Fertility treatments can be a powerful way to help couples and individuals achieve their dreams of parenthood. While these treatments offer hope, they also require significant lifestyle changes and close attention to medical advice—especially when it comes to medication adherence.
Adherence refers to properly taking medications as prescribed, including dosage, timing, and other medication-specific factors. Ensuring proper adherence is key for achieving a successful treatment cycle, as well as pregnancy from fertility treatments—particularly in cases involving injectable hormones or oral medications such as Clomid and Letrozole.
Pharmacists play an important role in helping patients adhere to their fertility-related medications by providing crucial education, advice, and support. They ensure patients understand exactly what’s needed with regard to the medications they’ve been prescribed, as well as providing information on possible adverse effects.
Your pharmacist also understands how important it is for couples or individuals undergoing fertility treatment to feel confident that their medication plan meets their specific needs—and that they’re equipped with the knowledge required to adhere to their prescription instructions.
Adhering to Prescriptions: The Basics
Following a treatment plan isn’t just about taking prescribed medications—it encompasses so much more. It also involves understanding the importance of scheduling regular follow-up appointments with healthcare professionals, such as a pharmacist or doctor, as well as ultrasound and blood work assessments, to monitor progress and make adjustments to treatment plans if needed.
At VFP Pharmacy Group, our pharmacists and nurses are always available to answer any questions from patients to ease any doubts or uncertainty related to their medications. Aside from the pharmacists, patients have access to a medication instruction guide and one-on-one virtual medication lessons.
Tips for adhering to prescriptions include:
- Read and understand the instructions for taking the medication provided by your doctor or pharmacist. If you don’t understand something, ask the pharmacist or your physician.
- Follow all recommended dosage instructions carefully.
- Use a pill box or organizer to help you remember when to take your medication.
- Establish a routine that fits with your lifestyle, like setting an alarm or leaving yourself reminders (e.g., post-it notes).
- Keep track of side effects and report any changes to your physician immediately.
- Ask questions at each appointment about the purpose and importance of your fertility treatments so that you are aware of any potential risks associated with nonadherence to prescriptions.
Nonadherence
There are a number of reasons that patients don’t take their medications as prescribed, including:
- Fear of side effects
- High costs (check out our financing options here)
- Misunderstanding the process
- Lack of confidence about injecting their medications
In the long run, medication nonadherence can actually cost patients more money. If the medications aren’t taken properly, they may not be as effective, which may contribute to an unsuccessful cycle, leading to additional cycles.
By having a trusted team of knowledgeable and supportive pharmacists and nurses at VFP Pharmacy Group, our patients don’t have to worry about fears and hesitations to ensure they stay on track with their medications.
Get Started with VFP Pharmacy Group
We believe in simplifying fertility care and are committed to helping you understand what medication you’re using and how to best administer it. By empowering our patients, our goal is to make medication adherence easier. We fully understand what your treatment entails and will do our part to support you every step of the way. To learn more about working with VFP, or to get started, contact us today.
