Receiving & unboxing my fertility medications.

Getting the medications turned out to be its own experience.

On paper, it sounds simple. Order the prescriptions. Wait for them to arrive. Put the refrigerated ones in the fridge. But, of course, nothing about this process has felt that straightforward.

I ended up ordering from both Costco and Prima because different pharmacies had the best prices on different drugs. After spending so much time calling around, comparing costs, finding coupons, and trying to save every dollar possible, I finally placed the orders and thought one major hurdle was behind me.

It wasn't.

The shipment that didn't arrive

My Costco shipment was supposed to arrive on June 9. By around three in the afternoon, I still hadn't received any shipping information or delivery updates. I called Costco.

The woman I spoke with was incredibly kind. She looked into it and said, "It looks like it's being held somewhere, but it is in New York."

That didn't make me feel any better.

These weren't just any packages. These were thousands of dollars' worth of fertility medications. Some of them needed to stay refrigerated. And I was potentially supposed to start injections in only two days.

My mind immediately started racing. What if they don't arrive tomorrow? What if they're no longer cold? What if they get lost? What if I have to reorder everything?

She explained that the insulated packaging is designed to keep the medications at temperature for up to 72 hours. Logically, I understood that. Emotionally, I wasn't convinced. It was June. It was hot. And these medications suddenly felt incredibly fragile.

The thing that made it worse

She gently suggested having a backup plan. She meant well — she was being realistic. But hearing that somehow made everything feel even less secure. My backup plan wasn't really a plan at all. I had already spent days finding the cheapest pharmacies for each medication. If I had to reorder one at the last minute, I'd lose all of those discounts and pay significantly more. Every possible outcome involved more stress and more money.

That night, I barely slept. I kept waking up thinking about whether the medications were sitting in some warehouse, getting warmer. I woke up around six the next morning just to check the tracking again. Still nothing. So I spent another day waiting. Waiting for a knock. Waiting for an update. Waiting for something that would let me exhale.

When they finally arrived

Finally, later that afternoon, both deliveries arrived.

Prima's delivery was smooth. They actually called when they arrived, which I appreciated. It felt personal, and it meant I knew exactly when to go downstairs.

Costco shipped through UPS. There was no phone call. No warning. Just a UPS driver pounding on my apartment door.

New York reality

Thank God he kept knocking long enough for me to hear him and sprint downstairs. Because if he had simply left that package on my stoop, there's a very real chance someone would have taken it before I even knew it had arrived. The thought of thousands of dollars of fertility medication sitting unattended outside my building makes my stomach turn.

Fertility medication boxes on apartment stoop in New York City — The boxes, sitting on the stoop. I made it in time.

The unboxing

When I finally carried everything upstairs, I thought the stressful part was over. It wasn't.

There were four or five different boxes spread across my apartment floor, all filled with medications, syringes, alcohol wipes, needles, sharps containers, mixing supplies, ice packs, instruction sheets, and terms I'd never heard before.

Four fertility medication boxes spread across dining table after delivery — All of it, on the table. More than I expected.

Overhead view of egg freezing medication boxes including one labeled REFRIGERATE — The REFRIGERATE sticker did not help my anxiety.

One box said, "Open this first." Another reminded me to refrigerate certain medications immediately. So I did. But even while I was putting everything away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I might be doing something wrong.

Did I refrigerate everything that needed to be refrigerated? Has it stayed cold enough during shipping? Do I actually have everything I'm supposed to have? What even is a Q-Cap?

Every single item felt unfamiliar. Nothing looked like something I'd ever used before. It was one of those strange moments where you're staring at hundreds — maybe thousands — of dollars' worth of medical supplies, and yet you don't actually know what most of it is. You just have to trust that someone packed the right things. And trust that you'll eventually learn what each piece is for.

I ended up filming the entire unboxing because I wanted to document what this actually looks like. No one really shows you this part. The mountain of boxes. The overwhelming amount of supplies. The realization that all of this is about to become part of your daily routine.

All egg freezing medications and supplies spread out on counter — Follistim pen, Menopur vials, syringes, sharps container, mixing supplies — Everything, laid out. This is what two weeks of injections looks like before it starts.

Nobody tells you that getting the medications can become an emotional event in itself. That you'll find yourself refreshing tracking pages, calling pharmacies, wondering if expensive medications are sitting in a hot truck somewhere, losing sleep over packages, running downstairs hoping your delivery hasn't disappeared. And then standing in your kitchen surrounded by boxes and supplies you've never seen before, wondering if you've somehow already messed something up before you've even given your first injection.

By the time everything was organized and the refrigerated medications were safely in the fridge, I felt relief. But I also noticed something that keeps happening throughout this entire process: every step that seems like it should be simple somehow carries its own unexpected layer of stress.

By the end of that day, I wasn't just relieved that I finally had everything. I was exhausted. And I hadn't even started the injections yet.