Surviving The Dreaded PIO Shot

After a failed fresh embryo transfer my husband and I decided to take a month off. It was to really like my body rest and give our minds a little bit of a break! Anyone going through infertility knows what a toll it can take on you mentally. When it was time to order my medications for our frozen embryo transfer my doctor decided to change my routine from the vaginal interjection Crinone to the dreaded progesterone in oil shot. To shop the products I used to help with the PIO shot CLICK HERE

I have to admit needles really don't scare me and I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but when my syringes came in the mail I was nervous (insert huge gulp) The needle is HUGE, and yes it is going into your booty so it does have to be large enough to get into your muscle, but you better believe I called the nurse and tried to get a smaller sized needle hahaha! Needless to say I was unsuccessful at that attempt.

 

So here are some tips that helped me get through these shots every night and really helped me relax.

1. Get into a comfortable position. For me this was laying on my stomach, on my bed, with a pillow under my head.

2. Have the person administering the shot try to warm up the progesterone as much as possible. It's a very thick consistency so even just ten minutes of my husband "warming it up" in his hands made a difference.

3. Truly trust the person you have giving you your shot. Most of the time it's usually your significant other and I think that's the best option! My husband is a Marine, so he knows how to administer and IV and has a general basis of giving shots. This made me super comfortable and I never questioned if he gave a shot correctly or not. If your shot administer is nervous I HIGHLY suggest asking your fertility clinic for a class. More than likely they offer one on one instructions with a nurse that can answer all of your questions!

4. Have an ice pack handy. For a few minutes before you administer the injection hold an ice pack on the injection site. It will provide some light numbing that will help ease the pain.

5. After your shot is administered RUB,RUB,RUB. Because the progesterone is in oil and can tend to ball up at the injection site. Especially over time, the more injections you do, the more tender the area can get. Take about five minutes afterwards to rub that booty.

I hope these simple tips help with your PIO shot journey!