Progesterone injections can really SUCK!!! But the good news is typically if you’re doing them for any length of time, it means you’re pregnant. With my first pregnancy I was instructed to inject until 10 weeks pregnant and for my second, 11 weeks.
Around 2 days into my first round of injections I thought, “there’s no f-ing way I can survive this!” I was in severe pain and wasn’t sure how to continue for the next 8 weeks. So I did a lot of research, had a chat with my nurses and developed a daily routine to make them WAYYYYY more tolerable.
Let me help you out and let’s get right to it!
Tip 1: Use 18 gauge needles to draw.
Progesterone typically comes in oil – thick oil! And the standard 22g needles used to inject make drawing it out a nightmare. It’s very hard to load the syringe and you’re left with a ton of bubbles which you do NOT want to be injecting into your body.
Ask your doctor to call you in a script for 18g needles. IMPORTANT: You will ONLY use these to draw the progesterone. Double and triple check you switch to the 22g before injecting. For sterile reasons, you should never really be injecting with the needle you draw with anyhow.
Tip 2: Heat it up!
After you draw the oil into the syringe and check a million times you’ve switch to your 22g needle, take a little time to heat it up. Again the oil is thick and if I could compare it to candle wax, as you heat it up, it gets a looser consistency making the injection more tolerable.
One complaint many women have with progesterone injections is they start to develop lumps. They can be painful and take a really really long time to go away. By heating the oil up, you have a better chance at avoiding these awful lumps!
How to: You can heat it up by simply holding it in your hand for warmth. I was usually getting ready for work, so I’d stick the syringe (with the cap on) inside my bra for some natural body heat while I continued to get ready for work.
Tip 3: Ask your doctor or nurse for the perfect location!
When I first thought progesterone injections may be the literal death of me, I was experiencing severe dead leg and could barely make it up a flight of stairs. At my next appointment, my nurse drew circles on my lower back/upper butt to give my husband the perfect target.
Getting the injection in the right spot made ALL the difference for me!
Tip 4: Use a massage roller.
After the injection. Mike would use a massage roller over the injection site to once again help avoid any lumps. Was it full proof? No, but it definitely helped a ton.
It also felt nice and relaxing as I would lay there and chill for a few minutes after injecting. This one from Amazon is perfect for the job and as you get more pregnant you can use for different aches and pains.
Tip 5: Alternate sides.
You will likely inject once a day in the morning. By alternating sides you inject on, you’re essentially allowing one side to heal for 2 days before another injection.
You may have trouble keeping track as you go, so just do your best and when in doubt go with the side that feels like it’s in the best shape!
Tip 6: Relax the muscle!
The progesterone injection needles can be very intimidating which is one reason of many I could never do my own. The reason is because it’s a intramuscular injection meaning you need it to go into the muscle!
A tightened muscle will make the injection feel more painful and can also give you that dreaded dead leg I spoke about earlier. I laid on my bed for my injections so that I could just relax my whole body before injecting. If you need to be standing, shift the weight onto the opposite leg.
Tip 7: Make it FUN!!!
These injections really are zero fun, BUT you can make them more enjoyable. During my first pregnancy, I would turn on a mindless tv show or some music to focus on something else. This pregnancy, my son was typically awake so he would lay on the bed next to me keeping me smiling. He would also “help” my husband with the roller which made us laugh.
To seal up the routine every morning, my husband would kiss my booty (literally) and we’d both just laugh about it. It was also just an endearing thing he started doing that stuck throughout all 150-ish days we did these injections.
Lastly, envision your growing baby or your hopeful pregnancy knowing you are injecting the life and support they need to continue to grow.
OPTIONAL Tip
Please consult your doctor on this one. If you are still experiencing a lot of pain at the injection site, spend a little time with a heating pad on the injection site. This can help relax pained muscles and keep the oil warm to heal up any lumps.
Just make sure your doctor is ok with you using some heat on the lower back first!
I hope these tips are helpful for you! Head on over to my IGTV if you’d like to hear me talk more about these tips. If you’ve been through progesterone injections, comment below to share other tips you might have.
