Progesterone Shots
This was the scariest part of IVF for me. I will not lie and say it is easy but I have some tips to help!
It helps me to have a routine and process. For the Lupron shot we used ice but it was a very thin liquid. The Progesterone shot is a thick oil so we used heat. It seemed to thin it out a bit and I didn’t feel it as much. One of the most important things to start is have your doctor, nurse, or PA draw where you should do the shot. We re-drew this every twoish days with a sharpie marker. As you can see in the top right pic, I did get a little bruised at times along the way.
There are several places you can do the shot but we chose my hip. I have a lot of padding back there 😉 We also switched sides every day except a few times if I bled or bruised too badly we would keep on the same time. This only happened twice in about 9 weeks!
Prep work!
Heating Pad
I start by laying on a heating pad while my husband prepped the shot. I would lay the bottle of oil between my hip and the heating pad to get it warm as well.
Clean Needles and Prep Shot
My husband did the work to clean and prep the needle. Alcohol swab everything, the needles, oil lid, and my hip.
Lay on your side
We tried the shot by standing up the first two nights but this was really uncomfortable to me. What worked best was to lay on my side with my bottom leg out straight and the top leg curved a bit. This was the best way to take all of the pressure off my hip.
Massage the Oil and Have a Treat!
Once the shot is in try to massage the oil in. I promise this may sting a little but will help you feel much better in a few hours! We switched sides each day. Then have a treat, a cup of sleepy tea with honey, ice cream, whatever makes you happy. This process is a little painful and VERY emotional. Be gentle with yourself!