Last Updated on September 10, 2023 by Rayna
I have put together 5 easy tips to help you with administering your IVF transfer PIO (progesterone in oil) injection. I freaking HATE shots! The thought of having to inject myself with the large needle of the progesterone shot once a day for my IVF transfer made my stomach do a flip. But, I made it through and you will too. In an effort to ease your nerves, I created this easy step-by-step guide with some helpful tips is to lessen the pain of PIO injections.
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What you’ll need for the PIO Injections:
- Heating pad (for your bum!)
- Wash cloth (to heat the medication)
- Notebook
- Deep breaths and trust the process 🙂
Step One: Sit On a Heating Pad
Sit on a heating pad on injection site for 10 minutes prior to the injection. Heating the injection site really helped to lessen pain of the shot itself and after. My husband and my son would prep the shot while I sat on the heating pad. We made it a family thing to make the most of it! I wanted to celebrate each part of our new baby joining the family…even, the part with the shots! Lol.
Step Two: Warm the Injection Medication
Run super hot water in your sink to heat the PIO injection to your body temperature. When water is very hot put a wash cloth under the water, squeeze out excess water, then wrap the wash cloth tightly around the medicine in the syringe for about 3-5 minutes. Hold the syringe in your hand with pressure on the part with medicine. This gets the medicine heated up to your body temperature which prevents the knots. When you remove the wash cloth the medicine will feel very warm to the touch, then you’ll know it’s ready. Remember body temperature is 98.6 degrees! So, it should feel pretty hot.
Step Three: Don’t Pinch the Skin
My spouse did the injections for me. Make sure not to pinch the skin before the injection because you want the medicine to go into your muscle. Just inject it on a flat surface. Also, a quick jab was the easiest and least painful. Once the needle is injected push the medication out slowly so that your body absorbs it. This is key!!
Step Four: Place Firm Pressure on the PIO Injection Site
After the injection put firm pressure on the injection site with a tissue or paper towel until it stops bleeding. You also could use the wash cloth and apply pressure with that. Put a bandaid on then do squats to work the muscle. I also found that if I deeply massaged the injection site with the base of my hand I did not bruise. I will say that the pressure I applied almost hurt the injection site but it was worth it!! Because I massaged the injection site, I got minimal knots and pretty much no bruising.
Step Five: Get a Notebook
Get a notebook to write down which side (right or left) you took the shot the day before. After having to take these shots for ten weeks, me and my spouse would forget which side we did the night before. It wasn’t something I thought would happen so I’m sharing it here. Get a notebook, index card, or something to write a quick note of the date and which side. I started to get “baby brain” pretty quickly after learning I was pregnant so this tip would have been very helpful for me!
The outcome is worth the risk
And, take it from a girl who literally HATES shots, it’s ALL WORTH IT!!! I am 28 weeks pregnant with our IVF transfer, miracle baby as I write this. I had to do PIO shots every evening for 10 weeks and I survived. If I can do it, you can do it!! #yougotthis
Did this blog help you out on your fertility journey? I hope so! My heart is to reach others and share what I have learned in my journey. Sign up today to receive my emails on the latest from Seeking Him Today by going to our Stay In Touch page.
