IVF injections are stressful enough to administer in the comfort of your home, let alone if you’re having to travel while in-cycle or close in time to your egg retrieval.
To keep yourself from getting overwhelmed, make sure to give yourself as much control over your plans as possible. Getting organized in advance is key to enjoy your trip and handle your fertility shots seamlessly. Here’s a checklist to prepare yourself for traveling with your fertility medications.
Have A Dedicated Travel Case for IVF Medications
Make sure you have a travel case or bag that will hold all your medications you’ll need on the trip. Whether your meds need to be refrigerated, whether you’re planning to go through TSA, and the length of the trip are the three key factors to guide you as you put together the perfect IVF travel kit.
Traveling with IVF meds that need to be refrigerated?
Any medications that need to be refrigerated should be in an insulated bag, such as an insulin travel bag or a mini-cooler, with an ice pack to keep them cool. Get them into a fridge as soon as possible once you’ve arrived at your destination.
Navigating TSA with IVF Medications and Needles
Make sure to alert the TSA that you’re traveling with medications. You’re allowed to fly with unused syringes if they’re accompanied with medications but TSA will likely need to inspect them, so make sure to allocate time for this if you’re going to the airport.
To be on the safe side, bring your prescription with you in case there are any questions.
The TSA recommends that all medications be labeled to facilitate the inspection process.
Bring Enough Medication
A little extra is better than not enough! Make sure that your fertility clinic has ordered the amount you’ll need while you’ll be on the road and possibly over-ordered a little bit just to keep it safe. The last thing you want is to be searching for a speciality pharmacy that can ship you medications last minute! Be prepared for travel delays with an extra day or two’s supply.
Pack an IVF Injection Kit
Make sure to bring all the little things you’ll need to make your injections as comfortable and painless as possible.
Post-injection recovery items:
- Approved pain reliever
- Heating pad, Ice Packs, and Massager (Dandi’s IVF Comfort Kit has you covered!)
- Numbing cream
- Bandaids
- Cotton pads
- Sharps container (labeled)
You’re already going to be a little stressed from traveling, so its helpful to have everything with you in an organized and dedicated travel bag that makes the process of IVF shots as comfortable as possible.
Stay Hydrated
Traveling can already dehydrate people and being on IVF medications is notorious for causing fluid retention and can lead to dehydration, constipation, and discomfort. So while you’re traveling, be prepared to drink plenty of water and electrolytes.
Try to also avoid any food that will cause dehydration and bloating to be worse. You can bring your own food if you need to or stick to high-protein small meals.
Have Your IVF Calendar Handy!
You’ve planned your trip and your supplies, but you’ll also need a plan for your injections ahead of time. You don’t want to be scouring the bottom of your bag for your treatment calendar last minute before injections start, or confused about what day certain medications need to be taken and what time and how much!
Set timers for any time sensitive injections with plenty of time to give yourself a place to find a quiet spot, take inventory of your medications, review instructions and dosage, and inject.
If you get overwhelmed, you can always book a Dandi consultation ahead of time so that you have a fertility nurse on the line with you to support you through the injection process and answer any questions.
Bottom line, make sure you have a general idea of your plan, make your calendar easily accessible in case it needs an update, and set timers for time-sensitive injections.
Enjoy Your Trip
Whether you’re traveling for work, an obligation, or for fun, try to enjoy your time and not worry too much! Plenty of people travel with medication and have to do their injections on the go, so you’re not alone!
If you get stressed out, you always have the Dandi community to fall back on with the support of other fertility patients who get the trees of shots while juggling the rest of life. And the Dandi nursing team is here for you too if you ever need clinical support! We’ve got your back.
We hope you find these tips helpful! What are you packing for your trip!?
