH of 1.0, since patients like me who have never gotten pregnant naturally, are often successful when an embryo is actually transferred. And even though my one attempt at an IVF cycle at age 40 was not likely to result in a live birth (and so could impact their success rates), he was totally fine with me trying. From that cycle, we retrieved 4 eggs and got 3 day 5 embryos! That is better results using my 40 year old eggs than we had using 25 year old donor eggs at CCRM! I did get pregnant; unfortunately I later miscarried due to a chromosome abnormality, but I would expect that at age 40. It really made me wonder how things would've gone if I had gone to ORM at age 36, instead of CCRM.

We did an antagonist protocol with BCP to prime. If I had been able to try another cycle (insurance covered only one), I would've requested estrogen priming and Micro dose Lupron flare.

I was fortunate to have insurance that covered the majority of my cycle, and everything was handled well. I paid up front for the cycle, and was reimbursed at the end. It took a few days after my last bill was paid by insurance to get reimbursed. I paid around $13k up front and was reimbursed around $11k.

I was given the option to PGS test or not, and I chose not to, so we transferred 2 embryos. At my age, the chance of both becoming babies was slim.

We are just about to start our fertility treatments with Dr. Bankowski. So far all of the testing, the ultrasounds, and the consults we have been through with him already have been wonderful. My husband and I have been dealing with doctors since January 2019, and it wasn't until we met with Dr. Bankowski in July 2019 when we actually starting getting answers. It's only September now but we are already about to start our first treatments. And I am happy about that!

If you are going though infertility and you need answers go see him.

We told our doctor we wanted to do multiple embryo transfer to better our chances, he very much agreed that was a good plan.

Dr. Bankowski seems to genuinely care about his patients and what he does. However, he doesn't always give as much information as I would have liked and his answers were usually short. Additionally, some of his answers seem cookie cutter instead of individualized. Bankowski made himself available by phone if I asked my nurse coordinator to speak with him and I sincerely appreciate that! But I wish I'd had more face time with him to develop a closer patient/doctor relationship, including having him perform my actual egg retrievals.

Ask any questions you have? Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. This clinic only exists because of its patients. Every patient has a right to understand all their options and to feel comfortable with their treatment plans. Also, don't put all your stock into their statistics. Just because their numbers are high does not guarantee you will have success. And understand, you will select your RE and they review your medical records and determine your treatment but rarely do they do your ultrasounds or egg retrievals.

Bankowski wanted to do aggressive stim cycles to obtain as many eggs as possible. I believe I was on an antagonist protocol. Birth control for suppression, dexamethasone, and baby aspirin, menopur, follistim, omnitrope and ganirelix. My body was a good responder and this protocol worked well.

IVF own egg cycles are around $10,000-$15,000. CCS up to 10 embyros runs aroudn $5,000. Medications are from an outside pharmacy and cost $4,000-$10,000. Counsyl genetic screening is roughly $500. Egg donor cycles are entirely more expensive. They are roughly $20,000, plus the donor fee, the CCS, the donors additional screening, donor medications, tests for the recipient, transfer, etc.

No comments. I think Bankowski is very smart in his recommendations for number of embryos to transfer.

Dr. Bankowski has a way of being clear and direct while also calm and caring. My husband and I always felt we had a good understanding of every step. He provided us with multiple forms of education and I think that really helped. When describing things he would also make drawings and notes and we were always sent home with those notes. It was a great reference to jog the memory and help us feel empowered.

Listen. He has so much knowledge and great advice.

Egg retrieval: good responder antagonist protocol. Birthcrontrol for suppression. Dexamtheasone, ASA, menopur 1-2, follistim 150-200, ganirelix. Leuprolide trigger. Resulted in 13 eggs retrieved. All mature. Dr Bankowski had hoped for more eggs to be retrieved however met the goal for mature eggs. No Over stim symptoms. Eggs fetilized with icsi. 8 made it to day 5. Biopsy for ccs testing. One mosaic the other 7 are chrom. Normal all top quality embryos. FET: Deleatrogen no Lupron protocol. Birth control for suppression. Delestrogen 0.3-0.25, doxycycline, medrol 1 tab, PIO 1-2 ml, after positive pregnancy test slow transition to endometrin and taper off both that and PIO around 12 weeks gestation. Delivered at 42 weeks.

From our first appointment we had a very clear breakdown of costs. We met with the financial counselor the same day we met Dr. Bankowski. They provided an estimate worksheet that estimated cost at $28922 for all testing, egg retrieval, Icsi, ccs, FET, one yer embryo storage and freezing, meds. Our actual cost ended up being $28206.

Dr. Bankowski very clearly outlined he pros and cons of single to multiple embryo transfers. He helped us make an informed decision based o our circumstances and risks that single embryo transfer was the beat choice for us.

Dr. Bankowski can seem a little intimidating at first but he is very friendly and great at what he does. I'm a type A personality. Planning, organization, and lists are how I thrive. I wanted to be involved and educated in the process so Dr. Bankowski was the best choice for us. He was great at explaining each step of the process in a way that my husband and I both understood. He always made sure to answer all of our questions and make sure we were comfortable.

Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions.

After testing and blood work Dr. Bankowski said that I was considered a "good responder" so he put me on the good responder antagonist protocol. I did a short suppression with 18 days of birth control pills, a baseline ultrasound/blood work 3 days later then started follicle stimulating hormones 3 days after that. Six days after starting those medications he added in gnrh-agonist that I took daily to prevent early ovulation. My follicles grew at a slow, steady rate and on Day 10 my leading follicles were all around 20mm so I used a lupron & HCG trigger shot that night for an egg retrieval 36 hours later. During the egg retrieval we retrieved 26 eggs, 21 were mature, 18 fertilized with ICSI, and 7 embryos made it to Day 6 for biopsy and freeze. We did CCS and PGD testing and we're currently awaiting the transfer of our one normal embryo.

They charge a base price for the IVF cycle and then add on for any extras such as ICSI, CCS or PGD testing, etc.

Our doctor allows up to 2 embryos depending on the mother's health and thoroughly counsels everyone on the risks of multiples.

I saw Dr. Bankowski at almost every visit, which was important to me. He was very personable and genuine and always left me feeling informed and confident about the next steps.

Dr. Bankowski can come across as a little too confident and it can be mistaken as dismissive. Ask the questions that you need answers to and make sure you have him elaborate on his reasoning. He is confident because his experiences and education allow for him to be so, but again, if you have concerns, make sure you get answers.

I had a good AMH and FSH and my follicle count was always on par or higher for my age. 36. I was considered a “good responder” because of my test results. Also, my cycles were always normal and I achieved 3 natural pregnancies prior to seeking treatment. I was on the antagonist protocol, menopor, gonal f and cetrotide. I stimmed for 10 days before my egg retrieval. I had 23 follicles, 17 eggs retrieved, 12 mature and all fertilized with ICSI (our choice, not required). By day 6 we had 4 embryos to send for testing and 1 was chromosomally normal. I can currently pregnant with that little girl.

We paid an estimated $30,000 for IVF, ICSI, CCS and FET.

Dr. Bankowski is confident, knowledgeable, and informative. He had a clear idea of what treatment was appropriate for us given our history, but was willing to discuss our questions, concerns, or hesitations. Although our appointments occasionally felt a bit rushed, in general he showed care and concern for our experience.

Ask questions about what specific protocol/treatments are appropriate for you given your history, and come prepared with specific information to give him about your fertility history.

For my retrieval, Dr. Bankowski used Menopur, follistim, and ganirelex, given that I had had good results on that protocol before. The protocol worked well. 17 mature eggs were retrieved, which resulted in 5 blastocysts and 3 genetically normal embryos. For my transfer, Dr. Bankowski used progesterone in oil and delestrogen. This was the first time I had used that protocol and I am pregnant with twins.

Confident in his expertise and ability to get results but the process was an ordeal to be endured rather than a partnership for success. Treated my individual questions with generic responses.

Be an agressive advocate for yourself. You're paying a lot of money; get all your questions answered. Even if you have to repeat yourself.

One cycle of Clomid supported IUI. One cycle of injection supported IVF w/ICSI. I had 2 morning injections and one evening. Post-retrieval I used vaginal progesterone suppositories to support the transfer and implantation. I had a history of ovarian cysts (not PCOS) which interfered with egg development. The injection cycle was delayed twice due to cysts resulting from failure to respond to ovulation suppression therapy.

Approximately $22,000 total.

Great doctor who knows his stuff and is very intelligent but also has great bedside manner. He is very calm in all situations which helped me to stay calm. I would definitely recommend him and will use him again for later embryo transfers if I have the chance.

He would love to answer questions but you just have to ask. He doesn’t freely just explains things unless you ask him to.

A lot of the pre testing wasn’t included in the lump sum which would have been good to know. They are on the more expensive end but they get good results so it’s worth it.

He told us that the genetic testing is a good idea and it’s totally up to us if we want to transfer one or two embryos. He stayed completely neutral.

We did not fully understand the chances of success. We learned later that it was not very likely based on age. He seems earnest but we were still let down and not fully informed. We didn't see him every time we visited and it is very difficult to get ahold of anyone at ORM.

Give the full facts and statistics of percentages of success and age.

They didn't get my period and ovulation right which wasted time and perhaps led to the failure.

All in is about $25,000

We were allowed to give input which is appreciated.

He was very clear on explanations but he was not available for retrieval or transfer which made us feel a bit discouraged. His pitch sounded a bit robotic but we knew he was a good Doctor by recommendations so we decided to go with him anyways.

We were presented a cycle Based on my history. My care was basically done by his assistant Ranchel. We didn’t see him after the first visit. He wasn’t available for retrieval or transfer. But his staff was sure to make us feel comfortable we were well taken care of.

Probably around $20k for full cycle plus 1k of egg freezing

I wished we had discussed more on how many embryos to transfer from the beginning.

He was ok, a nice man, a little better than Dr. Hesla. He just was very quick. But he was nice. He;s not the hold your hand type though or give you a hug or anything. But he gets the job done! Glad I went to ORM though I wish I had researched cheaper options as it was very expensive.

Make sure you are clear about what you need and want, the communication you want to have and how you need to be treated.

I dont remember

24k

He had no opinion and would not weigh in.

Very patient and kind. I was I not successful there until I did egg transfer but he was very professional. He advised me to work closely with a maternal fetal medicine doctor which resulted in a live birth.

Ask a lot of questions

I did IUI with him and he never changed the protocol

Maybe slightly a live average

I had experienced severe preeclampsia with my first pregnancy when I transferred 2, both did not make it so I was advised to only transfer 1 for my next cycle which helped

I saw a team of the doctors their and they were all very competent and friendly.

Lupron (12 days) and BCP for suppression, along steroids, doxcycline and baby aspirin. Gonal F (300 IU) and Menopur (2 vials) 12 days. Gonal-F dosing varied based on monitoring (dosage lowered/then raised). HCG trigger.

9,000 for IVF cycle with ICSI (not including medications or local monitoring)

He seems to care and doesn't want is to waste our time and money going through another cycle but at the same time I don't think we were fully explained the chances of having a baby. We later found out that the chances based on my age are extremely low.

Fully explain the chances of getting having a baby and age of mother.

We used high doses of IVf drugs. They did not get my ovulation right the first time so we had to go through another cycle. We could have started in November but we waited for personal reasons until February. We wonder if the three month wait had contributed to the negative effect on our outcome.

We had to pay over $25,000 up front. Services were not billed separately.

No comment.

He has been very straightforward and informative. He explains all options, risks and potential outcomes. He allows us to be apart of the decision making process. We felt like our choices were a collaborative decision between him and us. Although appointments were usually short, we never felt rushed and he always provided time for us to ask questions. He is very data and scientific based which was exactly what we were looking for.

He is very smart and more on the data side than the friendly side. But allows you to participate in your treatment plans.

We did 3 IUI cycles with clomid. Egg retrieval was antagonist and had highly successful outcomes with ICSI and PGT testing.

We have spent about $33,000 so far, including all medication and procedures. Including diagnostic testing, 3 IUIs, 1 egg retrieval and 1 frozen embryo transfer. No insurance coverage.

Strongly prefers to transfer 1 but will allow 2.

He is very knowledgeable doctor . He knows what will work and what not by looking at your history . He won’t oversee any details. We have done so many tests and now we have 4 embryos to transfer. We cannot wait for our transfer. I received multiple phone calls and follow up . We have done so many tests for my partner and me to make sure nothing is overlooked . Then we found our not only my partner had low sperm count with excluded treatments like IUI . But also we found out I had polyps in my uterus . We tried natural way and I was ovulating and I Nw we knew what the problem was .

To listen to him and follow his plan. Yes I wanted things got done faster and become a mom faster but he told me I need to listen to him and it will happen.

I don’t remember

30k

They suggest 1 or two.

I wanted to see the first fertility doctor with the soonest opening, and it turned out to Dr. Bankowski. So thankful it was! I think of him as sincerely understanding, knowledgable, caring. My mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer during my fertility treatment, and he gave me some references to research just in case I wanted to seek a second opinion. This wasn’t part of his job, and did not have to do this for me. I appreciated this so much, and wish he could deliver my baby. This to me shows he is passionate at not only at being a doctor, but a good person.

Follow his direction, and tell him everything about how you are feeling- physically and mentally. Fertility treatment is a lengthy process, but he has your best interest in mind.

The IVF process was expensive, but it’s expensive anywhere. We probably paid $30k for the whole process including medicines.

Strength was knowing the stats of the information. And knowing the next steps. He was personable at the beginning of appointments, asking us our story. And then delivered the very complicated information in an effective way with studies and numbers backing that information up.

Knowledgeable

I was told that with my age and Demi I shed Iberian reserve that further testing was needed. And that we can go from there to determine next steps. I’m in the very beginning of this process. Everything makes sense it’s just the price that is hard

The cost has yet to be given it will be mailed to me by coordinator

None experienced