At Texas Fertility Center, we understand the stress
that couples undergoing fertility treatments face. Patients
undergoing treatment often feel they do not have any control over
their lives as the fertility treatments become their primary focus.
This focus can create both financial and emotional stress. The
treatments themselves can be the source of physical stress on the
body.
By planning ahead, there are several ways that a couple can avoid
adding additional stress during treatment cycles.
Travel
In today’s society, many professions require employees to travel
extensively. We are a very mobile society, and leisure travel is a
way we reward ourselves for our hard work. By planning ahead,
couples can reduce the stress that may come about if a patient or
her partner is required to be out of town during a treatment cycle.
If an out of town trip is required, patients can sometimes
be monitored at another facility during some parts of the cycle.
This may not always be possible if the timing of the trip falls
within a certain time of the treatment cycle.
If a male partner is going to be out of town, he may elect
to freeze sperm ahead of time. This frozen sperm can be used if
he is not available on the day it is required for the procedure.
Patients planning a vacation may consider postponing the
treatment cycle until after their trip. They can enjoy a
relaxing vacation without the added pressure of appointments and
medications.
Some patients find that trying to find a monitoring facility or
planning appointments around a meeting or a trip adds to the stress
that they feel, and they may choose to wait for their next cycle
when these issues are not a factor. Other patients feel that they
can manage the appointments and the trip with no problem.
Medications
We encourage patients to plan ahead to ensure that they have the
medications they will need when they are called for during the
treatment plan.
Patients planning to do a treatment cycle using any of the
injectable medications should contact TFC prior to the cycle to
ensure that any authorizations can be obtained and the
medications can be ordered. These injectable medications
typically must be ordered from a specialty mail order pharmacy
and delivered directly to the patient. Some insurance companies
have their own specialty pharmacy; these insurance-mandated
specialty pharmacies generally require more time for the patient
to receive her medications. It is important for patients to
notify the office as soon as they know they will require these
medications.
It is the responsibility of the patient to ensure they have
enough medication to complete their cycle. Patients are given
several refills on their injectable medications. If refills are
needed, patients must contact their pharmacy for refills. If
there are no refills, the pharmacy will contact our office for
approval.
Failure to obtain medications in a timely manner adds to the stress
a patient is already experiencing; a cycle may be delayed for a
month or may cause a financial burden if medications have to be
obtained through a local pharmacy at a significantly higher cost.
Military Families
Texas Fertility Center is supportive of our military families. We
understand that separation during deployment can be even more
stressful to couples who are experiencing infertility and who feel
that this separation may cause a setback in their fertility journey.
Males who have orders to deploy are able to freeze sperm for their
partner to use during a treatment cycle. If the couple is planning
on an IVF or donor oocyte cycle, the required consents can be signed
before the deployment.
