STIMULATION MEDICATIONS
What You Need to Know About Hormone Stimulation Medication
During monthly ovulation, ONE mature egg ovulates, while the rest of the eggs are reabsorbed into back the body. The goal of egg freezing is to produce and bank as many eggs as possible, you will be prescribed a cocktail of hormone stimulation medications to:
1) hyper-activate egg production
2) ensure eggs are not released too early
3) trigger ovulation

the shots are not that bad – the hard part is dealing with all the emotional stuff
Stimulation drugs (Agonists)
Gonadotropins: Luteinizing hormone (LH)
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
What do they do? Encourage ovaries to increase egg production
When do I take them? Daily starting on Day 1 or 2 of your period until day 8 or later
How are they administered? Subcutaneously in the stomach or thigh
What is commonly prescribed? Follistim, Gonal-F, Repronex, Bravelle
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Agonists
What do they do? Prevent hormonal surge of FSH and LH
When do I take them? Daily starting on Day 1 or 2 of your period until day 8 or later
How are they administered? Subcutaneously in the stomach or thigh What is commonly prescribed? Lupron (leuprolide acetate), Synarel and Zoladex.
Stimulation drugs (Agonists)
What do they do? Prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs prior to retrieval
When do I start? Daily starting at Day 4- 6
Where do I inject it? Subcutaneously in the stomach or thigh
What is commonly prescribed? Ganirelix, Antagon, Cetrotide
Trigger Shot
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
What does it do? Prevents your ovaries from releasing eggs too early
When do I start? Approximately 36 hours prior to egg retrieval
Where do I inject it? Intramuscularly in buttocks, thigh or upper arm
What is commonly prescribed? Pregnyl and Novarel
Commonly Asked Stimulation Medication Questions
Hormone medication can make up ⅓ or more of the overall cost of egg freezing cost – between $2,000-4,000. If you plan ahead and take time to shop around, you can save a significant amount.
-
Buy generic: ask your clinic for the generic names of all the drugs. You don’t need to pay non-generic prices.
-
Shop around: Drug prices can vary insanely from pharmacy to pharmacy. Online comparison tools, like GoodRX, make comparison shopping easy and often offer online coupons.
-
Order Online: After shopping around, Avella Speciality Pharmacy had the most competitive prices. Avella specializes in fertility and has very knowledgable customer service reps.
-
Buy Internationally: Medication purchased in the UK or Israel is significantly cheaper. However, you need to plan very early as drugs can sometimes be stuck in customs.