Pitty Party - Any Injectable Users Out There?

sweetball33

Pitty Party for me.... tomorrow is our three year wedding anniversary!  It is also the day my Dr ordered bloodwork to confirm pregnancy from my last IUI, which turned out to be a BFN on Sunday.  To say I was disappointed is an understatment. What a present that would have been! I went back today for a baseline and to discuss our options. 

I have two more IUI attempts before moving on to injectables. Is anyone using injectables?? If so, are there many side effects?  I've taken 50 mg of Clomid with no side effects.  I hate the idea of having shots everyday, when there is NOTHING WRONG WITH US (except of course, that we can't conceive) .  BOO to unexplained infertility.

 

Baby Dust to All!

lisa89760

I just started using injectables this cycle.  We have unexplained IF as well, (and an extreme phobia of needles) but when I found out that my insurance covered injectables, I was in.  

It's really not that bad...I still hate them and my husband is actually the one giving me the shot.  I'm kinda tired and my stomach is irritated from the shots but I'm getting over that real fast.  I ice up the area before the shot and I don't really feel it.  

loveinkw13

Unexplained IF here too! It is quite annoying. We did our first cycles with injectables this month. The side effects weren't too terrible - I didn't notice any moodiness until I took the Ovidrel shot like @rumbera26. I honestly didn't think the shots were too terrible either. The needle goes in easily! The first time I was so nervous though, but after that it got easier for me. 

Hollowvic

I'm terrified of needles and I will be starting them in a few weeks for IVF, I honestly don't know how I am going to do it, but from what I hear after the first one it gets much easier. As for side effects, not sure because I haven't done any yet.

mmmKayy

This month was my first with injectables too and like PP's said it wasn't bad at all. MH did my shots and we were super nervous leading up to it, but once he stuck me we felt silly for being so scared lol. I personally didn't notice any side effects at all. Not anything out if the norm. And like @Rumbera28 said the progesterone is what does me in!

molly84

I'm actually on injectables now. This is our second cycle with them and I have the first iui tomorrow. I didn't think they were bad at all! The needle is fairly small and I didn't have any side effects. Good luck!

sweetball33

@nariadreaming sorry to offend... I'm still new to these boards and see the term thrown around without any warning!  I'm still not up to speed on all the lingo or etiquette

Thanks everyone for your comments.  At least I know that it seems to be managable for most.  I have a friend doing IVF prep now and she's having a terrible go, but she also has a slew of other issues that I don't.  I should be greatful that there's another option before having to consider going down that road and just not worrying so much. 

tweetyknicks

I had minimal side effects from low-dose injects (75 IU for IUI) beside the ones that are supposed to happen. At a higher dose (200 IU or more for IVF) I get headaches and I'm hungry. Bravelle stung a bit less than Gonal-F.

@lemonliz @hollowvic Yes, it is easier after the first one. Shots can sting a bit, but they're more annoying than scary to me at this point.

southernyankeegirl

*** Grad / Ticker, BFP mentioned Warning ***


We were unexplained. After 20 months on our own, it took 4 cycles with an RE (and I realize how lucky we were). An unmedicated IUI, a Femara & Follistim TI cycle, a Femara & Follistim IUI, and finally a Follistim IUI.

Femara thinned out my lining, it seemed, and I only ever had 1-2 follicles in the running.

When we did Follistim-only IUI (125 iu per day), it was soooo much better! I had very few side effects from the shots (Femara gave me headaches) and my lining was super thick and I worried about overstimming as at one point we had 7 follicles in the running (ended up being around 3 mature at trigger).

That injects IUI was the one that worked! I swear if we struggle to conceive #2, I will skip straight to Follistim IUIs. It was super easy (though additional monitoring was a hassle, as was scheduling to be home every evening for the shot) and it was a MUCH better response with my body.

Good luck!!!! I hope whatever you chose to do results in your BFP!

wishiwaspreggo

*****Siggy Warning - Grad chiming in, too!*****

Like @southernyankeegirl, it was Follistim that finally worked for me.  I tried natural once, Clomid 3 times, Femara + Follistim once, and then finally just Follistim - yay, it worked!

I responded fine to Clomid.  It was baffling that I never got a BFP with it since I always had a few follicles and a good lining.  Femara didn't do anything for me - follies didn't start to form until I started Follistim.  With Follistim you'll find your follicle growth is much faster (at least that was the case for me).  I usually had IUI on CD 17 or 18.  I had my Follistim IUI on CD 12. 

Plus the extra monitoring made me feel better about everything.  It sucked having to make extra trips to my RE (she's a 1.5 hour drive away from my home) but the blood work helped determine my IUI timing and I credit knowing when exactly my surge was starting to my positive outcome.

Like others said the risk of over-stimming is a real and scary possibility.  But just listen to your RE and you should be fine.  Plus, worst case scenario, you'll know how your body reacts to Follistim so if you need to move on to IVF (hopefully not) then you'll kind of know what to expect already and your doctor will know what dose is appropriate for you.

Hope that helps!

Oh, and like other PPs said, the needles are nothing.  They're so tiny you literally don't feel a thing when you do the injection.  Let your meds sit out of the fridge for 10-15 minutes - otherwise it'll feel kind of tingly when the medicine's injected but even then it's not bad at all.