Dr. Nichole Barker, United States

No compassion, which is a huge problem when working with people who struggle already with infertility.

Wow, I have never been convinced to schedule a doctor's appointment so quickly...

Dr. Mazur and Nurse Amanda were very kind and supportive. The doctor who performed the procedure was wonderful! We transferred one embryo and ultimately had twins! The only area needing improvement is financial and insurance coordination. Updates were sometimes very slow, and information from SRM's financial team conflicted with information from the insurer.

SRM absolutely exceeded my expectations. Dr. Mazur explained everything well, and I felt fully in control of my fertility journey. The entire staff was helpful and nonjudgmental. Highly recommend!

Wonderful! With the help of Dr. Barker and all the excellent staff at SRM, my son was born. It was a great experience all around. I will return soon to try for another :)

It has been a long time since I shared my thoughts in a review, but I believe this information is important. First, I want to clarify that I am sharing it out of deep concern for other patients considering or relying on SRM for any fertility-related care. I understand that experiences may differ depending on why someone uses the clinic. This is also a sensitive subject, and frankly, because I prefer privacy, I understand my name will not be shown. Some of my experiences were genuinely concerning, and I felt it necessary to post. To summarize, disappointment does not begin to describe our experience. SRM had communication failures, disappointing physicians who appeared indifferent to the resulting emotional and financial harm, and extremely serious billing errors that warrant this review. To avoid writing a novel, I will discuss only the financial and billing mistakes. This concerns me because I wonder who else may have experienced the same thing. Who else had similar errors and can no longer continue because of the financial burden? From the beginning, we understood that the services we needed would be expensive. That was understandable. I was fortunate that my health insurance offered some assistance, but a large portion was out of pocket. We asked their medical billing team to help clarify and itemize these expenses compared with what insurance covered. The first financial representative assigned to us was so rude that we requested someone else. It was as though asking questions was unreasonable. Things seemed to improve until the bills began arriving—and every one was wrong. Both the insurance billing and our personal bills were incorrect. The errors were so extreme that we not only exhausted our insurance benefit but also supposedly owed tens of thousands of dollars!!! It turned out that the clinic owed us a substantial refund, also in the tens of thousands, and had to return money to our insurance so I could preserve my once-in-a-lifetime benefit. Fortunately, my partner is an accountant in a health care system and knows how to review medical bills carefully. She spent hours comparing our insurance policy with the amounts SRM claimed we owed and discovered that both we and the insurer had been dramatically overcharged. How many other people have been billed incorrectly, even by smaller amounts? In short, my partner and I underwent three different treatments at SRM, each time hoping for a better outcome, but made no progress. In desperation but with hope, and after further research, we decided to try one final cycle at Las Vegas Fertility. The results were remarkable, and the treatment approach was completely different. I hope this information helps anyone considering taking a pause and doing their own due diligence. Had we known then what we know now, we could have saved enormous amounts of time, money, and energy. Find the clinic that fits you and your goals. You have many options. Please do your own research and make the best decision for your family.

SRM: A Masterclass in Cold Detachment Everyone here seems so desensitized by their daily work that they are unable, or unwilling, to respect the deeply personal nature of a fertility journey. They post life-changing test results directly to your patient portal without a message, advance notice, or follow-up appointment. Try reaching a real person, if you can, and you will only get a receptionist who cannot discuss your results, leaving you to spiral through Google searches you never expected to make. They market themselves as “patient-centered” and offering “concierge care.” I know because it is in their voicemail greeting, which I heard far more often than I heard from a real person. Their emails tell you to “schedule an appointment,” but the link does not work. To SRM: You are affecting people's lives, and they are investing heavily with you. Develop some compassion, or at least strengthen your team. You should be ashamed.

My husband and I went to SRM for a second opinion after a TFMR, SCH/MMC, and multiple D&Cs due to complications. My obstetrician-gynecologist was leaving the clinic, and the other doctors would not address my concerns, but Dr. Mazur did. He understood our concerns and quickly developed a plan. I never felt pressured into unnecessary tests or procedures. Once we were cleared to try again, early testing and ultrasounds gave us peace of mind. Although the first trimester involved much uncertainty, I felt reassured regardless of the outcome because we were working with a team that communicated news honestly yet sensitively. After we transferred back to my obstetrician-gynecologist, SRM continued to follow up and ensure everything was going well. Two weeks ago, we finally brought our baby boy home. I am grateful for SRM's kindness and relieved to be beyond this difficult period. Thank you to Dr. Mazur and the team for everything.

They were very helpful and informative . I was taken care of from the beginning up until i got pregnant.

Go directly to PNWF. We hoped SRM would help, but it failed us. Despite knowing we had severe male-factor infertility, they strongly recommended intrauterine insemination (IUI). They later found I also had a tubal factor, so the thousands spent on IUI were wasted. From the start, finance issued several wildly inconsistent bills, plus many unexpected charges. They have no separate family waiting room, so either you must sit with children as a childless patient 👎🏼, or parents cannot bring children. A separate room would be much better; no one wants these groups mixed. During my husband's surgery, they were cold and felt anesthesia alone was not enough reason to let spouses stay together beforehand. When I asked to accompany him to pre-op, the nurse laughed in my face. They made me leave him at the door. Because his mother died young from cardiac complications and surgery always carries risk, this was one of our worst experiences. The nurses were equally cold. If you message that you suspect an ectopic pregnancy—high-risk and life-threatening because I had surgery on both tubes—and need beta-hCG testing, they ask whether you are ready for a $30,000 IVF cycle instead of taking the concern seriously. Unless you pay thousands more, they send you to your OB-GYN. Doctors also spend as little time with you as possible. Worse, we watched our doctor go through two pregnancies while we prayed for one living child. The process felt like an impersonal assembly line. Reviews show many doctors do not treat urgent concerns with the seriousness patients do. Many of us fear losing a child and want our concerns taken seriously, but are dismissed. Our doctor was kind, but other clinic staff were cold. We have now lost our child and carry heavy debt. If I could start over, I would pay more for PNWF's personalized service and doctors who truly care. SRM may tell us to contact them—we already did! We reported every bad incident, but no one responded. Your environment enabled staff to mock us. Stop using generic “apologies.”

I visited this clinic in summer 2023 after two miscarriages. The staff were friendly and helped rule out some issues, which was useful. But if you have pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction like me, you may need an endometriosis/pelvic pain specialist. Thankfully I eventually became pregnant, but learned this clinic does not diagnose endometriosis. Overall, it is a good place to rule out most fertility problems other than endometriosis.

Dr. Buck and the entire staff provided tremendous help and guidance during our fertility journey. We underwent four rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and are now expecting our first baby in July 2026! We will always be grateful for their service, expertise, and support throughout the process. Highly recommended if you are struggling to conceive.

This clinic and its service are amazing! Throughout IVF, I was constantly anxious about work, the unknown, and self-doubt. Megan was very kind and supportive, and her care made me feel that “we are in this together”—because we truly were. Dr. Mazur was always available to answer my questions and understood my concerns and need for reassurance. I highly recommend this clinic, 10/10! We succeeded on our first attempt and look forward to returning for a second embryo transfer after our first child is born.

The nurses are heroes—five stars for the nurses. Zero stars for the doctors.

This clinic is highly skilled and experienced. They made us feel comfortable throughout. They are professional, courteous, and welcoming. I highly recommend them!

My experience with SRM was excellent. All the staff were kind, considerate, and highly skilled. Without Megan Jacklin, I might not be here at 16 weeks pregnant. She is the best, and the Tacoma clinic is fortunate to have such a versatile nurse practitioner and midwife. In the past, anything passing through my cervix caused excruciating pain. Whether it was IUD insertion/removal, fertility testing, or intrauterine insemination, I was in agony. I was considering whether I could undergo another procedure and what my options were. After the first IUI failed, I decided to try again despite the severe pain. Megan performed my second IUI and guided me throughout. She helped me regulate my breathing, dimmed the lights, and explained what she was doing. When she reached the final step and seemed ready to begin, she told me it was already finished! I felt nothing, which was incredible. I know this may not happen every time, but the techniques were remarkably effective, and she is amazing. Dr. Mazur always responded quickly to calls, answered questions, and understood how we felt throughout the process. My only dissatisfaction with the clinic is billing. Other reviews may also mention billing issues. If your insurance includes fertility benefits, make sure they bill correctly. I had only two intrauterine inseminations (IUIs), but every cycle in which I only took medication, had ultrasounds, and followed timed intercourse was billed as an IUI package. This was very frustrating, so review everything carefully and make sure those scans are billed as follicular ultrasounds. The issue remains unresolved, but I now believe the insurer may have overpaid by several thousand dollars despite my repeated calls over more than six months trying to resolve it. Also, if they tell you at an appointment that payment is required when you know the amount should be different, challenge it. They told me this often, and it was not accurate. Once I significantly overpaid. Always verify your billing codes. Do not rely on the financial counselors or their estimates; mine were never accurate, and the problems were never resolved when I called for corrections. Eventually, I had to go to the clinic and have them reduce all the expected charges requiring signatures before treatment to zero because we were still "waiting for the problem to be resolved." The bills finally began processing correctly, but none of the earlier issues were ever resolved.

I began my fertility journey at SRM Tacoma in April 2023 with Dr. Mazur. We underwent 3 egg retrievals and 4 embryo transfers. Last September, I finally welcomed my twins! Dr. Mazur took all our concerns seriously and adapted the plan after every attempt. Although none of our procedures took place while he was on duty, he performed the ultrasound where I saw my twins' heartbeats! I want to tell everyone to stay positive even when things seem hopeless. A miracle may happen—life is full of surprises!

I have been a patient at Pinnacle Fertility for over five years and am very satisfied with their care. Dr. Mazur is excellent, and the staff are attentive and friendly. Choosing this clinic was one of our best decisions. The entire team was highly professional, which was very reassuring during a stressful and anxious time. This clinic gave us hope when we needed it most, and we will always be grateful. Highly recommended to anyone beginning or already on a fertility journey.

Update: I replied within two hours using the email address provided below. It has now been about 48 hours, excluding Saturday and Sunday, and I still have not heard from this top-tier organization. A financial counselor supervisor contacted me about a previous portal message. After explaining the same information again, she said she had received special approval to offer a 50% discount for the month. Again, cost is not the main issue, and I do not think Pinnacle understands my situation. I would be more understanding if that were the only problem, but it is not, and I feel scarcely valued or cared for as a patient. I sincerely hope someone intervenes and takes the concerns of current and future patients seriously. I will update this review if anything changes. I previously had two positive conception experiences with SRM. They gave me extensive care and guidance. We encountered some minor issues, but they were always resolved quickly with the best possible outcome. Our third attempt has been entirely different. The process has been chaotic and disorganized. At nearly every step, I had to struggle to ensure all documents, procedures, and lab orders were submitted and completed on time so the cycle would not be canceled. Even then, I ultimately had to cancel one cycle. I changed navigators in hopes of easing some problems, and things improved slightly; the new navigator had previously been a financial counselor. Financially, I believe their account practices are unethical. I initially submitted my insurance information and had difficulty getting the cycle started, but after September I heard nothing further and had a $115 credit on my account. My insurance changed in early November, and I forgot to notify the finance department. In March, they checked my insurance because I had a doctor’s appointment, found the old policy had expired, and requested my current information, which I provided. My secondary coverage is ChampVA, but I was initially told it was out of network. ChampVA does not have a provider network, however, and it had previously been confirmed that claims would be reimbursed regardless of the provider. Nearly three weeks into my current cycle, I was told that because I am now self-pay, I must pay $350 per month beginning with this cycle. No claims had been submitted to my insurer for the previous five or six months, yet I am now being charged $350 monthly because I am self-pay. This seems highly unethical. SRM is expanding its physical clinics. Based on the current situation and my experience, I can only infer that quantity is being prioritized over quality. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that their growth has exceeded their capacity. Rather than limiting patient volume and providing high-quality care, they continue expanding at patients’ expense. I built a good relationship with Dr. Mazur over the years and had two successful pregnancies. I am disappointed to say that we are seriously considering ending our relationship with SRM and exploring other options. I hope SRM takes this review seriously and that it has a lasting impact on the direction of the organization. I would rather pay more for excellent service than save a little and become just another name on a list.

We were always treated with respect and kindness. Dr. Mazur gave us hope and was confident we would become pregnant. Thankfully, he was right! Everyone at the clinic was wonderful. We will be back soon.

I want to express my gratitude to SRM Care. Four months after our successful embryo transfer, our first and only transfer at SRM, we are finally expecting our first daughter. Our experience here was wonderful. Despite severe endometriosis and the pain of losing a pregnancy due to an ectopic pregnancy, my husband and I, both nearly forty, are now preparing to welcome our first daughter. We sincerely thank Dr. Mazur, Nurse Lexie, Dr. Wald, the sonographers, and the front desk staff for their exceptional care. Their dedication and professionalism made this miracle possible.

We were referred to Pinnacle after months of IVF-level preparation and completion of all basic testing, with normal HSG and laboratory results. We sought treatment because of a diagnosis of 50% pyriform sperm morphology. Despite clinical evidence supporting microfluidic sperm separation for this diagnosis, Pinnacle, through Dr. Mazur, refused to allow us to use the ZyMot sperm separation device during an IU1 cycle, stating that it was “only for IVF patients.” Pushing IU1 patients toward $25,000 IVF treatment by withholding a $200 evidence-based tool is a predatory business model, not medical care. Worse, they tried to charge a $300 “additional consultation fee” simply to discuss using equipment already available in their laboratory. We ended treatment and canceled our three-cycle package. If you have male-factor infertility and want a clinic that uses modern technology at every stage of treatment, look elsewhere. Pinnacle appears more focused on protecting its margins than optimizing IUl success rates.

I have only praise for our experience with Dr. Barker at Pinnacle Fertility in Washington State. We had been devastated by a terrible experience at another Seattle-area clinic. We contacted Dr. Barker, and she quickly arranged an appointment and answered questions the previous clinic had left unresolved, putting us at ease. She stayed with us throughout treatment and helped us understand each next step. I wish we had gone to Pinnacle from the start and avoided the other clinic entirely. You will not be disappointed. Dr. Barker and her team are very kind, and their systems work well, so it is easy to get questions answered. We truly felt we were receiving the best care.

Update: Pinnacle contacted me and resolved this issue, for which I am very grateful. SRM was excellent. After Pinnacle took over, they tried to charge me for a procedure I had already paid for. I suppose they thought they could get away with it. They repeatedly claimed they could not access all the previous records. I am certain that if we had an outstanding balance, we could not have completed the transfer of care. I truly liked my doctor. It is unfortunate that Pinnacle came in and spoiled everything.

Overall, this was a terrible experience. I strongly advise seeking a higher standard of care elsewhere. The level of care at SRM is very poor. My wife and I received treatment at SRM for over a year, and the experience was extremely frustrating. The lack of communication throughout was unbelievable. Because all treatment depends on the woman's menstrual cycle, everything must happen on time. We missed about four treatment opportunities because SRM did not respond to texts or calls or because the timing fell on a weekend. When we complained, they always said someone was on call on weekends and holidays, but in practice, no one ever answered. If you were lucky, you might reach voicemail and receive a call back several days later. During that year, my wife had about five different patient advocates. Each time someone changed, she had to explain everything again, such as why she could not take a certain medication or which procedure we were pursuing. Their internal communication was severely lacking. They appeared to work only 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, and mainly communicated by text, with responses sometimes taking two days or never arriving. The next problem involved the doctor. On several occasions, the doctor called my wife but confused us with other patients. We had to interrupt and explain that we were not having the procedure she was discussing. This was completely unprofessional. Once could be a mistake. Twice was alarming. Three times was unbelievable. A doctor should be organized before calling a patient to discuss a procedure. After these experiences, I did not trust them to transfer the correct embryo. Another issue was that after our first cycle, we told them they could discard the nonviable embryos. Six months later, they called to ask what we wanted to do with those embryos. We were both shocked that we had to explain it again. Overall, this was an awful and deeply frustrating experience that wasted hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. I strongly recommend going elsewhere. At SRM, you are just a number. I did not want to write this review, but I feel a moral obligation to warn others.

I am so glad to finally be done with this clinic. We came here because several friends who had previously been patients strongly recommended it. But honestly, this is no longer the SRM it was a few years ago. The clinic was acquired by a private equity firm and is now part of a huge multistate chain. They have raised their prices and seem focused solely on seeing as many patients as possible, with no regard for the quality of care or treatment outcomes. If you register at the Tacoma clinic, be aware that all procedures and many routine follow-up appointments—which are very frequent—will be scheduled in Seattle because the Tacoma clinic is overbooked. They will tell you they are hiring to meet demand, but... Most of the staff seem very inexperienced. At nearly every appointment, you see only technicians and never a doctor. By the end of our second course of treatment, we had not seen our own doctor in an entire year. Even when you do see a doctor, which is limited to procedures, one is assigned at random. We also had to blacklist one technician after an appallingly bad and excruciatingly painful ultrasound. If you call, you reach a call center, not anyone at the clinic. If you genuinely need to contact a member of your care team, be prepared. Their response time is unbearably slow. Our medical records were also filled with blatant falsehoods about what that technician supposedly did or discussed at each visit, none of which actually happened. We were patients here for nearly two years. I tried many times to escalate my various concerns and received numerous verbal apologies, but almost nothing improved. On one occasion, a clinical supervisor took three months to respond to me. The administrative operations are a complete mess. They quoted one price, but the bill showed another, and it took us days or even weeks to sort it out. Even after paying, it took several more days to obtain “financial clearance”—they absolutely will not see patients who have not prepaid in full. During that time, we missed a menstrual cycle and had to wait another month. For patients of advanced maternal age, every month matters. Our assigned “consultant” never offered any solutions beyond suggesting that we contact one department or another—which should have been her job! We often spoke with friends who had similar experiences at SRM. They switched to another clinic and had a much better experience, so we followed them. I wish we had done it sooner, but we felt trapped by the time and money we had invested. Now we see a doctor at every appointment, customer service is excellent, and billing is clear and transparent. The price is the same, but the service is far better. We are even willing to drive five times farther than we did for SRM just to go to another clinic. The inconvenience is entirely worthwhile. This place is not what it used to be. Proceed at your own risk. Edit: A middle finger to Pinnacle's copy-and-paste response. We gave you so many opportunities to make things right. Your public claims that you care about feedback or service are purely performative and insulting.

Their billing is always a mess. You pay everything in full at your appointment, yet they tell you there is still a balance. They cannot even explain how the bill was calculated, wasting a huge amount of your time and energy. Or you ask at check-in how much the visit will cost, and they say nothing is due that day. You assume it was included in the total they charged earlier, only to be told after you get home that you still owe a balance?! What?! That is exactly why I asked. None of the receipts itemize the services, so you cannot tell what you paid for; they only say “visit.” It is very unprofessional. I recommend going to Bellevue for IVF. I have heard the clinics there are much more professional.

Suprise charged me 300 dollars, and its customer service staff were extremely rude.

I faced many challenges while working with Dr. Barker at SRM. She was always optimistic yet professional. She understood me without giving false hope. She was honest, compassionate, had an excellent nursing team, and always listened. Through IVF, miscarriage, and the painful question of why, I appreciated having a female doctor who checked on both my physical and mental health. She brought extensive experience, listened to my wishes, and considered what was best for my body and family. I was fortunate to introduce my little boy to her and her care team. I have recommended her to at least three people, and they also had excellent experiences.