Your Patients Need Help Finding Menopur — Here's What You Can Do

When a patient calls your clinic in distress because their pharmacy can't fill their Menopur prescription, the clock is ticking. Fertility treatment timelines are rigid, and delays caused by medication unavailability can mean a canceled cycle, wasted preparatory medications, and significant emotional and financial costs for your patient.

As a reproductive endocrinologist, OB/GYN, or fertility clinic staff member, you're in a unique position to help. This guide walks you through actionable steps your practice can take to help patients find Menopur (Menotropins) during the current supply environment.

Current Availability: What You Need to Know

Menopur supply in 2026 remains variable:

• Specialty fertility pharmacies are the most reliable source, generally maintaining inventory with occasional brief gaps
• Retail pharmacy chains (CVS, Walgreens) are largely unreliable for Menopur — most locations don't stock fertility injectables
• Regional variation is significant — major metro areas with large fertility clinic concentrations tend to have better pharmacy supply
• Seasonal patterns persist, with tightest supply during spring and early summer IVF peaks

For the clinical and market context behind these issues, see our provider shortage briefing.

Why Patients Can't Find Menopur on Their Own

Understanding your patients' perspective helps you support them better:

• They don't know about specialty pharmacies. Many patients default to their regular retail pharmacy, which likely doesn't carry Menopur.
• They're overwhelmed. Patients in the middle of fertility treatment are managing medications, appointments, emotions, and costs simultaneously. Adding a pharmacy scavenger hunt is a significant burden.
• Time pressure is real. Unlike many medications where a 1-2 day delay is fine, gonadotropin timing is cycle-critical. Even a single missed day can impact outcomes.
• They may not understand their options. Patients often don't know they can use multiple pharmacies, transfer prescriptions, or ask for alternative protocols.

What Providers Can Do: 5 Practical Steps

Step 1: Establish Preferred Specialty Pharmacy Relationships

If your practice doesn't already have established partnerships with specialty fertility pharmacies, now is the time. Key partners to consider:

• Freedom Fertility Pharmacy
• Encompass Fertility
• MDR Pharmacy
• Village Fertility Pharmacy
• Alto Pharmacy (fertility divisions)

Maintain current contact information for each, including dedicated provider phone lines. Some practices designate a staff member as the pharmacy liaison to track inventory and manage relationships.

Step 2: Use Medfinder to Check Real-Time Availability

Medfinder for Providers allows your team to search Menopur availability across pharmacies in real time. This is especially useful when your preferred pharmacy is out and you need to quickly identify alternative sources for a patient.

Consider bookmarking Medfinder on clinic workstations so nursing staff can check availability when processing prescriptions.

Step 3: Send Prescriptions to Specialty Pharmacies First

Make it your default to route Menopur prescriptions to specialty fertility pharmacies rather than retail chains. This simple workflow change dramatically reduces the likelihood of availability issues. If the patient prefers a retail pharmacy, inform them that Menopur may not be stocked and offer the specialty pharmacy as a backup.

Step 4: Build Buffer Time Into Prescription Timelines

Adjust your workflow to send fertility medication prescriptions earlier in the cycle planning process:

• Send prescriptions 7-14 days before the expected cycle start
• Include a note to the pharmacy about the anticipated start date
• Ask pharmacy staff to confirm stock and hold the medication

This buffer gives pharmacies time to source the medication and gives your team time to identify alternatives if needed.

Step 5: Prepare and Communicate Backup Protocols

Have alternative stimulation protocols documented and ready to deploy:

• Primary alternative: Gonal-F or Follistim AQ (recombinant FSH) plus low-dose hCG for LH activity
• Secondary alternative: Pergoveris (recombinant FSH + LH combination)

Share the backup plan with patients at the start of treatment planning, before they encounter an availability issue. This reduces panic and decision-making pressure when time is short.

Alternative Medications to Know

For a detailed comparison of Menopur alternatives, see our patient-facing alternatives guide (useful for sharing with patients) or refer to the protocol guidance in our provider shortage briefing.

Quick reference:

• Gonal-F (follitropin alfa): Recombinant FSH, pen delivery, widely available, ~$80-$120 per 75 IU equivalent
• Follistim AQ (follitropin beta): Recombinant FSH, cartridge pen, similar availability and pricing
• Pergoveris (follitropin alfa + lutropin alfa): Recombinant FSH/LH combo, closest to Menopur's profile
• Low-dose hCG (Pregnyl, Novarel): $50-$150 per vial, provides LH-like activity to supplement recombinant FSH

Workflow Tips for Your Practice

• Designate a medication coordinator: One staff member who monitors pharmacy stock, manages prescription routing, and serves as the patient's point of contact for medication issues
• Create a pharmacy contact sheet: Maintain an updated list of specialty pharmacies with direct phone numbers, hours, and current Menopur stock status (updated weekly)
• Use Medfinder as a daily tool: Check Menopur availability at the start of each day so you can proactively reach out to patients with upcoming cycles
• Template prior authorization letters: Have pre-written templates for insurance prior authorization of alternative gonadotropins, citing shortage-related medical necessity
• Patient handout: Create a one-page handout explaining the Menopur situation, listing specialty pharmacy options, and providing your clinic's backup protocol. Distribute at the treatment planning visit.

Final Thoughts

Helping patients navigate Menopur availability issues is now a routine part of fertility practice operations. By building strong pharmacy relationships, using real-time tools like Medfinder, planning ahead, and maintaining protocol flexibility, your practice can minimize the impact of supply variability on patient care and outcomes.

For patient-facing resources you can share, direct patients to our guide on finding Menopur or our patient shortage update.