IVF Medication Storage During a Power Cut: What to Check First

Start with the original carton, dispensing label and patient leaflet. Note the medicine name, strength, batch number, expiry, whether it was opened and the temperature range stated by its manufacturer. Do not assume that every fertility injection requires refrigeration or that all tolerate the same excursion. If the label is unclear, contact the pharmacy that supplied it. Avoid relying on social-media posts describing a different brand or formulation, even if the active ingredient sounds similar.

Write down when power stopped and returned, whether the refrigerator door stayed closed and whether there is a reliable thermometer record. If medicines were moved to another location, record when and how they were transported. Do not place medicines directly against ice or expose them to freezing unless the verified product instructions specifically permit that method. A cold pack does not prove the entire journey stayed within a safe range. A pharmacist may need the entire timeline before advising whether a product can be used.

Do not skip, repeat or replace a prescribed injection based only on a storage concern. If your next dose is due soon, contact the dispensing pharmacist and treating fertility team using their urgent channels. The pharmacy can assess product stability information; the fertility prescriber must decide what that means for your treatment schedule. If a replacement is required, confirm the correct prescription, stock and collection arrangements. Never borrow another person’s fertility medicines or use an unverified seller.

Ask for a written medication storage plan before stimulation begins, particularly where electricity supply is unreliable. It should identify which items are temperature sensitive, a suitable storage option, the contact for a temperature excursion and how results and prescriptions are documented. Selected prescribed injection support may be available at home only when verified and approved, but visiting staff do not independently determine product stability. The clinician still schedules scans, blood tests and any procedure-day decisions.