You’ve Got Mail: IVF Medication

Fertility treatments are both fascinating and overwhelming.

I’m incredibly grateful for the advancements that medicine has made to support couples – especially us in the endo community - in starting a family. Yet, understanding the intricacies of what is actually taking place is many times more than my mind can process.

When the box finally arrived

So, when the box of IVF medication arrived on my doorstep – after endless calls to the pharmacy and insurance company – I was thrilled to finally have the medication that I needed for this next step in our family planning in my hands.

And then, I opened the box

There were so many medications in there, it was overwhelming to know that I would be putting all of that in my body... all within a single month.

There were injectables. There were capsules. There were medications that required refrigeration.

How do some women just get pregnant on their first try, yet so many of us in the endo community, receive this package of medications in hopes to make it happen?

One step at a time, I reminded myself

One step at a time.

Just unpack the box, make sure it has everything that the packing slip says it’s supposed to have in here. That’s the only thing you need to do in this moment.

I don’t need to know the details of each medication. That’s what my doctor and IVF coordinator are for, and I fully believe and trust in their guidance.

It takes a team sometimes

I am forever grateful to have an IVF coordinator in this journey who will walk me through all the important steps. She answers my questions, assures me through the important decisions and is compassionate beyond measure.

But this moment of opening the box of medication was a great reminder, that it’s only ever really just one step at a time. It eases the questions, anxiety, and overwhelms.

I took inventory of the box to make sure it had all the right things.

Then I waited to be told the next step

It felt like this was some kind of quest that I was on – complete a task that then await further instruction.

This one step at a time mindset can be said for our journey with endometriosis in general. We want to know when we’ll get relief, but we don’t know how or when that relief will actually come.

It’s a process of maintaining hope, partnering with the best medical professionals and trusting the process.

Regardless of what comes our way – medications, procedures, medical tests – we take it one step at a time.

Leaning into support

I also love to be plugged into a community of endo sisters who continually remind me that we’re all in this together. We lift each other up and inspire one another to keep going, so we can all rise together.