A few tips to win over your fear of needles, and be a superwoman.
These days are about growing as many healthy, and mature eggs as possible with the help of ovarian stimulation. More eggs mean a better chance of succeeding.
According to my stimulation protocol I uploaded my medication plan to Leeaf, and also scheduled my next ultrasound appointment. This little extra help ensures me that all are on track. Being organized always comforts me.
That’s how I won over my fears of needles. I felt like an unstoppable superwoman every day after my injections, but to be honest, my fear was much bigger than realistic.
The day following my clinic visit, I had to administer my first daily hormone injection by myself. Of course – because of my nervousness – I was not sure anymore how to use the injection pen properly, even though the nurse gave me a proper training just 24 hours ago. The instruction book seemed a bit complicated to me, so I decided to go for an official Youtube tutorial. It’s better to check it twice, than doing anything wrong, right?
After double-checking the theory, I still had to deal with the reality: my fear of needles. This little problem won’t stop me for sure, but it makes me feel anxious. The needle is very tinny, but still - I am not professional – I am scarred that it’s going to hurt. I can be sure that 1 out of 4 women undergoing IVF has the same feeling as I do, because it's estimated that fear of needles affects up to 25% of adults. So, I am definitely not alone with this one either.
I did some research, and actually there are a few tricks we can do to make the daily injections easier:
- Ice the area before injecting so you can numb it.
- Pinch the skin at the injection site. Injections go right under the skin before you reach the muscle.
- Keep the muscle flaccid by standing on the leg opposite to the one in which you are injecting.
- Make sure to relax. Practice some deep breaths and make sure the muscle you are going to inject is loose.
- Pretend you’re braver than you feel. Count to three and shoot.
