Is the invitro fertilization technique painful?
Answer:
yes but not nearly as bad as a squirming soon to be screaming pooping sucking infant ripping thru your loins
You know, I started answering this by saying "discomfort yes, pain no" but in recounting the experience I've changed my mind!
Some of the injections (of which there are many) DO hurt. In the initial stages of an IVF cycle most of that is just a matter of how you personally deal with needles, although a couple of the meds may hurt as they are first pushed into your system. The only really painful shot, I'd say, is the progesterone shot: those are intramuscular and must be done every day after the embryos are transferred. Most of the discomfort from them stems from two things: 1) typically, the progesterone is in oil (usually sesame oil), which is fairly thick.while you want to numb the injection site with ice, you don't want the oil to be cold because then it's even thicker...there's a lot of ice/heat/ice/heat going on at this point; 2) you're basically doing one "cheek" one night, the other the next night, and so forth, so the sites are never fully healed when you're giving another shot there, and the oil can build up beneath the skin, which does hurt (best thing to do: right after the shot is administered put a heating pad on the area and gently massage the site, dispersing the oil).
Injections aside, the other discomfort comes with the retrieval and the transfer. The latter is minimal discomfort that comes from having a full bladder when they're using the ultrasound on your belly. With the retrieval, the process itself isn't painful (you're not aware of it) but you will be uncomfortable afterwards, sometimes because of the aftereffects of anesthesia, but almost always because at that point you are very bloated from hyperstimulating. People react differently, but you may find it hard to stand straight, walk, etc. for several days. I hated it. And I lived on Gatorade at that point, which does help. (And I did not have OHSS, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which is always a risk.that would obviously make things more painful.)
I suppose I started out by saying "no, not painful" because, as with labor, the end result makes you (almost) forget the pain of getting there! When I look at my twins, I don't think about how much my *** hurt from the progesterone shots! But overall, honestly, I don't consider IVF painful, there are just some aspects of it that hurt. And even with those, how much it hurts will depend on the person -- some people freak out at needles, some people don't have a problem with them.some people are fine with anesthesia and some people (like me) have a problem with it.
But either way? It's worth it, in my book.
If you're going to have IVF, or are considering it, some excellent online resources are: http://www.tcoyf.com and http://ivfconnections.com. Good luck.
I agree, it can be a little painful physically. I react a lot to the hormone shots and my ovaries tend to get overstimulated. This makes them swell up and stay very tender for a while. The retrieval is a little bit painful, as are the progesterone shots. I was prescribed a cream (lidocaine) to put on the injection spot about an half an hour before my shots, and I could barely feel them. The worst part by far is the mental pain. There are so many obstacles, and it can really take a toll on your heart and mind.
Not for the man
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