3 Tips for Traveling with Fertility Medication
Traveling during the holidays can be stressful for anyone, but add fertility medication and COVID-19 to the mix and the stress can become too much to handle especially for those who are mid-cycle. To help relieve some anxiety associated with holiday travel during fertility treatment, the fertility experts at IVF FLORIDA are here to provide some helpful tips to make your trip as stress-free as possible.
Tip 1: Plan Ahead
If you’re in the midst of an IVF cycle, you know that timing is everything, and traveling during an IVF cycle requires a strict schedule. Before booking your travel arrangements, speak with your care team to make sure you get anything you’ll need (from monitoring to additional meds) ready to go before you leave town. Some key things to speak with them about include:
- Monitoring: If you’re in the middle of your cycle, it’s important to schedule monitoring appointments at a fertility clinic located in your destination. Practices that are part of a large network, like IVF FLORIDA, have partner practices all over the country with qualified fertility teams that can monitor you while you’re out of town.
- Medication: You may need to obtain prior authorization from your insurance company for things like blood draws and medication if necessary, including refills of extra medication for your trip if needed.
Tip 2: Be Informed and Check with Your Airline
If you are traveling by air, reach out to your airline before your trip, so you have all of the information you need well ahead of your vacation. Your airline can let you know about specific protocols surrounding syringes, needles, and medication that needs to be refrigerated. Remember that every airline is different, so some airlines may only allow certain packing materials to keep meds cold and may have specific rules for traveling with liquid medications.
In addition, when you arrive at the airport, speak with the TSA to let them know you are in the middle of fertility treatments and carrying medication and supplies including syringes. You can also request an X-Ray exemption if your doctor informs you that your medication shouldn’t go through the x-ray process. You may need a note, so check with your doctor before you go.
Tip 3: Pack Accordingly
Never place your fertility medications or supplies in your checked baggage. Airlines regularly lose checked bags, sometimes taking weeks to get them back to you, which can wreak havoc on your fertility treatment schedule and completely throw you off of your cycle. Instead, make sure to properly store your fertility medications (and any other materials you may need, like gauze or alcohol wipes) in your carry-on bag, so they are easily accessible during your trip. Finally, make sure to carry the emergency contact information for your clinic and pharmacy on you – just in case.
Traveling during an IVF cycle can be stressful, but with some careful planning and help from your team of fertility experts, it doesn’t have to be.
Remember, your care team at IVF FLORIDA is here for you every step of the way! If you have any questions regarding traveling with fertility medications or would like to schedule a consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us today.