A poll for all you Mommies who used injectibles:

howleyshell · April 2012

I'm taking a very unscientific poll about injectible stim meds. (Gonal-F, Follistim, Bravelle, Menopur, Repronex, etc.)

If you used injectible stim meds for IUI or IVF can you tell me what you remember liking or disliking about them? (ie: sting, delivery device, etc)

An extra special thanks to anyone who has used more than one stim and will compare the 2 as far as likes and dislikes as well as if you thought one worked better than another (meaning exact same protocol but vastly different number of follies in play or big change in egg quality with same protocol.)

Thanks for any help you can offer!!

krissyh21 · April 2012

For my 3 IUIs I did Gonal F in the pen form. The pen was easy to use, when it was cold it did sting a bit.

For IVF 1 &2 - I did a combo of Gonal F/ Repronex I mixed myself in vial form. No sting, but the vials were kept at room temp until mixed.

IVF #3 I did Repronex and Brivalle (sp) - Brivalle was cheaper than gonal F but it took a higher dose to get the same number of eggs, so technically it was not cheaper since I needed 2 extra vials each shot (I was on a super high dose). I did have better quality that cycle, but I attribute that to the change in protocol over the injectable meds.

CardsfanSM · April 2012

I used both Follistim and Gonal-F. Although I don't remember specifics about side effects, I DO remember that Follistim produced many more eggs than Gonal-F. I used Gonal for at least 2 cycles, and Follistim for ALL the others (I lost count), and both times on Gonal I had less follies. RE couldn't figure out why, since they are essentially the same thing.

Cajun_gal · April 2012

It's been so long now... I used Gonal-F only, and I never had issues with any burning or stinging with it. I used both the pen and regular syringes and liked them both. I just remember Ganirelix burned like hell.

ladychicago · April 2012

I was on Gonal F for IVF. I had the pen - and it was really easy to use. I liked not having to draw it up. I don't remember any more or less sting than any other drug (lupron, ovidrel).

etoyama · April 2012

The only stim injectable I've used is the gonal-f pen but ivthought it was great. Really easy to use and pretty painless.

NicoleeBonsai · April 2012

for both IVFs, i did Gonal-F and Menopur

IVF#1 i did more Gonal-F and less Menopur. i got something like 17 eggs, and my embryo quality was so-so. transferred 3, nothing to freeze. ended in a c/p.

IVF#2 i did more Menopur and less Gonal-F. i got 22 eggs, our embryo quality was much better. transferred 3, had 2 to freeze. results are in my siggy

i always had anxiety over Menopur b/c i was worried i wasn't getting it all out of the vial after mixing the powder with the saline. that made me paranoid i wasn't getting my full dose. and it stung going in!

gonal-f was no big deal, except i was always a little paranoid that the pen was empty b/c i somehow did the math wrong and was giving myself empty injections.

Carrie25 · April 2012

I've used both Bravelle and Follistim. By far Follistim was easier and faster to use. I didn't like Bravelle because I had to mix it and I felt like I was always doing it wrong. And I only got two follies on Bravelle. I used Bravelle for my first IUI.

When I took Follistim, I also to Menopur and that IVF resulted in 28 eggs retrieved and my DS. I had 10 frozen embryos. I felt like since the Follistim was in the pen, it wasn't as painful.

eriness` · April 2012

I did 2 IUI's with Follisitm, and one that converted to IVF, and with my IVF. Follistim was easy peasy. no side effects, other than weight gain.

I added Repronex for my IUI/IVF cycle, and with my IVF. That sucked. I'd get a huge welt, the size of a baseball, raised and red, that itched like crazy, and was super tender to the touch. I had to do all of those on one side, opposite of where I carried my DS1, and space them out. As they "healed" they left a huge green bruise. Ouch.

Lupron. Stung like a !@#$ going in, and after a few weeks of that, I had horrible joint pain and super tired. But didn't bother my skin at least

Ovridril trigger. Stung going in, and left a slight tender spot the next day. Loved that it came pre-loaded! Had to use the other kind for one IUI, and hated mixing and the needle seemed larger.

firsttogo · April 2012

I have MANY cysts on my ovaries, but no other symptoms of PCO. Because of that the RE was pretty concerned about OHSS. I have used Bravelle, Follistim, and then a Menopur/Bravelle combo. The Follistim gave the worst results and burned going in. I wonder some if that had to do with the fact that it was refridgerated, where the Bravelle/Menopur were room temp. I did have to mix the latter, but that did not seem like a big deal. The pen was easy, but again, stingy!

nicolita14w · April 2012

I used Follistim and Ovidrel. I don't recall having any major problems with either of them. They were easy to use and pain was minimal.

njdcgirl · April 2012

I used Gonal-F on all three IVFs, and 1 IUI cycle. I always mixed my own (was on fairly large doses). I added in Menopur for the last 2 IVFs. I remember feeling like a scientist mixing all those meds! I think it would be nice if Gonal/Menopur came in larger doses for those who are poor responders - if I remember right, I think I was mixing like 5 menopur + gonal-f each time - and I was also always worried that I wasn't getting it all in the syringe.

Daisy's mom · April 2012

I used Follistim on one of the iui's and the IVF cycle. It was in the pen form, easy peasy. No significant pain that I recall. I also used Menopur for the IVF cycle, I was told to ice the injection site and alternate sides to avoid being in pain. I must have a high pain tolerance because it wasn't that bad.

LucyPevensie · April 2012

Loved the follistim pen. Had zero problems with it and thought it was almost totally painless - teeny, tiny needles and no sting when meds were injected.

I also used ganirelix and did find that one stung a good bit going in.

I think I had HCG triggers that i had to mix - i think generic scrips - but never had a problem.

AuburnGirl04 · April 2012

Ovidrel - gave me terrible morning sickness type side effects. The prefilled syringe itself was super easy to use though.

I only did one shot with Repronex - gave me a large red bump at the injection site that lasted several days.

My other 3 shots were with Menopur - no red injection site side effects like Repronex. No other side effects that I recall. I have PCOS and did IUI and responded just right with the use of Menopur/Femara/Dexamethasone (sp?) combo.

For repronex and menopur, I did the mix the powder with the vial thing. I would not have been comfortable doing it without the help of a video I watched on the freedom fertility website. Videos are a MUST for the 9 pm - the office is closed and I have to do this on my own - nervousness

ardilla · April 2012

I used Gonal-F in 2 IUI combo cycles with Femara. It was not pen form but I had no issues with the little needles. I don't remember any burning from the med, just the little pin prick from the needle going in. I was never given the option of the Gonal-F pen. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was on a really low dose?

EmilyAnne · April 2012

I used Follistim for 2 IUI cycles - including my current pregnancy. It was the pen form. Super easy to use. Just dial it and stick it in. Hardly felt it.

I've used Ovadrill several times. Again, easy to use. Maybe a bit more pain at the injection site. I sometimes got redish around the injection site. But nothing huge.

gringa78 · April 2012

I used Bravelle for my IUI cycles and Bravelle and Menopur both for my fresh IVF cycle. I think the Menopur stung more than the Bravelle...I don't remember the Bravelle stinging at all. I think the eggs produced had more to do with the dosage than the drug I used...my dosage was upped for the IVF cycle and I produced 30 eggs, 20 of them mature, 15 fertilized normally, and they yielded 3 babies and 8 frozens.

JenCW · April 2012

I've used Repronex, Gonal-F and Menopur.

When I used Repronex it was used stand alone. I mixed it in the vial and then injected. My first two cycles I over-responded, which was not good because we were doing TI. The RE dialed back the dosage, and I got two good follies.

For IVF, I used Gonal-F and Menopur together. I mixed the Menopur and then had to add the Gonal-F from the pen to the Menopur mix and then injected them together as one shot, so I never used the pen for injecting. My first time with this mix, I got virtually no response and the cycle was cancelled, but my RE was fairly certain it was because I was over-suppressed beforehand not because of the stims. The next cycle we did no suppression, and I got 16 eggs (11 mature).

I don't remember any specific side effects from any of the stim meds. Now the trigger shot and the progesterone, those are a different story - hated them both!

choco_lab · April 2012

I used the Gonal F pen for all 5 of my IUIs and my 2 IVFs. I thought the pen was SUPER easy to use and never had any issues figuring out how to use it. I didn't have any stinging. I used it at room temperature. It was shipped to my house refrig and I kept in the fridge until I used it and then kept it room temp. I have no complaints.

GuitaristsGirl · April 2012

EmilyAnne:
I used Follistim for 2 IUI cycles - including my current pregnancy. It was the pen form. Super easy to use. Just dial it and stick it in. Hardly felt it.

I've used Ovadrill several times. Again, easy to use. Maybe a bit more pain at the injection site. I sometimes got redish around the injection site. But nothing huge.

This, but I only did 1 IUI.

diego299 · April 2012

I used gonal F in the pen form and it did sting a little but was super easy to use. Meopur we had to mix ourselves which was a bit scary at first but didn't really hurt.

The worst injection I ever had to do was the crinone! Hurt everytime and bruised my butt!

brody8336 · April 2012

IVF Cycle #1: Used Gonal-F in pen form. I never noticed that it burned at all. Pen was easy to use, although I thought holding the pen to inject was somewhat cumbersome compared to the weight and size of a "normal" syringe. We got 24 eggs with this cycle. Fresh transfer was BFN (2 embies) and FET was c/p (2 embies). No embies were Grade 1 from this cycle, all were grades 2-4.

IVF Cycle #2: Used Gonal-F and Menopur combination of meds. Menopur burned a tiny bit, but nothing too bad. I liked that the Menopur had the special top you could use to attach the syringe to the vial to get the meds out. It made it very easy to ensure you got it all into the syrninge. This cycle we got 36 eggs, and our BFP twins (2 transferred). The two we transferred were Grade 1, and we have 7 frozen embies.

here4u · April 2012

I only used Gonal-F so I don't have anything to compare it too. I honestly thought it was a breeze to use. Pen form, just turn the knob to your dose and let it get room temp., nice thin needle, wasn't bad at all!

LisaBRM · April 2012

I did 11 injectable cycles and think I used follistim for every single one. Honestly, I have no complaints aobut it. The pens are easy to use. I think with Gonal F the pens are prefilled. With Follistim, I had to replace the cartridge in the pen whenever it was empty.

For one or two of my cycles, I added menopur. These were towards the end of my journey, so, honestly, extra needles and more complex processes were not an issue for me whatsoever, however, I know for some people starting out, menopur is more complicated because you actually have to mix the meds yourself, as opposed to using a prefilled pen. Like I said, it wasn't an issue for me, but, I do think there is a higher probability of error, which, obviously, can be a problem.

I really didn't find that any of the stim meds caused stinging. Yes, sometimes I bruised (and, some were doosies!), but, it was random when it would happen.

Oh, I had one issue that is completely petty, but, if you're looking for unusual situations, this might help you. I had to give myself injections at a wedding once. I had to do follistim, with the pen, and lupron, with insulin needles. I got to the wedding and realized that I hadn't brought any of the needles that twist onto the follistim pen. Now, I was pretty advanced at this point, so, I ended up using insulin needles - sticking them into the follistim cartridge (which I removed from the pen) about 10 times to get the dosage I needed. But, that was frustrating. If I didn't have insulin needles, I could have gone to a regular pharmacy and somehow ended up getting what I needed, but, regular pharmacies don't have the twist on needles so I was basically SOL. Anyway, it's not a direct meds issue, but, perhaps, a distribution issue (or, just my stupidity, lol), and I thought I'd tell you about it!

ETA - also used lupron, ganirelix, ovidrel, and HCG triggers. Really nothing to comment on them. Lupron stung a bit, but, really, it wasn't a big deal. I also wanted to add that, for me, no combination of drugs was any more successful than any other, but, I had ovarian reserve issues and it was more about the protocol and combination of drugs that had more or less success and not the individual drugs.

JillRock96 · April 2012

I only used gonal-f, but I used it for three IVF cycles. I loved it and didn't think anything could be easier. I used the pens every time, which were incredible easy to use and bring with me if I needed to. The actual administration did not hurt a bit -- no stinging at all.

leslie&brian · April 2012

I used the Follistim pen and loved it. Super easy to use, and small needle that didn't hurt at all.

I HATED Ganirelex. I would dread days I knew I had to inject it. I'm a nurse, and have 6 tattoos (totally not afraid of needles), and that shot is just terrible. The needle seems to be dull, and I literally had times where I would either bounce it off my skin or get it stuck. Plus, it always left a red itchy welt.

Frankie · April 2012

I've only used pre-filled Gonal-f pens to stim for IUI's. Super easy to use and absolutely no side effects. On the other hand, I HATE Ovidrel (but that's not what you're looking for so I'll keep my comments to myself!).

skoorbnibor · April 2012

bravelle and menopur and then bravelle and repronex (or vice versa) both equally hated, because I had to mix and then take from the same syringe. One was IM, I think menopur and that sucked cause I needed help.

My fav to take was ganirelix, single dose prefilled pen!

crystalgirl · April 2012

I have used Follistim and Menopur but always in conjunction.

Menopur stings. The Q-caps are nice for mixing and also loading the syringe (compared to the typical puncture-with-a-needle type), but the delivery and measurement is not as easy as a pen.

Follistim was fine, no stinging. The pen is great. There are, however, two downsides to the pen. When you need really large doses (as I do), it can be a bit difficult to deliver all of the medicine without twisting/wiggling the inserted needle as you depress the stopper through allllll of those clicks. If I was on a lesser dose (I did up to 450IU in one sitting), it would be easy-peasy. The second downside has to do with running out of med in one vial and needing to use another to finish your dose. In that case, you have to poke yourself twice instead of only once. With a typical delivery method (i.e. a needle and syringe), you'd just need to load up the right dose from any number of vials and deliver it all in one shot. (Considering the large dose I was on, this happened to me all the time because I would blow through those little vials.) Still, the pen is so handy, the pros outweigh the cons.

oooCarrieB · April 2012

I used Follistim and Menupor. I liked the Follistim pen- very easy to use. I was a little stressed about mixing the Menupor myself, but it wasn't that bad.

My only big negative about injections was one night I ended up having to do 4 injections, Follistim, another Follistim (because I had like part of a cartridge and needed to do another one to get more) Menupor and Ganirelex and the whole thing really must have been stressful, because I had a panic attack and fainted. It was really scary.

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