Injections are an integral part of the egg donation process. They are used to administer fertility medication to prepare your body for your egg retrieval, and for most young women considering egg donation, it’s natural to feel hesitant about egg donor injections.
We understand this hesitancy, and we’d like to help alleviate the anxiety you may be feeling surrounding egg donor injections, because, you see, once you’ve donated, you’ll discover that your fear of needles, or the pain you thought you’d experience in administering injections, was unfounded.
Will someone teach me how to administer my injections?
You will receive individualized injection training time with your fertility nurse on screening day, and then as your medication start date approaches, pharmacies such as MDR and Freedom Drug offer helpful online videos to review the administration process.
How will I know what egg donor medications to use?
Your fertility nurse will provide you with detailed instructions regarding your medication, and will instruction you on the timing of your daily injections.
What kind of egg donor injections might I be required to take?
There are two types of egg donor injections you may be asked to take when going through your egg donation cycle – subcutaneous injections and intramuscular injections.
Subcutaneous injections are administered into the fat deposits just under the skin, often into your abdomen or your outer thigh. These injections are administered using small gauge insulin-like needles. This is the type of injection most egg donors administer throughout the duration of the egg donation cycle.
Intramuscular injections are administered into the muscle, often in the thigh or in the upper buttock. Although rare to administer these injections as an egg donor, on occasion, you may be instructed to administer an injection like this at the very end of your egg donation cycle.
What side effects might I experience?
Common side effects from egg donor injections may include injection site bruising, tenderness, skin irritation, and localized redness.
How can I make the egg donor injection process easier?
Below are a number of helpful tips to help make the egg donor injection process easier.
♦ Understand the injection process, and ask your nurse for her helpful tips and hints (he or she likely hears all sorts of things from patients). The more familiar you are with the injection process, the less anxiety you’ll experience when you’re asked to begin injections.
♦ For subcutaneous injections, lightly ice your planned injection site to help numb the area before administering your injection.
♦ For intramuscular injections, consider heating the planned injection site (with a heating pad) for a few moments to help relax the muscle before administering your injection.
♦ As you prepare to administer your injection, try breathing exercises to help you feel more at ease.
♦ Experiment with injection sites. Some egg donors find their abdomen as the best place to administer medication, while other egg donors find the outer thigh as the most comfortable injection site.
♦ If you experience a mental road block in preparing for your first injection, ask a friend or family member help you.
♦ Reward yourself with something special after administering your daily injection.
Overall, injections are a way of life for egg donors, and the most important thing to remember is that you are strong and courageous, and you are not alone in your hesitancy about injections. While the idea of administering medication by injection may seem scary now, it is our hope that as a result of added emotional support and access to practical resources such as this article, you will be well-equipped to handle any mental roadblock you encounter along the way.
Do you have questions?
Click below and we will contact you to answer your questions about egg donor injections.
