Organising IVF medicines: 12 practical things to sort out

Ask how your medicines will reach you

Clinics do this differently. Some hand medicines over at the clinic, some send your prescription to a hospital pharmacy for you to collect, and some use a medicine delivery company that contacts you to arrange delivery to your home or work. If you’re self-funding, you may have to pay the delivery company directly.

Ask: “How will my medicines reach me, and when should I expect them?”

Sources: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Guy’s and St Thomas’

If they’re delivered, plan for the delivery

An NHS homecare leaflet (not specific to fertility) says someone will always need to sign for a medicines delivery, that it can go to another suitable address, and that boxes are unmarked. Check the delivery as soon as it arrives, and tell the provider straight away if anything is missing.

Source: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Self-funding? Ask about other pharmacies

Self-funded patients can often ask for a paper prescription to take to a pharmacy of their choice, and compare prices. Pharmacies usually need a few days’ notice to get fertility medicines in stock. Your contract must say if you’re required to buy your medicines from the clinic or a supplier it chooses.

Ask: “Can I get my medication from elsewhere?”

Sources: Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, HFEA (5), HFEA (6)

Read the leaflet in every pack

Every medicine comes with a patient leaflet. Read it before you start, and store it with the medicine. Your clinic will also give you a written plan to follow. If anything in the two seems to differ, ask your clinic’s nurses.

Sources: Guy’s and St Thomas’, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals

Store each medicine the way its leaflet says

Storage isn’t the same for every fertility medicine. Some must be kept in a fridge and never frozen. Others must not be stored above 25°C and don’t go in the fridge at all. Some can spend a set time out of the fridge. Check each leaflet, check expiry dates, and store everything out of the sight and reach of children.

Sources: Electronic medicines compendium (7), Electronic medicines compendium (8), Electronic medicines compendium (9), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals

If something was stored wrongly, ask before using it

If a medicine got too warm, froze, or doesn’t look right, don’t guess. Contact your clinic or delivery provider before you use it. The leaflets also say not to use a liquid that contains particles or isn’t clear.

Sources: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Electronic medicines compendium (7), Electronic medicines compendium (9)

Check you have needles and a sharps bin

Needles, swabs and a sharps bin aren’t always included. Some clinics give you an equipment pack with a sharps bin, while the instructions for at least one fertility pen list swabs and a sharps container as not included. Check when your medicines arrive, and order anything extra before the weekend.

Sources: Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Electronic medicines compendium, Guy’s and St Thomas’

Use the sharps bin safely, and ask how to get rid of it

Put used needles straight into the sharps bin, never in household waste or recycling. Don’t fill it above the line, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.

How full bins are collected depends on where you live. Some clinics take them back, some councils in England and Wales collect them (sometimes for a charge), and some pharmacies run a service. Ask your clinic first. For medicines you no longer need, the leaflets say to ask a pharmacist.

Sources: Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, GOV.UK, Electronic medicines compendium

Worried you’ve missed or mistimed a dose? Call your clinic

Don’t try to work it out on your own. The leaflets for these medicines say to talk to your doctor or nurse as soon as you notice, and what happens next depends on the medicine and your plan. Call your clinic, using the out-of-hours number if you need to.

The timing of the trigger injection matters especially: clinics say it must be done at the exact time they give you. Newcastle Fertility Centre’s leaflet puts it simply: “We are always willing to listen.”

Sources: Electronic medicines compendium (9), Electronic medicines compendium (8), Guy’s and St Thomas’, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals

Talk to your clinic before booking travel

Some clinics advise against going far away for a holiday or work during a treatment cycle, so ask before you book anything.

Source: Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Flying with injectable medicines

At UK airports, syringes and essential medicines are allowed in hand luggage, and medical equipment is screened separately. For liquid medicines over 100ml you’ll need proof, such as a letter from your doctor or a copy of your prescription. Ask the airport about ice packs.

Keep medicines in their pharmacy packaging, carry a copy of your prescription and a letter from your prescriber, check the rules for the country you’re going to, and contact the airline in advance about injectable medicines.

Sources: GOV.UK (15), GOV.UK (16), NaTHNaC (TravelHealthPro)

Write down what you take, as you take it

A simple record helps if anything changes. Note the name of each medicine as supplied (brands can change part-way through if stock runs out), when you took it, what your clinic’s plan said, anything unusual, and how much you have left. Some pens come with a treatment diary in their instructions.

If you notice side effects, tell your clinic. The leaflets also mention reporting them through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

Sources: Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, Electronic medicines compendium (10), Electronic medicines compendium (9)