I am about to start Lovenox and PIO but so many people here have said they hurt so bad that it brings them to tears. I am making myself sick worrying about these injections. Is it really that bad? I will take any advice I can get.
I didn't do PIO, but I have been doing Lovenox for months on end and it's definitely not so bad. At first it stings quite a bit, but with time your body gets used to it. I always inject slowly. Some people ice the spot prior, but I don't bother.
I did PIO for 3 transfers so those have become a piece of cake… this is my first with lovenox after a confirmed APS diagnosis. Lovenox did shock me with how much it burned BUT once you learn the tricks just like with PIO, it’s become just another routine and not too bad.
PIO- try and get ethyl oleate instead of sesame oil. It costs more and isn’t covered by insurance but well worth the money for me. Can use a significantly thinner needle because the oil is much thinner (I use 25g whereas sesame needs 22g) and I have very little soreness/lumps. Use heat 20 min before and after and massage lightly. I sit on a heat pad whenever I have extra time just to prevent soreness.
Lovenox- ice for at least 15 min prior. My husband always uses his phone flashlight directly on my skin to make sure there’s no veins or blood vessels and marks the spot we’ll inject with a sharpie. I also only do my love handles almost all the way on the side of my body. My belly button area hurt way more and was super sensitive. Then the most important thing is to GO SLOW!! It sounds ridiculous but when we started injecting over 4-5 min, there was barely any burning and zero bruising. My first 2 injections that he did quickly gave me fist-sized bruises that were horrifying. Now I barely have a little red dot from each. After injection, don’t touch the area for 1 min, then you can ice again for 10-15 min (sometimes it’ll still burn after the injection) and then I try not to move around too much to avoid bruising. I’ll be on lovenox the entire pregnancy and it really isn’t too bad! I pick a hype song each day for the injection, blast it while my husband injects so I can’t hear/see anything, and it really makes it not feel as long.
You got this!! These babies will be so, so worth it!
I had an allergic reaction to the regular sesame PIO shots, a lot of itchy injection sites so I had to switch to ethyl oleate injections instead and they are way better. Since the oil is less thick, I don’t get the knots anymore I did from the sesame PIO and the needle is slightly thinner. If you are doing sesame PIO, make sure you relax the muscle on the side you’re injecting, some people do a heat pad before and after injecting. Wiping off any excess oil with an alcohol pad after helped control some of the itchiness for me as it can start itching if you leave the oil on your skin. Massage the injection site after, make sure you keep switching sides for each injection. I did squats after as well to help get the oil moving and walked around.
Lovenox - the bruising is bad I’m not gonna lie, but once you figure out where to inject where you bruise less (it’s trial and error this part), ice before the infection site, immediate gauze after injecting, then ice over the gauze after and avoid touching it for a few minutes (IE do not pull up your pants over where you injected or pull a tight shirt down over it as this causes more bruising) it is ok.
I personally found the generic prefilled Lovenox needles were more painful, they were super dull and the spring functionality just worse. I got way worse bruising on it no matter what I did and the bruises from the generic developed into painful hematomas for me. I asked my nurse to send me a script for the name brand (she wrote “fill as prescribed) as my prescription benefit is pretty generous, and my insurance paid for it. For me the name brand needles are sharper, the spring in the needle works much smoother and I bruise less. I wouldn’t ever go back to the generic. I’m not sure if it’s some reaction I had for the generic (my friend who is a nurse did confirm to me that in some rare occasions, some patients do have weird reactions to generics even though pharma and insurance tries to say it’s the same exact thing).
The annoying part of the name brand though is my CVS pharmacies never carry it and have it on hand because it’s expensive so they have to order it. I just stay on top of how many I have left and when I need it a they’re able to order it and receive it in store within two days usually.
I’m a nurse, every fertility clinic teaches gluteal site for IM (PIO) which is outdated and hasn’t been taught in nursing school for years and years. Use ventrogluteal site for PIO if you’re comfortable doing something different. Less nerves, less pain, fewer vessels, easier to reach.
Lovenox burns less the slower you do it. R
Do it reeeeeeeeeeallly slow, slower than you think is reasonable.
With everything we go through in this process the injections are far from the hardest part. Except for those with needle phobias, I imagine then it is extremely difficult.
Lovenox stung a teeny bit for a couple seconds then nothing. PIO isn't bad til you've been on it for a couple weeks then starts to get a little tender.
I was on both for several months, just finished actually. Lovenox stings so have an ice pack handy. Search PIO tips on here (injecting in the right spot made all the difference for me). Don’t worry yourself sick! It’s not the most fun I’ve ever had, but it’s just a couple minutes each day and it’s bearable.
PIO didn’t hurt at all but we used an auto injector. I haven’t taken lovenox but know people who have and I haven’t heard it hurt but it does make nasty bruises.
I mean yeah I’d prefer to not have to do them but they’re not the end of the world. Lovenox is just a very dull needle and it feels like injecting lemon juice but you don’t feel it 5 mins later. PIO doesn’t hurt as much to inject but the oil can form welts. To me I feel like they’re the level of annoyance of a mosquito bite. Like yeah I don’t like this but I can live with it.
Did PIO for about 10 weeks, some days it hurt a bit after, but most days it was rarely felt. Towards the end I did have a few knots that we had to work around that are still there and I'm waiting for them to go away, but overall it wasn't as intimidating as I thought it'd be
Thank you so much everyone. Your words of encouragement and advice have done so much for my nerves. I haven’t started the meds yet but I feel a bit more confident.
I did both for months. Not as bad as people make it out to be.
I didn't do PIO, but I have been doing Lovenox for months on end and it's definitely not so bad. At first it stings quite a bit, but with time your body gets used to it. I always inject slowly. Some people ice the spot prior, but I don't bother.
I’m on PIO. It seems like such an intimidating thing.. thanks to social media tbt. I’ve found it to be uneventful.
I did PIO for 3 transfers so those have become a piece of cake… this is my first with lovenox after a confirmed APS diagnosis. Lovenox did shock me with how much it burned BUT once you learn the tricks just like with PIO, it’s become just another routine and not too bad.
PIO- try and get ethyl oleate instead of sesame oil. It costs more and isn’t covered by insurance but well worth the money for me. Can use a significantly thinner needle because the oil is much thinner (I use 25g whereas sesame needs 22g) and I have very little soreness/lumps. Use heat 20 min before and after and massage lightly. I sit on a heat pad whenever I have extra time just to prevent soreness.
Lovenox- ice for at least 15 min prior. My husband always uses his phone flashlight directly on my skin to make sure there’s no veins or blood vessels and marks the spot we’ll inject with a sharpie. I also only do my love handles almost all the way on the side of my body. My belly button area hurt way more and was super sensitive. Then the most important thing is to GO SLOW!! It sounds ridiculous but when we started injecting over 4-5 min, there was barely any burning and zero bruising. My first 2 injections that he did quickly gave me fist-sized bruises that were horrifying. Now I barely have a little red dot from each. After injection, don’t touch the area for 1 min, then you can ice again for 10-15 min (sometimes it’ll still burn after the injection) and then I try not to move around too much to avoid bruising. I’ll be on lovenox the entire pregnancy and it really isn’t too bad! I pick a hype song each day for the injection, blast it while my husband injects so I can’t hear/see anything, and it really makes it not feel as long.
You got this!! These babies will be so, so worth it!
I had an allergic reaction to the regular sesame PIO shots, a lot of itchy injection sites so I had to switch to ethyl oleate injections instead and they are way better. Since the oil is less thick, I don’t get the knots anymore I did from the sesame PIO and the needle is slightly thinner. If you are doing sesame PIO, make sure you relax the muscle on the side you’re injecting, some people do a heat pad before and after injecting. Wiping off any excess oil with an alcohol pad after helped control some of the itchiness for me as it can start itching if you leave the oil on your skin. Massage the injection site after, make sure you keep switching sides for each injection. I did squats after as well to help get the oil moving and walked around.
Lovenox - the bruising is bad I’m not gonna lie, but once you figure out where to inject where you bruise less (it’s trial and error this part), ice before the infection site, immediate gauze after injecting, then ice over the gauze after and avoid touching it for a few minutes (IE do not pull up your pants over where you injected or pull a tight shirt down over it as this causes more bruising) it is ok.
I personally found the generic prefilled Lovenox needles were more painful, they were super dull and the spring functionality just worse. I got way worse bruising on it no matter what I did and the bruises from the generic developed into painful hematomas for me. I asked my nurse to send me a script for the name brand (she wrote “fill as prescribed) as my prescription benefit is pretty generous, and my insurance paid for it. For me the name brand needles are sharper, the spring in the needle works much smoother and I bruise less. I wouldn’t ever go back to the generic. I’m not sure if it’s some reaction I had for the generic (my friend who is a nurse did confirm to me that in some rare occasions, some patients do have weird reactions to generics even though pharma and insurance tries to say it’s the same exact thing).
The annoying part of the name brand though is my CVS pharmacies never carry it and have it on hand because it’s expensive so they have to order it. I just stay on top of how many I have left and when I need it a they’re able to order it and receive it in store within two days usually.
Good luck!
I’m a nurse, every fertility clinic teaches gluteal site for IM (PIO) which is outdated and hasn’t been taught in nursing school for years and years. Use ventrogluteal site for PIO if you’re comfortable doing something different. Less nerves, less pain, fewer vessels, easier to reach.
Lovenox burns less the slower you do it. R Do it reeeeeeeeeeallly slow, slower than you think is reasonable.
With everything we go through in this process the injections are far from the hardest part. Except for those with needle phobias, I imagine then it is extremely difficult.
Lovenox stung a teeny bit for a couple seconds then nothing. PIO isn't bad til you've been on it for a couple weeks then starts to get a little tender.
I was on both for several months, just finished actually. Lovenox stings so have an ice pack handy. Search PIO tips on here (injecting in the right spot made all the difference for me). Don’t worry yourself sick! It’s not the most fun I’ve ever had, but it’s just a couple minutes each day and it’s bearable.
PIO didn’t hurt at all but we used an auto injector. I haven’t taken lovenox but know people who have and I haven’t heard it hurt but it does make nasty bruises.
I mean yeah I’d prefer to not have to do them but they’re not the end of the world. Lovenox is just a very dull needle and it feels like injecting lemon juice but you don’t feel it 5 mins later. PIO doesn’t hurt as much to inject but the oil can form welts. To me I feel like they’re the level of annoyance of a mosquito bite. Like yeah I don’t like this but I can live with it.
Did PIO for about 10 weeks, some days it hurt a bit after, but most days it was rarely felt. Towards the end I did have a few knots that we had to work around that are still there and I'm waiting for them to go away, but overall it wasn't as intimidating as I thought it'd be
Thank you so much everyone. Your words of encouragement and advice have done so much for my nerves. I haven’t started the meds yet but I feel a bit more confident.