Preparations Before Travelling Abroad for Fertility Treatment

Normal travellers with no health disorders consider it wise to organize travel medicines before going abroad. Who knows what can happen during your trip? Ailments can hit you out of the blue like a bad surprise. For those who travel abroad in order to undergo fertility treatments it is even more important to be prepared and carry the right medication during the journey. If you are negligent, you are risking two lives, your own and the life of the baby that you are waiting for.

Travelling with medications would require some careful planning. Availability of the right medicines during your fertility treatment trip at the right point of time might make all the difference between the success or failure of your trip. Never forget you are travelling abroad and that too on a medical mission. The laws regulating the use of medicines in the country of your visit might be way different from what is applicable in your home country.

While rushing out to catch your flight, you may casually throw in a couple of aspirins in your bag without verifying whether it is or is not under a ban by the law in the country of your destination. What if the customs at the airport puts you through legal proceedings for violating the drug laws of that country due to carrying aspirin?

The prescriptions and medications in your luggage might be considered contraband in some countries. For example, if you are visiting Japan, the country will approve only two months supply of over the counter medicines and two month supply of vitamins into the country without fining travellers. Inhalers and a few allergy and sinus medications commonly used in the US, especially stimulants, are not allowed in Japan. When carrying medication you must also be able to provide the doctor’s prescription that state that the drugs are a necessity and you need to bring them into the country.

You need to check the rules of the country where you plan to travel for fertility treatment, as different countries have their own set of drug regulations which a foreigner needs to abide by.

There are other factors to consider as well. Make sure that the medications you are carrying have not gone past their expiry date. Also make sure that they are packed correctly so they will not get spoiled during the trip.

The following pre- travel considerations would immensely benefit travellers crossing borders seeking fertility treatment:

-Before you embark on your trip, you should take advice from a physician, preferably a fertility specialist to assure that all your healthcare requirements are met while you are abroad.

– You should have a thorough grip on the environmental conditions of the place you are visiting for fertility treatment. Factors like the altitude over sea level, level of environmental pollution, humidity and temperature are the primary factors affecting your health. How your body responds to environmental changes are important as well.

-Make sure that a sufficient number of medicine shops are available in the area where you are planning to visit. Get a fair estimate of the prices and a list of medicine nomenclature by which they are locally known.

-Make sure that the medicines that you are carrying abroad do not turn bad and check on their expiry dates.

-If you are on a medication before making your trip, you must ask the fertility specialists abroad if you can continue with it. In this respect, the opinion of the home physician is also important. There should be no ambiguity in this respect.

– Packing the medicines is an important factor. It should be placed at a distance from toiletries like your shampoos, soaps, perfumes and toothpaste and mouthwash. Medicines should also be packed in airtight containers.