If you’ve been following our journey, you would know that we have to use IVF, in vitro fertilization, to get pregnant. Along the way, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to help with the progesterone shots. Keep in mind, I am not a doctor, so please consult your doctor’s office if you have questions, but these are helpful tips that I learned in my experience.

1. Heat up the oil before injection

– One of the things you might hear is that it’s helpful to heat up the oil before injecting it. This is super helpful because the progesterone shot is thick being that it’s in oil so anything you can do to help thin it a bit prior to injection is helpful. It won’t change the amount that is administered, it will just help it go in smoother. The way we chose to heat the oil, was the either put it in my bra prior to injection, or more popularly we rubbed it in between our hands. The second option was preferred so there was less interference with the possibility of disrupting the plunger.

2. Administer the shots in the morning

– You’ll want to take this shot at about the same time each day. You might hear conflicting advice on this, and definitely ask you doctor. However, our nurse mentioned that morning is actually better because it allows us to move around prior to the injection which helps work in the medicine. Take it from me, not working in the medicine well will lead to discomfort at the site of the injection and believe it or not, into the hip. This leads to the next tip.

3. Work in the medicine

– This is really important. I learned the hard way that not effectively working in the medicine after each injection, will lead to discomfort in the glute and for me specifically, in the hip. Best ways to work in the medicine are to invest in a roller ball massager, have the person assisting you massage the area really well, use a heating pad on the area after administering the shot, or go for a walk after the injection. These ways of integrating the medicine will help spread the medicine and will also assist in reducing discomfort in the muscles. Believe me, I still have numbness/discomfort in my hip from the shots and it’s been almost 3 months since my last shot. Please take extra care to do this step.

4. Set up a station

– Something that my husband and I did really well with the egg retrieval shots, was to set up a station that we would go to to keep all our stuff organized and easy to get to. We didn’t do this as much for the progesterone shots, and I regretted it. For our next transfer, I definitely plan on setting up an organized station to retrieve the materials and keep everything in an organized location.

5. Have Tissues Ready

– You might need the tissues for tears because the shots do hurt and may cause tears, just being honest. However, we mostly used the tissues (or you could use gauze) to put on the injection site after removing the needle because sometimes the medicine would attempt to ooze back out or some blood would appear. It was just helpful to have something to put on the area before grabbing a bandaid.

6. Have bandaids

– You shouldn’t be bleeding a tremendous amount, but sometimes the area would have a little blood and it’s helpful to have a little bandaid just in case. In addition, using a bandaid on the last used injection spot can help you remember which side you should do the following time. It can be difficult to remember which side you are on next.

7. Switch sides

– Each time you receive a shot, it shouldn’t be in the same side consecutively. This gives your muscles a break when you switch sides and assists with reducing pooling of the medication. If it’s hard to remember which side, you can develop a system, use the bandaid method, or just have awareness of your body because the side last used might be more sore than the other side.

8. Relax

– I know this is a hard one, but it’s really important to try and stay as relaxed as possible during the shot. I found it helpful to lay down while receiving the shot and my nurse told me that lifting the leg on the side that would be receiving it was helpful in relaxing that muscle. This worked best for us to lay on the bed with the one leg pulled in at around a 90 degree angle to take pressure off that muscle. Majority of the times that my husband gave me the shot, it didn’t hurt super bad, but sometimes it still did. However, the more relaxed, the easier the entire event will be.

At the end of it all, I’ve been told it will all be worth it! It doesn’t feel wonderful in the moment, but I can tell you that once you graduate from receiving these shots even the idea of going back and doing them again to have that miracle, sounds worth it. I would gladly do it all again for the baby at the end of it all.