An IVF medication schedule puts every dose your clinic has given you in one table, with room to record what actually happened. Copy the blank template below into a notes app, a spreadsheet or onto paper, and fill it only from your clinic's latest written instructions.

A blank IVF medication calendar

Give each dose its own row, so a medicine you take twice a day gets two rows.

Date Stage Medicine and strength (from the box) Dose and unit How it is given Time due Time taken Status Notes

What each column means

  • Date. The calendar date. If your clinic uses cycle days, add them in Notes.
  • Stage. A short label for where you are, such as "Before stimulation", "Stimulation", "Trigger", "After retrieval", "Lining prep" or "After transfer".
  • Medicine and strength. Copy the full name exactly as printed on the box, including its strength. Some medicines come in more than one strength, so the strength tells you which box to use.
  • Dose and unit. Copy both. Units are not interchangeable: IU (international units) and mg measure how much medicine you get, while mL measures how much liquid. One label, for example, gives a strength of "300 international units per 0.36 mL". Never swap one unit for another.
  • How it is given. Be specific: under the skin, into a muscle, by mouth, in the vagina, or as a skin patch. "Shot" alone is not enough, because some shots go under the skin and some go into a muscle.
  • Time due and time taken. The time your clinic gave, and the time you actually took it.
  • Status. Use one word: taken, late, missed or unsure. "Unsure" covers things like a shot that may not have gone in fully. Call your clinic about any row marked missed or unsure.
  • Notes. Visits, blood tests and questions for your nurse.

Keep this table for the current plan only. Changes go in their own log, further down.

Why keep your own schedule?

IVF can mean several medicines at once, with times that matter. When you take more than one medicine, it can be hard to keep track of when to take each one, and you may forget which one you already took.

Plans also change. During stimulation, your clinic checks your response with blood tests and ultrasounds, sometimes as often as every day, and your instructions can change after each check. A written list of what you take and when also gives you something clear to bring to appointments.

How to fill it in

  1. Lay your clinic's newest written instructions next to the blank table.
  2. Add every medicine, one row per dose, in date order.
  3. Add visits, blood tests and procedures as their own rows.
  4. Check the table against the instructions line by line: medicine, strength, dose, unit, route, date and time.
  5. Put the schedule where you will see it, such as the fridge or your phone's home screen.

A worked example

This example only shows how filled-in rows can look. It is not a treatment plan. The words in brackets stand for what your own clinic and boxes say.

Date Stage Medicine and strength Dose and unit How it is given Time due Time taken Status Notes
[date] Stimulation [Name and strength on box] [Dose and unit from clinic] Under the skin [Clinic's time] [Your time] Taken
[date] Stimulation [Name and strength on box] [Dose and unit from clinic] Under the skin [Clinic's time] [Your time] Late Alarm missed; told nurse
[date] Stimulation Blood test and ultrasound [Visit time] Wait for new instructions
[date] Trigger [Name and strength on box] [Dose and unit from clinic] [Route from clinic] [Exact time from clinic] [Your time] Unsure Some liquid leaked; called clinic

A few things to notice:

  • The visit row. Your plan can change after a monitoring visit, so a new line may follow it.
  • The trigger row. Egg retrieval is done 34 to 36 hours after the trigger, so its exact clock time matters. Set two alarms and confirm the time with your clinic.
  • The "unsure" row. The person did not guess or take another dose. They wrote down what happened and called the clinic.

A frozen embryo transfer plan has a different shape. In a "programmed" cycle you take estradiol (a form of estrogen) and then add progesterone, and you keep using both until your clinic tells you to stop. So both stay on your calendar, row after row. The progesterone start time is tied to when your embryos are thawed and transferred, so confirm it with your clinic. Our guides to IVF stimulation and a medicated frozen embryo transfer explain each stage.

A changes log

Keep changes in their own log instead of rewriting the calendar from memory. It shows where each change came from and when it starts, which matters when a portal message and a phone call arrive close together.

Received (date and time) How it came From whom What changed Takes effect (date and time) Replaces an old line? Read back?

For example, a row might read: "Portal message, received Tuesday afternoon, from the nurse. New dose for one medicine. Takes effect Tuesday evening. Replaces the old dose. Confirmed by phone." Once the change is logged, cross out the old line in your calendar and add the new one.

Tips for keeping your schedule right

  • Copy from writing, not memory. Fill your calendar from your clinic's written instructions.
  • Take notes on calls. You can even ask to record the instructions on your phone.
  • Read it back. After a call, repeat the medicine, strength, dose, route, time and start date to the nurse.
  • Keep the boxes. Keep each medicine in the box it came in, so the label stays with it.
  • Ask about unclear steps. If you are unsure how to use a medicine, a pharmacist can help too.

If you miss a dose

Call your clinic as soon as you notice. Do not take an extra dose or change the next one on your own. Take your medicines exactly as your provider tells you, and contact your provider when the directions confuse you. Our IVF medications guide lists what to write down before you call.

Key takeaway

Give every dose its own row with the medicine, strength, dose, unit, route and time, and record what actually happened. Keep changes in a separate log, and if your calendar and your clinic's instructions ever differ, call the clinic before you take or skip anything.