6 Tips for Traveling During Fertility Treatments

Planning a vacation and wondering how to work your treatment cycle around your trip? With proper planning and preparation, traveling during fertility treatments does not have to be stressful or complicated.

How much planning you will need to do for your trip will depend on which type of fertility treatment. For example, during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, there are periods of time in which you must receive daily in-office monitoring and your egg retrieval must be perfectly timed. For less-intensive treatments, you may be able to take a quick trip without much planning. Here are some other helpful tips that will help make traveling easier:

1. CARRY ALL MEDICATIONS WITH YOU – Before you leave for your trip, ask your doctor for a note that verifies your need to travel with medications. Put copies of the note in your purse or carry-on bag along with your medication. Make sure to check the TSA guidelines as well as your airline’s guidelines regarding traveling with medications and/or syringes and needles. When going through airport screenings or customs, let them know you are carrying medications in your purse or carry-on bag.
2. INVEST A SMALL COOLER AND ICE PACKS – For medication that needs to be refrigerated, you can use a good quality cooler and some ice packs. Make sure to test your cooler beforehand to be sure it will hold the correct temperature for the duration of your flight plus any delays that may occur. Remember to bring alcohol swabs, hand sanitizer, gauze and a sharps disposal container.
3. PLAN AHEAD – Check in with your fertility team before making travel arrangements. You may need to curtail travel during certain periods of your treatments, especially with IVF. Your doctor and fertility team can help you review your treatment plan and identify when are the best times for travel.
4. BE INFORMED – Ask your doctor to refer you to a trusted fertility specialist near your destination so you can have your routine monitoring done or get a medication refilled. When you arrive at your destination, locate the nearest pharmacy and hospital in case there is a medical emergency.
5. STAY ON SCHEDULE – Be sure to stay on schedule with medications. Write out your medication schedule while considering any time changes and put reminders/alerts on your phone.
6. CHECK ALERTS – Regardless of what type of fertility treatment, make sure you are vaccinated before your trip. Check the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website to see if the area where you are traveling has posted warnings for the Zika virus or other infectious diseases. Current guidelines still recommend avoidance of all non-essential travel to areas associated with Zika virus transmission. The Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and parts of Texas and Florida are among the areas not safe to travel.

It is always best to check with your fertility specialist regarding travel so that you do not impede your chances of conceiving. Remember while you are traveling, stay hydrated always and if pregnant, avoid extreme temperatures and being overheated.  To learn more about travel during fertility treatment, call us at The Fertility Institute today to schedule a consultation.