https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 01:34:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408884 Wed, 21 Nov 2012 07:19:35 +0000 Trailmix 408884@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Kentuckygirl We were SO lucky because insurance covered everything and would have gone up to 10 grand towards IVF, if needed. However, I don't think this is usual, it seems for a lot of women I know, very little was covered :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408453 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:44:39 +0000 KT326 408453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did two IUI's with injectibles. I was deemed a slow responder so I had around 3 weeks of injections. I gave myself the shots, I used to be deathly afraid of needles but IF cured me of that! I just rotated sides on my stomach. I went in around every 3 days for monitoring, depending on how my follicles looked. With our first cycle I only had one mature follicle after 3 weeks. With our second I had four. Once the follicles got to be around 15mm I was going in every other day for blood work and an ultrasound. The RE adjusted my meds quite a bit throughout that time. With our first cycle we started off with a lower dose but quickly realized I would need to go higher. I think the highest I went was 150iu. With our second IUI we started out at a higher dose and ended up lowering it right at the end so I wouldn't end up with too many follicles. Since I ended up having four, we had to sign papers regarding our options if we were to have multiples. Both times the RE gave me a time to trigger and I had my IUI 36 hours later. I didn't have to lay there at all, I could get up as soon as she was done. The second IUI was successful and we have an almost 8 month old son. </p> <p>I didn't have any crazy side effects from the injections. Towards the end of cycle 2 I was pretty bloated but that was from all the stimulation.</p> <p>We have 10K in insurance coverage that we can use for infertility treatments and testing. I'm pretty sure we are close to our limit so for number 2 we may have to pay out of pocket. Insurance covered all medications and that did not go towards our infertility limit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408441 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:25:38 +0000 twinmama 408441@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kentuckygirl: Our insurance technically doesn't cover anything related to infertility. However, we found out they would cover femara since it's in their drug formulary for breast cancer treatment. They also covered many of my ultrasounds once I was given a diagnosis code - a few months into treatment, the RE found an endometrioma cyst on one of my ovaries as well as a small intramuscular fibroid, so because they ultrasounds could be labeled as monitoring those conditions, we got some of them covered, but not all. But we had no coverage for the injectable drugs themselves. Ask the RE for samples, I got about half of what I needed for my injectable IUI cycle that way. And Freedom Fertility Pharmacy online had the best prices when I did my IVF cycle - they have like a $100 discount coupon too. We didn't have coverage for the IUI itself, and it was around $400 each time. Hope that helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408271 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:17:31 +0000 kentuckygirl 408271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Trailmix: and @MerryC: Thank you both so much for the great, detailed information!!! I am hopeful hearing both your stories! I haven't received much info from my RE yet so this relieves my worries a lot. I think I will have some insurance coverage of the meds but it won't cover the IUI if we do that. Did your insurance cover anything? If so, were there any delays while it was approved? Thanks again! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408228 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:58:57 +0000 twinmama 408228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did IUI with femara, IUI with injectables, and IVF during nearly 2 years of unexplained infertility. Here's the basic details:<br /> -On 2.5 mgs femara, I got one big follicle. Did IUI, bfn.<br /> -On 5 mgs femara, I usually got 2 big follicles. Did IUI, 2 cycles, both bfns.<br /> -On 5 mgs of femara + injectables (bravelle), I responded weirdly and got one huge follicle really early in my cycle....like CD8 or something? Skipped the IUI, bfn. I think the femara was days 3-7 and the bravelle started on day 5? I did the shots myself and it wasn't bad at all. Didn't hurt and no real side effects. The worst is just psyching yourself out to stick the needle in your belly.</p> <p>IVF was finally successful for us, with fraternal twins. I was on lupron (to delay ovulation), gonal-f and menopur (to stimulate egg production). So for about 11 days I had 3 shots a night. My hubby did these shots for me. We found it was easiest if I sat in a chair and kind of tilted my hips forward. If you get redness or itchiness you can try icing the spot before and after. I iced for 30 min before my intramuscular trigger shot of hcg, and didn't feel it at all! I tried a few in the leg but didn't like it, and the absorption is supposedly better in your belly. Again, didn't really have side effects and the shots didn't hurt much. That said, I was on pretty low doses for ivf. The menopur burns going in, but it's short lived. I had 23 mature eggs harvested if I remember right. </p> <p>With injectables, you start injections on a certain day and just keep going until you have a monitoring appt where they see that you're ready. It may be a few days or a few weeks....usually about a week or so though. Usually by the time you're using injectables, the RE also recommends IUI since you're already so invested with the meds and the monitoring.</p> <p>I wish you the best of luck! It's so hard when you're in the trenches, but so worth it when something finally works. Our IVF was expensive and such a huge undertaking at the time, but seems like a drop in the bucket now that our kids are home with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-408066 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:52:47 +0000 Trailmix 408066@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi! Was planning on to make my way over to this thread and then I saw your message on the IF thread, which reminded me...</p> <p>So I did an injections cycle plus an IUI and here's the basics-<br /> I started with Gonal-F 300iu on CD 3. My husband did the injections for me after both an instructional class from the nurse as well as watching an online video. The shots were really not bad at all, a tiny sting at most. We alternated from the thigh and the belly and I did not have any bruising, swelling, hardness, etc.<br /> After 3 days of injections, I went in for an ultrasound and bloodwork. I continued doing the injections until CD 10, with every-other-day monitoring until the last three days, which I went in every day. Once the ultrasound showed several decent-sized follicles (usually they want you to get to around 18mm, I ended up with 4 over 18 and one at 16), I was told to do the trigger shot. I did 100iu of Ovidrel and 36 hours later, went in for the IUI. The IUI was so easy, the nurse inserted a catheter into my uterus and then put the washed, concentrated sperm all up in there. I laid down for 20 more minutes and then was on my merry way with instructions to BD that night and the next morning, if possible. We did and now here I am, 9 weeks pregnant with multiples.<br /> All in all, it was totally worth it and while I am shocked that it worked the first time (my understanding is that the chances of conceiving from this procedure is about 25%) but obviously really, really happy.<br /> I think the major downside to this whole thing was the time commitment because of the constant monitoring. I am lucky in that my schedule is pretty flexible but if I had a regular, 9-5 job, it would've been much tougher to do it...<br /> Otherwise, I had almost no side effects from the hormones. I wasn't allowed to exercise because of the risk to the ovaries and it was kind of annoying to have to be home at the same time each night to do the injections but truly, very minor inconveniences for the positive outcome we received!<br /> Sorry for my novel, hope this is helpful and of course, if you have any other questions, just ask!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-407444 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:33:24 +0000 kentuckygirl 407444@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does anyone else have experience with injectables? Even if it was in the course of IUI or IVF? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-404985 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:32:40 +0000 PrincessBaby 404985@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@raintreebee: They won't. Clomid works to manipulate your hormones through your pituitary gland- so it is essentially screwing with your brain in order to control your ovaries. I was a raging lunatic on Clomid. I cried every day bc I didn't know who I was. But the injectables go straight to source, the good ol' ovaries, so they won't make you crazy.</p> <p>@kentuckygirl: So, not to be a Debbie Downer, but I did not get pregnant on any of the medicated cycles I did. And because I was such a good responder to the drugs, the RE was worried about hyperstimulating me, so he was pretty conservative (too conservative I think!) with my dose. And I ended up having one huge follie on both cycles that would suck up all the drugs and the smaller ones couldn't catch up. On the second cycle, they had me take a Ganirelex shot to hold my body off from ovulating that huge follicle on it's own, to give the smaller ones some time to catch up, but it got to a point where I had to trigger that big follie, and the smaller eggs were borderline as far as being big enough to drop an egg. So probably just one. Which I can do by myself without drugs, so we decided to take some time off after that...It was emotionally draining and it takes a lot of time and energy to be monitored so much- always going for ultrasounds. But I think that maybe the drugs ramped my body up to work a little better, because I got my first BFP the very next month. It was a chemical pregnancy, and then that immediately repeated itself, another chemical pregnancy, and then the third month in a row that I got pregnant, it finally stuck and I am 37w now. So I don't know what the method to the madness was to go with NOTHING for quite a while and then to get pregnant 3 months in a row after doing drugs. I hope it just takes one for you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-404963 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:21:44 +0000 raintreebee 404963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am interested in this as well. May be starting injectables soon. Hoping they won't make me as crazy as Clomid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-404951 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 14:08:41 +0000 kentuckygirl 404951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PrincessBaby: Thank you! This is very helpful! I know you are expecting one baby girl, did you have more than one mature follicle? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-404932 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:48:32 +0000 PrincessBaby 404932@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did 2 cycles of Follistim, and basically I started injections on CD 2 or 3, they brought me in for a follie check by like CD8-10, and the RE decided based on progress if I stayed on the same dose or if it needed to go up or down. Then I stayed on the injections daily and got u/s checks until my follicles were big enough, and at that point I took a trigger shot. If you do an IUI, I think they schedule it about 36 hours after your trigger shot. And then you're done with shots!</p> <p>The shots were no big deal at all. The needle was TINY so once I got over the initial apprehension, it was super simple and there wasn't any reason for anyone else to give me the shots. </p> <p>I always responded really well to a low dose of Follistim, and I think both cycles I triggered by CD 12 or 13, so it wasn't too long of having to do shots.<br /> Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/experience-with-injectable-drugs-and-superstimulation#post-404915 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:35:15 +0000 kentuckygirl 404915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It looks like we will probably be moving to injectable drugs soon to help me with follicle growth and ovulation. This is our 12th cycle TTC which has included 5 cycles on Clomid. I tried Femara this month and didn't ovulate on two pills. We are trying three pills (the max dose) of Femara this coming cycle but I am not anticipating it will be successful. If I don't ovulate next cycle, we will move on to injectable meds. We may also do IUI. </p> <p>What were your experiences using injectable drugs. I haven't heard a lot of experiences about that on HB. How were the shots? Did you give them to yourself or did someone else give them to you? Did you get shots CD 3-7 like oral medications or do you have more days of shots? How many mature follicles did you get on injectables? I would be cautiously happy with twins (I am a twin) but triplets or beyond scare me a little! Thanks for any feedback you may have! </p>