Tips for reducing pain of injections?

[Anonymous]

I've done one round of IUI (and countless Clomids), so was used to the needles for Ovidrel, Lupron, etc. But as I start my first IVF round with Gonal-F, Menopur, etc., I'm finding the bigger needles pretty tough to get used to! Any tips? I tried the thigh but think the stomach is really the easiest.... If there is already a thread on this, I'm sorry, and please direct me to it! Thanks.

[Anonymous]

ICE ICE BABY!! ICE THE AREA FOR A FEW MINS. I BARELY FELT THE INJECTIONS WHEN I ICED THE AREA.

[Anonymous]

Yep, ice did the trick for me.

[Anonymous]

Just make sure you grab as big a roll of fat as possible and stick the needle in the fat - it never hurt when I did that.

[Anonymous]

You can also get a prescription for numbing cream. It is a little bit of a pain because you have to put it on, put a bandage over it, and let it set in for a while before the shot, but it is like a miracle for those of us who REALLY hate getting shots. My RE and regular doctor also said it has NO impact on effectiveness, being in your system for conception purposes, etc.

[Anonymous]

I recently finished my IVF injections and from the 6 eggs retrieved we now (thankfully!) have 4 embies that made it beyond 6-cells today. We're hoping for a day 5 transfer at GBMC on Sunday.

After my first Menopur shot (ouch) I ordered non-prescription Lidocaine cream from Amazon, which worked really well. Some of the reviewers say it works better than the prescription cream they tried, but I can't can't compare since this is the only one I've tried.

Search "LIDO 4% Lidocaine Cream" on Amazon and put it on the injection site about 20-30 mins prior, then swab with alcohol, let it dry and inject. Sometimes I would re-apply a little more after the shot too. The fat-roll tip at 13:29 helped me as well. One of the few reasons to be thankful for some fat I suppose.

I also used it prior to my HCG shot -- which I was dreading -- and I swear I didn't feel it at all.

Good luck with your cycle!

[Anonymous]

I personally perferred the pain from the shot over the extra time or effort involved in the icing or numbing cream.

I tried it both ways and really just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. For the PIO I did warm it up on the heating pad first and then put the heating pad on my arse after. That was a shot I didn't play around with and the oil was much too painful given at room temp because it was too thick.

[Anonymous]

Your instinct might be to ease the needle in, but this usually results in bruising and more pain for me. I've found that when I've gotten the nerve up to quickly stick it in, it's less painful than when I go slowly. Of course if you do it too hard it wil hurt and bruise, but there is a happy medium. I haven't figured out how to strike it every time though.

[Anonymous]

This might sound a little strange, but if you tap on the area you're going to stick the needle repeatedly, it goes numb from over stimulation and you won't feel the needle as much. The ice also worked pretty well.