A topic of concern for many women who consider egg freezing is a fear that is not abnormal or uncommon. In fact, the thought of giving yourself injectible egg freezing medications is a fear and concern of many of our infertility and egg donor patients, as well. But let us set your mind at ease. These medications have been carefully developed to replicate the hormones your body naturally produces each month to create and release one egg. During an egg freezing or IVF cycle, your body requires higher doses of these natural hormones in order to produce more than one egg.
Common concerns shared by many of our patients include: What are the side-effects? What if I get confused when trying to follow the instructions? Can a nurse help me? Do you offer at-home assistance? Do these medications have late effects such as cancer? Rest assured, these concerns are perfectly normal and we are here to assist you every step of the way.
Side-Effects of Egg Freezing Medications
The hormone injections you’ll be taking are very similar to the hormones that your body naturally produces. Most women don’t experience any significant side effects directly from the medication, while some women report mild symptoms similar to premenstrual syndrome (PMS). To date, there’s no evidence to support that the medications used during the egg freezing process cause undesirable late effects such as cancer. Tenderness may also occur around the injection site. In this case, we recommend ice and light massage to ease the tenderness.
Injection Training and At-Home Resources for Egg Freezing Medications
We understand that administering injections, mixing medications, and dealing with needles is not something the majority of our patients have ever experienced before. While the medication portion is inevitable, at Shady Grove Fertility, we will do everything possible to assist you through the process. We hope that you will take advantage of the following resources our patients have found to be helpful in alleviating the stress and anxiety that can often accompany taking medications.
- Injection Training Classes: SGF offers its patients hands-on injection training classes at local offices throughout the region. At these sessions, our nurse educators will discuss medication protocols and patients will have the opportunity to practice and ask questions. To register for a class, please ask your nurse for more information.
- Online Video Training: Through one of our partners, Freedom Fertility Pharmacy, free online training videos are available for a variety of different medications. Patients often use these videos for guidance after receiving their medications.
- Private Injection Services: As a courtesy, we are happy to provide our patients with a list of Registered Nurses who offer injection services (injection classes, administration of injections), independent from SGF, and outside of normal business hours. For a small fee, a nurse will come to your home and teach you how to do the injections, as well as administer them for you if you wish. Women and couples who are nervous about giving themselves the medications throughout their cycle and/or the trigger shot have found this service to be immensely helpful. If you are interested in this service, please contact Pamela Collins, RN, at 571-263-2110 or visit their website for more information.
Even though egg freezing medications can seem intimidating, we hope that you will find that with the guidance these resources can provide, along with the personalized coaching from your nurse, you can make it through this portion of your cycle.
“At first I was nervous and felt ill-equipped to do this on my own, but with the thorough instruction and guidance from my nurse, it soon became second nature.” – Sara, Egg Freezing Patient
If you’re interested in learning more about our unique Egg Freezing Program or you’d like to schedule an appointment to discuss your options and egg freezing potential, please fill out this brief form, or call 1-877-411-9292. To learn more about egg freezing, join us for one of our upcoming Wine & Freeze egg freezing seminars.
