If you are thinking about having IVF, you will most likely want to learn everything there is to know about the procedure.
You will come across IVF injections and women injecting themselves at home while doing your research.
Many individuals believe that taking an injection in the abdomen will be incredibly uncomfortable and painful. However, the actual scenario is slightly different.
IVF injections cause pinching for a couple of seconds every time one self-injects the injection.
Most women withstand it very well; it just requires education about this procedure as well as how to properly administer self-injection on yourself.
This is the primary reason an IVF experience has to go pretty smoothly for any woman who undergoes it.
Read further for additional information regarding IVF injections.
Why do you need Injections in IVF Treatment?
IVF shots are medicines used to trigger many mature eggs from your ovaries within a cycle.
These drugs suppress your natural menstrual cycle and the timing of the ovulation in an IVF cycle.
With the heavy hormone content in each dosage, these injections are also known as hormone injections of IVF.
IVF injections typically contain medication made from follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulate the ovary to develop mature follicles that are further developed into mature eggs before retrieval.
Women whose bodies do not produce a significant amount of progesterone during ovarian stimulation are often given progesterone supplements as well.
IVF injections offer much-needed control over the timing of ovulation and egg retrieval at the ideal time for fertilisation since timing is crucial in IVF treatment.
Schedule of IVF Injections and Their Counts
Injections for IVF are given according to the schedule of the individual’s treatment. IVF treatment can be started during the second or third day of a woman’s menstrual cycle by administering the first injection of the IVF cycle.
The dates of the embryo transfer and egg retrieval processes determine the timing of the additional injections.
Adhere strictly to the timetable as outlined by your attending doctor or fertility specialist. Don’t deviate from the injection cycle without consulting your healthcare team.
Women are usually given an average of 90 injections (1–2 shots per day) during each IVF cycle. Depending on the woman’s health, this lasts for eight to fourteen days.
These are given intramuscularly, which puts them straight into the muscle tissue, or subcutaneously, which introduces them into the layer of fat under the skin.
The number of injections varies based on the course of treatment and the cycle from one woman to another.
Types of IVF Injections
The commonly used injections for IVF treatment are discussed as follows:
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) injections
The growth and maturation of the ovarian follicles can be stimulated by jabbing this shot into your skin. Sometimes a preparation of human menopausal gonadotropin, or hMG, which contains both FSH and LH, is injected when FSH alone will not do.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists)
- The natural menstrual cycle and hormone production in women are suppressed by these injections; GnRH prevents early ovulation.
- One kind of GnRH agonist that works to temporarily block the body’s natural reproductive hormones is lupron injections.
- Lupride injections also prevent the hormones involved in reproduction from being naturally produced and secreted.Â
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists or GnRH antagonists
These drugs also inhibit the normal hormones of reproduction in the woman’s body, but these drugs are faster than GnRH agonists. Doctors give these injections nearer to the expected date of ovulation that will occur during the ovarian stimulation phase of IVF.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injections
These injections are given to increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy after the embryo has been transplanted. They play a crucial role in getting the uterine lining ready for the embryo’s implantation. In some cases, before embryo transfer also it can be injected into the IVF patient.
Menopur injectionsÂ
These injections also cause the release of FSH and LH to stimulate the maturation and growth of multiple follicles.Â
Progesterone injectionsÂ
You will be prepared with progesterone injections just after the egg retrieval process to transfer the embryo to the uterine lining. This medication conditions the uterine lining to be at an optimum thickness for implantation.
Symptoms You May Experience While Taking IVF Injections
You may experience the following symptoms once you begin your treatment with regular IVF injections. These injections are not very painful, though some people may feel a bit of discomfort.
During the entire course of treatment, various parameters of your health are followed up through ultrasounds and carrying out blood tests associated with treatment from the initial stage of the process.
Many women undergo elevated appetite and body weight due to regular jabbing of IVF injections, which influence the basal metabolic rate of their body.
IVF injections for pregnancy can make one suddenly have an emotional outburst or be distracted from their usual day-to-day activities. IVF injections might cause minor constipation and diarrhea, among other adverse effects.
Other studies further suggest that women who get injections in IVF have a higher level of stress and anxiety.Â
Note that if you have any of these extreme symptoms, then it would be advisable for you to see your fertility specialist at the earliest since this can indicate a disease.
Your fertility specialist may suggest a few tests to you or reduce the medication dosage and ask you to resume the IVF procedure after some time.
How do you Take Self-Injections For Yourself?
IVF injections can be either intramuscular or subcutaneous. A quick and easy way to use the subcutaneous approach, which is what many ladies prefer, is shown below:
- Select between the back of the upper arm, the thigh, or the belly for the injection.
- Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean the region.
- Get the syringe ready.
- Quickly insert the needle at a 90° angle while holding the syringe like a pencil and pinching your skin.
- Pull the plunger gently to check for blood. If there is no blood, then inject the drug.
- To prevent pain, swiftly remove the needle, dispose of it appropriately, and switch up the locations. After your cycle, a lot of fertility clinics can assist you in getting rid of the syringes.
Benefits of IVF Injections
IVF injections offer numerous benefits and supports for individuals who undergo the IVF cycles as follows:
- They inhibit the natural reproductive hormones to help control ovulation, which could be better managed by a doctor.
- The injections incite the ovaries to contain more than one egg that can be produced within that cycle instead of only a single one, so all the chances of fertilisation and eventually successful implantation will improve in this case.
- With many available eggs, the overall success rate at the IVF stage shall be improved. Additionally, IVF injections can be tailored to each individual’s needs, ensuring personalised treatment for optimal results.
Conclusion
The key to increasing your chances of an IVF cycle’s success is injections. The first stage in preparing your body for the subsequent rounds of IVF is each shot you will receive during the ovarian stimulation phase. Although most individuals would agree that IVF is challenging, it can occasionally be uncomfortable. The benefits of IVF treatment, however, greatly outweigh the dangers and difficulties associated with IVF injections and any further phases of the procedure.
