Estimated read time: 4 minutes
Last Updated: October 25, 2026
Starting IVF is excited and overwhelming. There are so many appointments to schedule. Other life plans to coordinate. And so much to work out financially, whether you are using insurance or are self-pay. Along with all the medications and recommendations from your medical team, I’ve come up with a list of eleven must-haves that ease the burden of IVF cycles. Many of these are things I used and a few are things I wish I had while going through my cycles of IVF.
Full disclosure: some of these are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you). I only recommend things I actually used and/or found helpful.
1. Heating Pad
I know. I know. Pretty much every list has the heating pad on it, but this is truly the one item I could not live without. In fact, I still use it today, for sore muscles, to warm up, or for period pain. I love it for its size and ease of use, along with the ability to adjust the heat from warm to super hot.
2. Electrolytes
Along with hydration, electrolytes are critical for keeping your body at its peak through this whole process. This one is a great flavor, but if that’s not your jam, they have many other options. My husband loves them, too.
3. Tylenol or Advil
Pain medication is a must for surviving procedure days and for once you are back home. Post- retrieval cramping is no joke. Endometrial biopsy prep may require a small dose before coming to the office.
Please talk with your care team to determine which (tylenol or advil) is most appropriate for you and your specific health conditions.
4. Fun bandages
I hate injections. IVF and fertility treatment is full of injections. Many of which you or your partner are performing. Fun patterned bandages don’t make it 100% better, but they definitely help to make it more managable. I loved having a choice of fun animal pattern or color after the inevitable stick, especially after the intra-muscular injections.
5. Box to store/organize med supplies
Treatment comes with lots of medications and supplies. Do yourself a favor and get a container to manage it all. I wish I had something like this when I was going through IVF. Instead, I used an over the door organizer with four pockets. It wasn’t enough and I ended up storing a lot of the extras in our guest bathroom cabinet.
7. Cold/Hot packs or Buzzy Bee
Cold or hot packs are great to have on hand to prep injection sites. Or to help with progesterone injection sites after the injection to minimize knots.
If cold/hot packs aren’t your thing, the Buzzy Bee, a vibrating ice pack for injection sites, is also great for injection pain-relief before medication administration. While I’ve never tried it because it didn’t exist when I was going through treatment, I’ve heard great things about it throughout the community.
8. Period underwear
Dates with “Wanda” can get messy. Post- procedure days you may have spotting or a little bleeding. Period underwear help minimize mess and give you confidence to keep going when tampons are not recommended and you don’t want the bulk of a maxi-pad.
Plus, they are great to have for your cycles and their environmentally friendly too, since they are washable and reusable. I wish I had this option during my IVF cycles.
9. Alcohol Prep Pads
Another one of my must-haves. I’m not sure if it was just me, but the prep pads provided with all the supplies from the pharmacy were never enough. I always ran out. I bought a giant box of alcohol prep pads to prevent shot emergencies and I haven’t looked back.
I’ve also found uses for them after treatment, including craft projects, cleaning small cuts or pokes, or even cleaning small crevices in my house.
10. Water bottle
Along with electrolytes, hydration is important. I bring my water bottle everywhere. I love this one in particular because it has a built in filter, so you can use it almost anywhere that has a water source. I also love to add vinyl stickers to personalize it. So much space to make it your own.
11. Small cooler bag
This cooler bag can hold your medications for injection on a night out, or when traveling. The whole thing can go in the freezer and has built-in freezer packs. After IVF, its great for snacks that need to stay cool. I love the adorable unicorn pattern.
References
https://draimee.org/your-10-ivf-essentials
https://www.reddit.com/r/IVF/comments/1jc4g66/ivf_journey_begins_musthave_item_recommendations/
My personal experience with several TI cycles, 1 IUI cycle, 3 stims cycles, and 4 transfer cycles.