Since I have done two donations before, I already know how much injection medication I will probably need for this 3rd cycle. The way that a donor at Boston IVF receives their medication if they are out-of-state is through the mail from the clinic's preferred pharmacy. The pharmacy calls me to confirm my address and that someone will be there to receive it from FedEx the next day - they have to be overnighted because some of the medications are very sensitive and need to be kept refrigerated to stay effective.

When the pharmacy called me to confirm my address and what they were sending, I knew what I would need, so I listened carefully this time. In the past, they always sent me 3 Gonal-F injection pens. My first donation, I used the entire first pen and just one shot from the 2nd pen. For my second donation, since we realized I stimulated too easily, they kept me on a lower dose the entire time and I only needed one pen and left 2 unused. This time, when they said they would send me 3 again, I told them just to send me 2 (just to play it safe in case I would need the extra). They also told me how many they would send of the Luveris and Ganirelix injections and I cut out about 2-3 boxes each since I usually have so many left over (these come in individual vials for each day you need it). Lastly, I also remembered the sharps container (red box you dispose your used needles into) and how big it is - it takes up 1/4 of my suitcase because it is a gallon-sized box. I only ever dispose enough to fill up 1/5 of that container, so I asked them to send me a smaller one this time so I can have more room in my suitcase.

So, I received the package the very next day, overnighted by FedEx. I immediately put the injections that need to stay cool in my refrigerator. I checked out the new sharps container which is a perfect size - one liter. I also noticed with my instructions there was a bill to show me how much the injections cost (I don't remember receiving a copy of the bill before, but this was actually a different pharmacy). Thankfully the IP's names weren't on it. Want to guess how much my 2 Gonal-F pens cost total? To give you a hint, I once saw an ad for fertility patients in a magazine that they could receive a $500 coupon on Gonal-F for participating in a study, so I knew it must be quite expensive. The two pens alone cost $4400!!! I was so shocked that this medicine was that expensive. I was told once that all the injections together might cost $3,000, but perhaps that was only an example of a copay? I couldn't believe that by canceling the 3rd pen, I've already saved this couple $2200. If I had known that, I would have held onto the leftover pens from my previous donations - but I didn't think I would do another donation then, so I gave back all the leftovers to Boston IVF.

Looking at the total on the bill, everything else that I need for my injections cost more than $6,000. I'll bet that for my last two donations, that figure was probably more like $9,000 since I didn't cut down on the amount needed those times. I wish I could return the extras to the pharmacy for a refund to the recipients, but they can't receive any returns in case the medicine was tampered with.

So, if you are an egg donor, please remember to handle your medicines with care! If you have to travel, do not put them in your checked luggage because the airline could lose it or break it. Take it with you on your carry-on. Maybe talk to your clinic about what you can do with your leftovers - I hear some of them will pass them back to the IP, just in case they need them again.