Many patients undergoing fertility treatment experience moments of stress and anxiety, feeling overwhelmed by a flood of generalized information, the numerous tasks needed to manage their treatment, and the challenges of learning how to do their injections. To help make things easier, we put together a to do list to help you feel confident and prepared when starting your fertility medications.
Take Stock of Your Medications as Soon as They Arrive
One of the easiest, yet often overlooked, things to do to help set yourself up for success when starting a fertility treatment cycle is to go through your prescription order as soon as you receive it. Always make sure you:
Received all of the stimulation medications in your prescription
Have a trigger shot (If your clinic plans to use a leuprolide acetate trigger, you may not receive this medication until the day you are instructed to use it).
Have all of the necessary supplies to complete your injections safely, such as alcohol swabs, sharps container, needles, syringes
Learn About Your Medications
Many clinics provide hands-on injection classes and send links to injection videos to help you learn about the medications you are prescribed. Each medication has its own storage, mixing, and injection instructions, so being familiar with them before you start treatment can help you to feel more confident when it comes time for your first dose.
Rewatch the injection videos as you do your first dose of each medication. That way you can follow along with the video step-by-step as you prepare and inject your medications.
If you’re looking for trustworthy injection videos for your medications, the Berry app has easy-to-follow injection videos located within the medication details for all of the most common medications.
Keep Track of Your Medication Inventory
One of the most stressful things that can happen during treatment is to run out of medications and not realize it until it’s time for your next dose. To avoid this, keep track of your medication inventory somewhere that is easily accessible, like your phone. It's also a good idea to discuss your medication supply with your clinic staff at each monitoring appointment. They can advise you on whether to call the pharmacy for a refill or if your current stock is sufficient.
Set Medication Reminders
A simple yet incredibly useful tip is to set medication reminders on your phone. Having a visual cue to take your medications on time can prevent you from getting distracted and forgetting to take your medications as scheduled.
Setting a medication reminder is especially important for the trigger shot in IVF and egg freezing because the trigger shot is precisely timed about 36 hours before the egg retrieval procedure. Missing the trigger shot time can interfere with the success of your cycle, so set those reminders!
Take Your Time
Feeling rushed can make everything more stressful than it needs to be. A great tip for calming your nerves is to prepare everything you need for your injection about 10-15 minutes before your scheduled injection time. Use this time to mix the medication, attach the needle to the syringe or pen, and let the medication warm up a bit before injecting (this can help to make it burn less when injected). Take your time getting organized and give yourself a minute to take a few deep breaths before getting started.
Top Products to Have On Hand For Injections
Your pharmacy will provide you with all of the mandatory items needed to complete your injections, such as alcohol swabs, needles, and sharps containers. However, there are a few other optional items that can make your injection experience more comfortable.
Tylenol. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is great to have around during treatment. Typically NSAIDs like ibuprofen aren’t used during fertility treatment or during pregnancy. Your best bet for pain relief during treatment is to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) for everything from a headache to abdominal cramping. (Always check with your doctor before taking any pain medications during your treatment cycle.)
Shot Blocker. A Shot Blocker is a great tool to have if the pain from the injections is difficult to tolerate. The Shot Blocker has numerous small projections that gently poke the skin around the injection site. The pressure from these projections desensitizes the area, making the actual needle poke less painful.
Ice Pack. An ice pack can be really great during treatment to help with the discomfort at the injection site. Ice packs used before and after the injection of most medications can help numb the pain.
You should avoid using ice packs for progesterone in oil as the cold will cause the oil to congeal making it difficult to absorb. Warm compresses are better for PIO.
Use the Berry App
The Berry app is designed to help with many of the tasks listed above. In the app, each medication has details like common side effects, injection type, storage instructions, and injection videos right at your fingertips. And to help you stay on top of your medications, Berry allows you to keep track of your medication inventory as well as set reminders to receive an alert when a medication dose is due. Berry gives you a place to take notes, log symptoms, and keep track of your appointments, helping you stay organized and informed during every phase of your treatment.
Mastering your medications can seem daunting, but these easy tips can help you approach your medications with confidence. Good luck, you can do this!