The Fertility Order Review (FOR) Team: Offering Education and Support for Fertility Patients
Approximately 10% of women (6.1 million) aged 15-44 years in the U.S. have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1 However, there is hope for those wanting to have a family. Advanced reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have come a long way in helping patients have children and build their families. Certain drugs are approved to help women with issues that might be preventing pregnancy.2 The majority of the medications prescribed are injectable and the patient must understand how to self-administer.
At AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, patients have access to our Fertility Order Review (FOR) team of specialty-experienced fertility nurses who educate and support them through the fertility treatment process. Our FOR team helps patients prepare to self-administer fertility medications throughout their treatment cycle. Patients may need to self-inject daily for an extended period of days depending on the therapy her reproductive endocrinologist prescribes. This service gives patients direct access — at no additional cost — to an experienced fertility nurse who can provide her with compassionate support for her specific needs. Our nurses have nearly 50 years of combined experience in fertility nursing and are here to help minimize the anxiety patients may face when preparing to self-administer injectable fertility medications.
How Fertility Order Review (FOR) Works
Once a patient receives her fertility medications, a fertility nurse contacts her to:
• Review the contents of the order. Each order contains syringes, needles, storage instructions and multiple medications. The fertility nurse will review each item with the patient and get them organized to begin self-injections.
• Understand the purpose of each item and how to store the medication. Each medication has specific storage requirements and administration instructions. The fertility nurse will go over, in detail, how to care and administer each item.
• Review the expiration dates and set up refill reminders. The fertility nurse will review the expiration dates on each medication, and counsel the patient about refills to avoid interruptions in treatment.
• Answer medication questions. The fertility nurse will answer medication questions and can assess when patients need to call their provider for specific treatment questions.
Additional Educational Materials Are Available
Patients can access our online guides for administering self-injections, medication information and fertility education, also available in Spanish. These guides provide a wealth of information regarding all aspects of fertility including:
• Demystifying Infertility: An extensive guide providing information regarding fundamentals, tests, treatments and medications. (Spanish)
• Fertility Medication Guide: An extensive guide that covers each medication with specific information regarding supplies needed, preparation instructions, routes of injection administration and prescribing information. (Spanish)
• Understanding Infertility: A condition guide that presents in-depth information with topics including what you need to know about infertility, living with infertility, lifestyle changes, and multiple resources to infertility education and information from prominent resources for patients. (Spanish)
Sources
1 https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/infertility
2 Understanding Fertility Patient Booklet
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