For millions of people, fertility treatment represents hope.

It can also mean appointments, blood tests, ultrasounds, procedures, injections, dose changes, strict schedules, and weeks of waiting.

Much of the attention surrounding IVF naturally focuses on what happens inside the fertility clinic.

But a significant part of treatment happens somewhere else.

At home.

At work.

In a hotel room.

While traveling.

And often, inside a small bag containing medication that may be both extremely valuable and extremely important to a precisely timed treatment cycle.

That creates a responsibility that receives surprisingly little attention.

 

Once fertility medication leaves the pharmacy or clinic, the patient becomes responsible not only for taking it correctly, but also for protecting it correctly.

Fertility treatment is becoming part of life for more families

Infertility is far from uncommon.

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one in six people of reproductive age worldwide experience infertility at some point in their lives. WHO also recognizes the emotional distress, stigma and financial hardship that can accompany infertility and its treatment.

The use of assisted reproductive technology continues to grow.

In the United States, the latest national data from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology showed that there were 449,772 IVF treatment cycles in 2024. Those treatments resulted in 100,158 babies; the first time more than 100,000 babies were born through IVF in the United States in a single year.

IVF is no longer a rare or unusual medical experience.

It is part of modern healthcare for a growing number of families.

 

The treatment may begin in the clinic, but much of the work happens at home

The science behind IVF is sophisticated.

The daily reality can be surprisingly hands on.

Depending on the treatment protocol, patients may need to administer injectable hormones themselves, sometimes more than once a day and sometimes using several different medications during the same treatment cycle.

There are doses to remember.

Injection times to follow.

Needles to prepare.

Appointments to coordinate.

Medication quantities to monitor.

Instructions that may change as the cycle progresses.

And all of this happens during a treatment that already carries considerable emotional pressure.

Research and public health organizations increasingly recognize that infertility and fertility treatment can place a substantial psychological burden on patients. WHO specifically identifies mental health support as an important component of fertility care.

Medication management becomes one more responsibility in an already demanding process.

Then there is the cost

Fertility treatment can also be expensive.

In the United States, IVF treatment can cost tens of thousands of dollars per cycle, and medication represents only one part of the total expense.

The cost of fertility drugs became such a significant issue that recent US initiatives specifically targeted medications including GONAL f, Ovidrel and Cetrotide for substantial price reductions. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine reported that preliminary CMS estimates suggest eligible patients could save up to $2,200 per fertility treatment cycle on medications alone under the proposed fertility drug pricing program. That number tells its own story.

Even a discount worth thousands of dollars applies to only part of the medication regimen.

For patients paying partly or entirely out of pocket, the medication sitting in the refrigerator or traveling with them may represent a significant financial investment.

When medication is this valuable, protecting it should not be an afterthought.

Fertility medications do not all follow the same storage rules

This is where things become more complicated.

There is no single storage rule for fertility medication.

Some products require refrigeration before use. Some can remain at controlled room temperature for a defined period. Some multidose pens have different requirements once they have been opened. Others are intended for a single injection.

For example, a GONAL f® prefilled pen can be used for up to 28 days after opening when stored within its specified temperature range. Pergoveris® prefilled pens also have an in use period of up to 28 days at 25°C.

Ovidrel® has different instructions. The US prefilled syringe can be kept by the patient at temperatures up to 25°C for no more than 30 days before use, while Cetrotide® in the United States is stored refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C before preparation.

These differences matter.

A patient cannot assume that because one fertility medication can tolerate a particular environment, another medication can too.

The manufacturer's instructions for each medication need to be followed.

Fertility Medication	Before Use	After Opening or Preparation	Main Temperature Concern
GONAL F Pen	Refrigerated or specified room temperature period	Up to 28 days within labeled conditions	Heat, freezing, light
Pergoveris Pen	Refrigerated	Up to 28 days at room temperature	Heat, freezing, light
Ovidrel	Refrigerated, with defined room temperature allowance	Single use	Heat and light
Cetrotide	Refrigerated under US labeling	Use immediately after mixing	Maintaining proper storage before use

But patients still have to live their lives

Storage instructions are written in controlled numbers.

Real life is not.

A patient still has to go to work. Sit in traffic. Take the train. Pick up children. Travel to the fertility clinic. Go away for a weekend. Catch a flight. Spend a summer afternoon outside. Sleep in a hotel. Carry medication from one place to another.

A label may say that a medication should not exceed room temperature.

But an August afternoon can easily be hotter than that.

A parked car can become dramatically hotter.

A handbag sitting in direct sunlight does not know that it contains an expensive fertility medication.

And a patient already thinking about injection timing, follicle counts, test results, and whether a treatment cycle will succeed should not also have to wonder what temperature the medication reached during the day constantly.

Medication protection is part of treatment too

We often think of medication care as beginning with the pharmaceutical manufacturer and ending when the pharmacy dispenses the prescription.

For fertility treatment, that is clearly incomplete.

There is another stage.

The patient controlled stage.

The medication may spend days or weeks outside the clinic before it is finally used. During that time, the patient becomes the final link in the medication care chain. That does not mean fertility patients should live in fear of damaging their medication. It means healthcare needs to think more seriously about making proper medication protection easier. Patients should understand the storage requirements for every medication they receive. Pharmacists and fertility clinics should explain what happens once the medication leaves controlled storage. Travel and daily life should be considered when treatment plans are discussed. Medication protection solutions should be designed around the way people actually live, rather than assuming medication remains in a perfectly controlled environment.

Taking one worry off an already difficult journey

At TempraMed, we spend a great deal of time thinking about what happens to medication after it leaves the pharmacy.

Temperature sensitive medication does not remain inside the healthcare system.

It goes home with people.

It travels with them.

It becomes part of their daily lives.

Our VIVI technology was developed around a simple principle: medication protection should fit into everyday life without creating another complicated routine.

For fertility patients, that principle feels particularly relevant.

IVF already asks a lot.

It asks patients to manage appointments, procedures, uncertainty, injections, timing and expense, often while continuing with completely normal responsibilities at home and at work.

Protecting the medication that makes that treatment possible should not become another source of stress.

Final thought

The extraordinary advances in reproductive medicine have made parenthood possible for millions of people who once had far fewer options.

But advanced medicine also brings responsibility outside the clinic.

As fertility treatment becomes more common, we should pay greater attention to that hidden part of the journey.

Not only how fertility medications are developed.

Not only how they are prescribed.

Not only how they are administered.

But how they are protected during all the ordinary hours in between.

Because when so much depends on every dose, taking care of the medication is part of taking care of the treatment.

Sources

World Health Organization, Infertility, updated November 2025.

World Health Organization, WHO issues first global guideline on infertility, November 2025.

American Society for Reproductive Medicine, For the First Time, More Than 100,000 Babies Born Through IVF in the U.S. in a Single Year, March 2026.

American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Evaluating the Trump Administration's Initiative on IVF.

European Medicines Agency, GONAL f and Pergoveris product information.

EMD Serono, Ovidrel and Cetrotide prescribing information.