By Jeanine Price, NP, WHNP
Here are some tips on what to be aware of when buying fertility medication.
We search the internet for flights and hotels for an upcoming vacation. We talk to every friend, neighbor, cousin, grocery clerk, and favorite barista, when looking for a new car. But what do we do when we need to purchase fertility medication for our upcoming fertility treatment?
Take this short fertility test to assess your fertility potential and to learn how to enhance your fertility. It will give you valuable information about yourself.
We most often turn to the internet to find affordable options. Fertility medications are expensive and costs can range anywhere between $2500 and $7500. Financing those fertility drugs is rarely an option and very few of us have insurance that will pay for it. Thus, not surprisingly, a quick online search reveals multiple reputable pharmacies that sell fertility medication directly to us while stating that they work directly with our fertility clinic. Some of those internet found pharmacies are as well based outside the US, commonly in the UK, Israel, or Canada. Other sources of fertility medications are sites such as eBay, Craigslist, fertility chat-rooms, and the like. Lastly, another source often considered is the leftover fertility medication supply from friends and family.
Price saving is initially very attractive, but buyer beware. Purchasing fertility medication from unknown or non-vetted sources is risky for so many reasons. Those include the concerns of quality, sterility, expiration, storage, and validity verification. Your main risk when purchasing fertility medication from untested or vetted sources is receiving inactive drugs. This is because the majority of fertility medications are temperature sensitive and storage, transit, or customs processing can expose them to extreme temperatures.
There are a few things you can do to maximize your chance of purchasing a safe and effective fertility medication. We recommend:
- Obtain a verified list of drug vendors from your fertility clinic.
- Check those vendors online for their exact location and overall site content and information transparency.
- Call those pharmacies directly and talk to their representative by asking storage, shipping, and pricing questions.
- Compare the collected information
- Make the purchasing decision that's not only based on pricing.
After all, you want to make sure that your upcoming fertility treatment will rely on fertility medication that is safe and active so you do not in any way jeopardize your chance for a successful outcome.
About Opionato:
Opionato (www.opionato.com) is your trusted go-to fertility expert accessible at anytime from anywhere. We assess your fertility potential and provide next-step fertility advice so your path to pregnancy is short and stress-free.
Opionato started with one woman’s personal fertility experience and the vision to give others what she lacked. Read Maja’s story here: https://www.opionato.com/blog/what-i-wish-i-knew-my-fertility-journey.