When the clinic hands over a protocol sheet, the list of names can feel long. Gonal-F, Menopur, Cetrotide, trigger, progesterone. Most people want a simple map of what each group is for, not a lecture on hormones.
This is that map. It stays at the level of categories. Exact drugs, doses, and timing come only from your clinic. Nothing here is medical advice or a treatment plan.
Stimulation medications (gonadotropins)
These are the daily injections that encourage the ovaries to grow multiple follicles instead of the single one that usually develops in a natural cycle.
Common names people see:
- Recombinant FSH products (often labeled as Gonal-F or Follistim)
- Combined FSH + LH products (often labeled as Menopur)
Clinics choose the mix and the starting dose based on your labs, age, and prior response. The job of these meds is follicle growth. Monitoring ultrasounds and bloodwork decide when the dose stays the same, changes, or stops.
Suppression medications (preventing early ovulation)
Once follicles start growing, the body can still try to release them on its own. Suppression medications block that premature surge so retrieval can be timed.
Two common approaches:
- GnRH antagonists (often Cetrotide or Ganirelix) — usually started a few days into stimulation and continued until the trigger
- GnRH agonists used for suppression (often Lupron in a long protocol)
The exact start day is clinic-specific. The purpose is the same: keep the eggs in the follicles until the planned retrieval window.
The trigger shot
When monitoring shows the follicles are ready, one injection (or a dual combination) starts the final maturation process. Retrieval is typically scheduled about 36 hours later.
Common options people hear about:
- hCG triggers (Ovidrel, Pregnyl, Novarel, or generic hCG)
- Lupron (leuprolide) trigger, sometimes used alone or with a low-dose hCG when OHSS risk is a concern
Timing is tight. Clinics usually give a precise clock time. Missing that window or taking it early/late can affect maturity, which is why many people treat the trigger as the highest-priority alarm of the cycle.
Luteal support and lining medications
After retrieval (and especially after transfer), progesterone is commonly used to support the uterine lining. Forms vary: vaginal inserts, intramuscular oil, or oral. Some protocols also include estrogen.
These are not the same as the stim meds. They serve a different phase. Your clinic decides start day, form, and duration.
Other medications that sometimes appear
Depending on the protocol and individual factors, the list can also include:
- Birth-control pills or estrogen for priming / cycle control before stim starts
- Antibiotics around retrieval day
- Occasional adjuncts (growth hormone, low-dose hCG, metformin, etc.) when the clinic has a specific reason
Again: presence or absence of any of these is decided by the medical team, not by a general article.
Keeping the list straight in practice
Most people end up with a paper printout, a photo of the protocol, and a set of phone alarms. The friction shows up when the dose changes after a monitoring visit, when a new med is added mid-cycle, or when the trigger time is different from the usual evening window.
A dedicated IVF tracker is built for that job: one place for the current protocol, the daily schedule, site rotation notes, and a clear record of what was taken. Cove is designed exactly for that — medication scheduling and reminders, injection-site tracking, multi-cycle history, and a way to photograph a protocol sheet and confirm the extracted doses before they are saved. It is not a medical device and never decides doses or interprets results.
If you want the schedule and inventory in one calm place instead of scattered screenshots and alarms, you can download Cove on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6788749556
For more practical organization pieces, see the earlier post on keeping an IVF injection schedule and the FAQ.
Cove stays on the side of logging and reminders. Your clinic stays in charge of the medical decisions.
Download Cove: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6788749556