Your experiences of Gonadotrophin injections

[Imaan]

Hi ladies,

So... my long awaited appointment with the consultatnt finally came. After going through the laborious testing and waiting that you have all probably been through, I've been told that I'll be starting IUI next month. I kind of feel like a battery chicken, being fed through the system. There was not much room for discussion and Dh and I came out a little frazzled after she read through the long list of side effects of Gonadotrophin (which sounded like death!), which I will apparently be taking along with Clomid.

I wanted to know about your first hand experiences of taking this medicine, any major/minor side effects? how has it made you feel emotionally? and how difficult and painful is it to administer the injections yourself?

Any info you could share, would be a great help, and hugely comforting.

Love to all,

 

[MariaF]

First of all don't worry and look at the bright side - starting IUI is huge progress!! So well done for getting this far

I had sooo many procedures done where lists of side effects were a mile long - doctors HAVE to warn you even though most of them are purely hypothetical.
Before both my laparoscopies they basically prepared me to die! It sounded so serious, and I had to sign my name to say I understood the risks that I was petrified! Yes I was running around like a headless chicken within 2 days.

I had one IUI cycle in January. I was on Menopur (gonadotrophin) but not on Clomid. However, it is common to take 2 at the same time. I would say you are more likely to get side effects from Clomid than the injections.

I had no side effects at all, nothing, zilch! The only weird thing was giving myself the first injection. I am totally cool with blood/needles, etc but it's still unnatural to have to inject yourself.
The injection stings rather than hurts but that only lasts 5 seconds.

I only needed 6 injections, one every 2 days and I had one mature follicle by CD14.
IUI didn't work for us and I think the reason was psychological. I had no time to mentally prepare for it. We went for a private consultation and I was CD2 so the Dr suggested we do IUI right away and I started injections the same day.
I know IUI is nowhere near as traumatic as IVF, however, you shouldn't take it lightly. My main piece of advice would be to mentally prepare. Prepare for injections, prepare for scans every other day, prepare to hear that you are not responding as well as they hoped and they will increase the dose, prepare that DH will have to "perform" on demand in some horrible little room, on his own. Prepare for the thought that some random man/woman will be fiddling with DH's swimmers and then putting them back inside you.

I was totally unprepared for any of that and on the day of IUI "knew" it wouldn't work - and it didn't. But if I were to have another one, I would actually start imagining success from day one because chances are good!

So don't worry too much about side effects - IUI is fab news and best of luck with it

 

[Imaan]

Hi Maria,

I just wanted to say a huuuuuuuuuge thank you! I read your message earlier today and I can not tell you how good it made me feel to read it. Thank you so much for taking the time out to reply in detail. I actually feel much more optimistic now I know there is a much larger chance of unsuccess, however... I am going to try to relax, prepare myself well (as per your advice) and 'enjoy' each and every moment... I think there is always something we can be grateful for even if the situation feels awful at the time. I am just so happy to finally get started. It feels like we have been waiting forever.

Where are you at in your fertility journey? wishing you all the very best too

 

[MariaF]

Glad I could help

So far all our treatments have been private as the NHS in sussex had no funding. But finally we got funding so we are seeing the FS on the NHS next month. But the GP already said that we've have everything possible done so the only thing left was 2 free IUIs and 1 free IVF and I'm grateful! Because I know there are other areas in the UK without funding and couples just have to wait indefinitely.

We are going on holidays in Aug so after the June FS appointment I hope we can start IUI in september!

As I said, going into the IUI process positively is key! Try to imagine that BFP at the end of the cycle. There are so many success stories from first round of IUI so no reason why it won't work! When do you start?
The only annoying thing is that you have inject yourself at the same time every day/every other day so sometimes I remember having to rush back from work some days...but it's only for a couple of weeks. Also you can't choose the time of the procedure. Once they see you have a mature follie, they will give you a HCG injection and IUI will be 30-36 hours after that and you have to be at the hospital so need to drop everything you are doing!

 

[Imaan]

Ohh wow, that's so fortunate that you got funding!!! and great that you will be having a relaxing time away prior to starting. I really wish you all the very best with it

Well, I am guess that it's going to start in July but she did say June so I'm a bit confused. It's a bit frustrating really as I've been waiting around for the past 3 months doing nothing (and 7 months since being referred - ttc7yrs in total). Then when I saw the consultant, she said although our infertility is due to male factor, she would like to do one last repeat test on day 2-5 of my next cycle (to check for quality of eggs or something). Well, I am only on CD10 of this cycle. She then said I need to book an appointment 7 days after having that test so I will be on CD10ish of the June cycle by the time I see the nurse (who is to teach me how to inject and deal with consent forms etc.). I doubt that I will be starting to inject on CD10.

We are meant to go away in August but I don't know what to say to the nurse. I fear that it will look like I'm not taking it very seriously

 

[MariaF]

Yeah sometimes the nurses can be a bit awkward. I remember we were going private for our IUI so you'd think they should bend over backwards for us - nope, when I was getting all confused about whether to go for it there and then or wait a couple of months to mentally prepare they looked at me like This girl doesn't know what she wants!

But because we were private I obviously could "order the music" whenever I wanted.

I think that your normal life has to go on as normal for the most part when you TTC. However, from my experience when it comes to actual treatments, you should be flexible and potentially give up/re-schedule holidays unless they are booked already and you can't get a refund.

Strange that they want to test you again - precaution I assume