Make your fertility journey smoother with these tips for giving fertility shots

Giving yourself shots at home can sometimes be part of your fertility treatment. These subcutaneous injections go into your skin and into the fatty tissue when you are undergoing IVF or taking gonadotrophins. It might sound intimidating, especially if you don’t like needles. However, Erika Munch MD, our San Antonio infertility doctor, has some tips for giving fertility shots that can put your mind at ease.

Gaining confidence with our tips for giving fertility shots

Dr. Munch and her team will guide you through each step of fertility treatment. This includes teaching you how to give yourself injections and being available if you have questions when you get home. You can call your nurse whenever you need someone to explain a step or provide specific advice.

If you’re looking for some general tips for giving fertility shots, our San Antonio infertility doctor has compiled some below.

• Gather everything you need before you get started. This includes your medication, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs and gauze. Also, make sure you have clean hands and a dry surface to work on.
• Ensure your medicine is at room temperature. If you must store your medication in the refrigerator, take it out about 30 minutes before your injection.
• Sanitize the injection site. Use an alcohol swab to clean the area and let it air dry before giving yourself an injection. If the alcohol isn’t dry, it could sting when you give the shot.
• Consider numbing the area with an ice cube. Most women find that subcutaneous shots don’t hurt. They simply feel like a quick poke. However, you can numb the area with an ice cube before sanitizing it and giving the shot, if you’re worried about pain.

If the thought of giving yourself shots is too much, you can enlist your partner or a loved one to do it. Our team just recommends having them learn how to give injections at our center.

One last piece of advice for giving yourself shots

The last recommendation from our San Antonio infertility doctor is simple but important. Don’t forget to breathe. It’s easy to hold your breath before giving yourself shots, but deep and slow breaths can help you feel calmer and experience less discomfort. By following this and the rest of our helpful tips for giving fertility shots, you’ll be a pro in no time!

If you’d like to learn more about fertility treatments at Texas Fertility Center – San Antonio, contact us to schedule a consultation. You’ll receive answers to your questions and the caring support you deserve.