Causes & Treatment
I’m Nervous to Inject my IVF Meds! Advice from Our Community
Eloise Edington | 21 Jan 2022
Most people are vaguely aware of what’s involved in IVF: lots of appointments, medical scans, tablets and injections (to name the bare minimum). But when it comes round to actually having IVF, it’s somewhat amusing coming to terms with the fact you’ll have to inject a needle into your stomach or thighs, every day, for the best part of two weeks.
At Fertility Help Hub, we balance fertility expert advice with top tips from our fertility community so you feel supported in your fertility journey every step of the way. (Take our quiz to be matched with an expert here.)
Read on to discover top tips from our fertility community about having IVF stims.
Words by Holly Pigache
If you’re feeling anxious about administering IVF shots, you’re in good company; 67% of our community felt nervous about administering injections. Aside from the “sharp scratch” that accompanies jabbing a needle into your stomach or thigh, IVF is a high-stakes situation. Often, people who embark on IVF have had an emotional journey so far; battling with (in)fertility, trying (and not succeeding) to get pregnant and spending a lot of money on IVF.
No wonder we open the medication box with trepidation.
Unless you’re diabetic or have a serious allergy, it’s uncommon you’ll have self-administered injections before, so what advice does our community have for injecting IVF medication?
- “If you’re injecting alone, consider doing the first one or two with a friend, housemate or family member – until you get into the swing of it. Each day, alternate between injection sites to minimise pain. The more you stress about it, the more anxious you will become. Just do it, you absolutely can.” – Holly
- “Get someone else to do it.” – Emily
- “Continue to live: be healthy but don’t obsess over diet. Don’t be too hard on yourself.” – Ashley
- “Drink lots of water and be kind to yourself.” – Daisy
- “Do it quickly. Don’t jab it in too hard. Use heat packs before the progesterone injections. Inject at the same time each day for consistency.” – Eloise
- “Don’t put your life on hold. I took 2 weeks off work and it was a big mistake. Too much time thinking!” – Lou
- “You might find you bruise less if you push the needle in and pull it out very slowly.” – Marta
- “Start taking a laxative a day or two before retrieval.” – Jenna
- “Mark all your injection sites during stims so you don’t accidentally inject the same spot twice.” – Louise
Thanks to Jordan, Laura and Marta for sharing photos.
If you’re going through IVF as a solo parent, let this empower you. You’ve done so much already and you certainly can inject yourself with the meds. Maybe you ask a friend, a sibling or a housemate to hold your hand, or maybe you mentally hold your own hand. In fact, for those in our community going through IVF treatment alone, 75% said you sought support from friends and family. For some, support came in the guise of injection-help, for others, friends and family members popped over, called, asked questions and phoned to check-in.
What’s important to remember during IVF is it’s absolutely doable to jab yourself – whether solo or partnered – and 78% of our amazing FHH community said they injected IVF stims themselves.
Watch: The Agora fertility clinic’s advice on how to give IVF injections here.
Bruised IVF stomachs. Thanks to Marta, Louise, Magda and Stacy for sharing photos.
The best way of overcoming needle nerves for IVF is to prepare. Consider what will help you tackle the anxiety and seek out that support before the first injection day.
Remember that “support” comes in different packages: family, friends, partners, medical practitioners, strangers who’ve experienced similar situations – there are so many ways you can find support on your fertility journey.
