Worst thing about IVF...

I have always said I would not go this route... but here I am faced with this possibly being our only way.

Can you please share what you found hardest to deal with? I know the emotional aspect of it is terrible... but what about the physical aspects? I am terrible with needles and I have already been losing sleep just thinking about the injections... I am just not sure I can actually go through with this.

Any words of wisdom. Our consult is Friday.

Re: Worst thing about IVF...

I can't speak from complete experience bc we haven't yet begun ivf however I think you should be really confident & comfortable with your decision to do this. At this pt I am ready for ivf & looking forward to starting it bc I feel like that is what it's going to take for us to have our baby. In regards to the injections most of the ones you take are really small needles & very shallow, really not that bad! Good luck in your decision

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Honestly the anticipation for me was the worst. The actual procedure was not as bad as I thought it would be. If I had to pick the worst thing it was probably retrieval only because I felt sore and gassy after.

Re: Worst thing about IVF...

I was soooo nervous about being put to sleep for the ER, however I found it to be kind of cool. When I woke up I felt fine besides being sleepy for about 30 minutes. So for me that was the worst, but wound up being nothing.

Second worse was PIO injections, but I did them myself in my thighs, they didn't hurt while I did them but like weeks later and even still after stopping I still get some leg pain/itchiness.

However I can't complain too much because I was busy doing PIO while being pregnant, so it outweighed anything negative.

Good luck!!! Overall after 9 failed iui's I found ivf to be not that much more "work" than an iui.

If I have to do it again I wouldn't worry nearly as much.

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i don't have much to say but wanted to send hugs your way

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The injections were honestly not that bad. Even the constant monitoring were not that bad. I only felt uncomfortable about a day or two before my ER because my ovaries were at least double their normal size. The nurse showed me that they were actually touching one another.

The worst part for me was the ER. After ER, I had abdominal pain for three days. It was very uncomfortable. I thought on day 2 I was good to go and probably exerted myself a little too much.... On day 2-3 I felt very bloated, but all my clothes still fit.

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i was scared to do the injections but after the first 2 i realized it wasnt as bad as i thought and actually didnt mind doing it. For me the worse part of IVF was the constant waiting for more info....i didnt like that during stimming i was constantly waiting to see how many follies were growing, after retrieval waiting to find out how many fertlilized was touch and then the 2ww was the worse!

physically it wasnt that bad...i didnt have a bad experience with any part of either of my cycles.

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Hmm .. I think the hardest part (during the actual process) was the bloating. I had people ask me on numerous occasions when my baby was due. I'm 5'.. petite.. so the bloating showed FAST on me and I received so many comments from people. It was very uncomfortable for me, on an emotional level to deal with the fact that my body was changing so rapidly without a baby to show for it.


In retrospect though, the hardest part of IVF was having losses from it. I had this idea in my mind as so many women do that IVF is what will work to bring you your family. Well.... I'm not sure how much you know of my story, etc.. but we currently are having our baby through a surrogate. Unfortunately, IVF was not my magic ticket........ nor were some of the best combo of doctors in the field.

I think it's best to go in with a realistic head and know that this could and by all means SHOULD work out eventually... but nothing is a guarantee.

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I am terrified of needles. I was so petrified of all of the injections. Let me tell you: they were nothing! This cycle, I had 4 injections daily, plus the morning bloodwork. I didn't even flinch. I even had acupuncture to try to help the process along! Me, the one who can't even look at a needle!

I agree with the previous poster about the bloating being quite unpleasant. I'm also very petite (5'2 and about 104). My belly bloat was visible quickly. I just compensated by wearing loser fitting tops to cover the weight gain (I was asked once if I was pregnant and nearly punched the questioner - stims can make you more irritable lol).

For me, the bottom line was/is that anything I put my body through is so that my DH and I can have children. All of the annoying side effects, needle pricks, and black & blue track-arms mean nothing to me in the grand scheme: a baby.

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Worst things, in order for me...

1. emotional mind f*ckery of everything
2. dealing with insurance/pharmacies
3. ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) after the transfer

The shots themselves, while not fun, were bearable and easy enough for me to see as just a means to an end. I couldn't say the same about the other stuff.

You'll get through, and good luck!

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Im on IVF #3. After 9 IUI's and a miscarriage at 4mo. I was ready to have a baby and it didnt matter how I got there...I just needed to get there. I was lucky and got pregnant on IVF#1, super overwhelmed with the meds, scared for the injections, petrified of the retrieval, timers for my next shot, etc...i was a basket case...IVF#2 was sooooo much easier physically and I was used to the dr. appts and injections (the emotional was the hardest part) and IVF#3 I actually have to make a conscious effort to remember that I took my shots since it is like second nature...

Not know what to expect or how your body is going to respond is terrifying. You will read all of our posts and everyone has had different experiences and our views of those said experiences are very different. As long as your comfortable with your Dr.s and you feel safe that will make a huge difference.

There is no greater joy then to look back on what you accomplished in order to BE A MOMMY and knowing YOU DID IT!!!

You will feel overwhelmed when you recieve your injection meds and the huge bag of needles, etc. RELAX, take a deep breath and sit at the table and look everything over. I found that writing out exactly what I needed to do and the time I needed to do it helped me to feel organized.

The injections (no one likes to get needles) are not that bad. You get used to doing them... the progesterone oil injection hurts...but you do what you have to do...(ask if you can take suppositories--those are messy though painless) progesterone makes you sore and tired, I found.

After the retrieval is uncomfortable. Rest, relax with your feet up and monitor your water intake and weight gain to watch for hyperstimulation (I had 2x and it is not fun)

YOU WILL BE GREAT!!! ASK QUESTIONS, call the dr. if you arent feeling right...and know that you have a support system!

516-993-5655 is my cell text me ANYTIME if you need to laugh, cry, scream or have a question. If I am able to help in anyway Id be happy to... I know how it feels to not have someone who has been through this and its scary doing it alone...

GOOD LUCK!!!!! You are in my prayers!!!!!

Re: Worst thing about IVF...

For me, the only bad thing was the cost...and the fact that it didn't work for us.

Yes it's stressful, but once you're doing IVF it's kind of exciting. The injections were a piece of cake. I never thought I'd be able to inject myself, but it was really so easy.

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The worst part for me was getting the IV for the egg retrieval.

And keep in mind this is after three weeks of stims sometimes three shots a day.

Every injection brings you one day closer to your goal.

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i promise the needles r not that bad..scary at first but u do get use to them

the whole process for me was not bad

the only day i felt bad was the day after the retrieval..but my ovaries r in a bad spot and how they had to get the eggs was diff so that was prob why

u r going to great and we can all help u through it

Re: Worst thing about IVF...

honestly looking back on it, the anticipation was the worst thing. you dont know what to expect, so you expect the worse.
i went thru a lot of drama and a veryyyy long cycle but i got through it alive.
the needles are very scary at first but after a few times, its like second nature. i'd highly recommend you do them yourself so you are not at DH's mercy (like i was for the first 5 months or so).
imho theres nothing worse than experiencing a loss. going thru ivf is a cakewalk in comparison. and my cycle wasnt very easy.
all i can say is try to keep an open mind about it and good luck!

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Re: Worst thing about IVF...

at the moment feeling bloated.