Understanding Treatment Options Available for Patients Dealing with Infertility
AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy’s Programs, Resources and Dedicated Team Members Support Couples Striving for Parenthood
During National Infertility Awareness Week, it’s important to understand the challenges patients face when unsuccessfully trying to conceive. The good news is there are options available to help patients and their families. In this article, Nancy Harrington, RNC, REIN, senior specialist clinical education, reviews some of the basics about infertility, available treatments and ways AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy helps patients throughout their journey.
Infertility Defined
Infertility is a disease defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse or due to an impairment of a person’s capacity to reproduce either as an individual or with a partner. Infertility affects both men and women equally. Many things can affect fertility, including age, genetics, hormone issues, lifestyle and other medical problems.
Treatment Options
There are many ways to improve your health and increase the chances of pregnancy. Most infertility cases — about 85 to 90% — are treated with conventional therapies such as medication or surgery. Certain drugs are approved to help women with issues that might be preventing pregnancy. Along with fertility drugs, certain procedures can help improve fertility or increase the chances of pregnancy. Surgery in both women and men can help correct physical problems that might be preventing pregnancy. Advanced treatments such as assisted reproductive technology (ART) – the most common of which is in vitro fertilization – can help with certain steps in conception.
The Role of the Specialty Pharmacy
Fertility patients undergoing advanced treatments in the form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) require special handling and expertise at every level. Patients who turn to ART to build their families have most often exhausted the normal route to family building, and ART might be the last option for fulfilling the dream of having a baby. For these patients, less invasive treatments have not resulted in viable pregnancy.
The specialty pharmacy has a unique opportunity to help patients undergoing ART to build their families. Building positive interactions with patients can mean offering empathic, nonjudgmental care and understanding. A specialty pharmacy must recognize the path fertility patients have traveled in order to provide expert knowledge and support. The value of a specialty pharmacy is the provision of expert medication information, financial and cost saving programs, care for special patient populations, emotional support and compassionate care.
Fertility Care from AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy
AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy – plus Walgreens’ 10 fertility-specialized pharmacies – have dedicated teams of patient care advocates, reimbursement specialists, and pharmacy staff with expert training in the field of advanced fertility treatments. Fertility patients benefit from expert medication guidance, including information regarding product usage and action, delivery and storage, common side effects and disposal of related supplies.
AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy has created valuable fertility education materials in the form of medication and injection guides, infertility condition guides and educational tutorials. These interactive materials cover all aspects of fertility care, including diagnostic testing, treatment options and medications. A specialty pharmacy team trained to support ART is available to assist patients around the clock, seven days a week.
Information on how to qualify for and access financial and cost savings programs is also critical, as a large population of fertility patients do not have insurance coverage for their treatment. AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy participates in various programs that are available to qualifying patients.
Some populations, such as oncology patients looking to preserve their future fertility, can also speak with specialty-trained pharmacy staff at AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy about special programs that assist with medications related to fertility preservation. Significant savings might apply for patients who qualify for these programs.
AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy Fertility Order Review
Emotional support and compassionate care are a vital part of providing specialized pharmacy care to fertility patients. In addition to pharmacy and clinical support, AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy fertility teams provide post-dispense supportive service through the Fertility Order Review (FOR) program.
Patients are often overwhelmed when their initial box of medication arrives. This program is designed to help minimize the anxiety patients might face when preparing to self-administer fertility medications. The service gives patients direct access to a professional with fertility pharmacy experience — at no additional cost.
The FOR program also includes the FOR Video Connected Care Program, which offers web-based video consultation for additional educational resources and support. This gives patients the opportunity for face-to-face communication with a FOR nurse in any private setting they choose (e.g., home, office, etc.).
Specialty pharmacy providers have the extraordinary opportunity to make a significant difference in the outcome of a patient’s fertility journey. Patients are extremely thankful for knowledgeable and compassionate specialty pharmacy care.
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