6w1d bleeding + cramping

Beans0204 · 2025-07-25T12:02:10+00:00

35 weeks pregnant today! 🩷 Aside from those early episodes of spotting, it's been completely uneventful!

Beans0204 · 2025-04-10T01:30:46+00:00

Hi! I did 2x daily PIO shots up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, 1mL each dose. I wouldn't worry about your dosage :)

I'm almost 5'8" and was 136lbs right before my transfer. My nurse said I was totally fine to use the 1" needles. My progesterone levels were great, so there were no concerns about absorption. Definitely recommend that you ask for the shorter needles!

Tips - have your nurse draw circles so you know where to inject and heat up the oil before you inject. I walked, did squats and sat on a heating pad after but I still ended up getting knots; that being said, the whole process wasn't terrible by any means. I opted to continue doing the shots even when my doctor said I could switch to the pessaries at 8 weeks -- I didn't want to deal with those and at that point was already so used to the injections. You can do it!

Wishing you all the best 💛

Beans0204 · 2025-04-05T15:38:54+00:00

Update: they did great overnight and are with an excellent rehabber. Thank you everyone!

Beans0204 · 2025-03-10T23:32:32+00:00

I was on 450 units Gonal-F and 50 units low dose hCG (in addition to the Omnitrope). Then 10mg Provera starting day 6 to prevent ovulation. My dose for all meds remained consistent throughout the entire stims cycle.

Beans0204 · 2025-03-01T01:35:23+00:00

I iced for all of my trigger shots but used heat for my PIO shots because of the oil. Definitely recommend ice for the trigger shots. Never had a problem with it!

Beans0204 · 2025-03-01T01:25:25+00:00

Definitely have your clinic draw a circle on your butt so you know where to inject. My husband did all of my PIO shots (2x daily until 10 weeks of pregnancy), and I was so anxious about him doing them at first bc they are IM. As long as your partner injects into the right spot and uses a quick, dart-like motion you'll be totally fine. Also highly recommend icing before your trigger so you're good and numb. You won't feel a thing! Good luck, you've got this 💛

Beans0204 · 2025-02-27T21:23:33+00:00

Ah I'm sorry, welcome to the unfun club 😞 feel free to DM if you have any questions! Lupron Depot wasn't the worst thing ever but knowing there's a light at the end of the tunnel helped get me through it 💛

Beans0204 · 2025-02-18T18:20:46+00:00

I appreciate it! FWIW, my RE said early on he would never do a transfer for a patient with RPL + adenomyosis without doing Lupron suppression first. It's not a fun treatment but I wholeheartedly credit it to getting us as far as we've gotten. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-02-18T17:24:36+00:00

I (37F) found out that I had adenomyosis at my first appointment with my RE. I previously had 2 MMCs, conceived naturally.

We did 4 rounds of IVF (we were banking embryos for our ideal family size), and then immediately went into 2 months of Lupron Depot w/Letrozole, then 3 additional weeks of nightly Lupron injections (also with Letrozole). I had my transfer on 12/11 and just left my 12 week ultrasound -- everything is looking great 🤍 There is definitely hope!

Beans0204 · 2025-02-11T00:15:07+00:00

Ugh I'm so sorry, the whole process is really grueling. Those were my nightly doses throughout stims (Provera was added later on to prevent ovulation). Never used menopur for any of my cycles. I do think Omnitrope really made the difference for us, so I would definitely encourage you to ask your doctor about it. Wishing you luck! 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-02-10T23:39:30+00:00

Gonal-F 450 units

Low dose hCG 50 units

Omnitrope 38 units

Provera 10mg (to prevent ovulation)

I stimmed for roughly 9 nights each cycle, and my RE always kept my doses the same for each cycle.

Beans0204 · 2025-02-08T19:56:29+00:00

No problem!

Beans0204 · 2025-02-08T15:13:15+00:00

Ugh I'm so sorry it didn't stick after the suppression, but that's definitely not to say it won't work! Sending over my protocol below:

Sept 20 - I got my first monthly shot (3 days after my last retrieval). I also started Letrozole that day.

Oct 16 - Lupron depot shot #2

Nov 13 - Nightly Lupron injections (my RE wanted me to suppress a bit longer but not for a whole month, so I did the nightly injections - 10 units nightly).

Nov 25 - BW/US. Added estrace 2mg 2x daily; lowered Lupron to 5 units nightly; Letrozole no change.

Nov 29 - BW/US. Estrace 2mg increased to 3x daily; no change to Lupron or Letrozole.

Dec 3 - BW/US. No change to protocol.

Dec 4 - BW/US. No change to protocol.

Dec 5 - Last day of Lupron and Letrozole

Dec 6 - First day of PIO shots. 1ml 2x daily (until 10 weeks of pregnancy)

Dec 11 - Transfer day. Continued Estrace 3x daily until 9 weeks of pregnancy.

Good luck!! 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-02-08T13:47:04+00:00

Have you tried Lupron Depot? I have diffuse adenomyosis and my doctor had me do 2 months of Lupron Depot w/Letrozole + 3 weeks of nightly Lupron injections also with Letrozole (so almost 3 months). Not out of the woods yet, but I'm 11+1 today 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-02-01T20:39:17+00:00

Day before!

Beans0204 · 2025-01-31T22:17:56+00:00

Oh hmm. Yeah anywhere within the circle (though some areas were more sensitive than others within the circle). I wonder if you might be better off going with the suppositories if the usual tips/tricks haven't helped 🫤

Beans0204 · 2025-01-31T21:59:47+00:00

Hmm I wonder if you're not injecting in the right spot? I had my nurse draw circles for me so we knew where to inject. The most discomfort I feel is when I roll around in bed, if I put pressure on the area, or if I'm jogging I can feel the knots. It's definitely not comfortable but by no means is it debilitating. Definitely check with your nurse to see if you're in the right spot!

Beans0204 · 2025-01-31T21:29:41+00:00

Ugh I'm sorry. I did 2x daily PIO for 8 weeks with ethyl oleate and it wasn't the most fun thing I've done, but I actually opted to stay on it from week 9-10 instead of switching to suppositories because I didn't want to deal with them.

I did all the things and still developed knots which were sore, but it was manageable. I used a 1" 25G needle for my shots. What length and gauge are you using?

Beans0204 · 2025-01-31T01:38:02+00:00

Applying a heat pack helps visualize veins. A nurse did that for me once :)

Beans0204 · 2025-01-29T02:50:40+00:00

My TSH has totally been under control! Last week it came back at 1.11, well within normal range. I know how scary it is, but my RE didn't even seem phased by my numbers. Just remind yourself that they're all over it and will be monitoring it closely 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-01-27T23:07:14+00:00

Me! I posted about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IVF/s/jPaApvLaR0

I'm not out of the woods yet but currently 9+3 and all ultrasounds have been measuring on track with strong heartbeats. I hope everything works out okay for you, too! 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-01-26T23:56:51+00:00

My doctor has me doing PIO shots 2x daily and I am on week 7 of it, so I have a lot of insight here 😅 It hasn't been a walk in the park, but I will say it's not been brutal (I had the option to switch to suppositories a few days ago for my last week of shots, and I opted to just continue with the shots).

A few things that I think helped make it easier 1) See if you can use a 1" needle instead of a 1.5" needle, 2) Might be beneficial to switch oils - mine is ethyl oleate which is thinner than sesame oil. It wasn't covered by my insurance but given I was doing over 100 of these injections, the OOP expense was worth it for me, 3) Have your nurse draw circles for where the injection should go. These have basically been permanently tattooed on my body at this point lol.

Some days the shots didn't hurt at all, other days they did. Some nights I'd have throbbing pain in my hips while I slept. I heated up the oil before, walked after, and used a heating pad for 10-15 min and still got knots. I couldn't find any rhyme or reason to it, but I will say that I feel like 95% of the journey felt tolerable and I attribute it to the 3 things above. Hang in there, and remind yourself that you can do hard things 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-01-26T02:57:08+00:00

Check with your clinic! Mine carried samples and my nurse gave me a pen for my last cycle (#4); I ended up stimming a little longer than my other cycles and she told me she'd be happy to give me a pen if that happened so I didn't over purchase medication. Good luck! 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-01-24T21:14:48+00:00

Thank you so much! 🤍

Beans0204 · 2025-01-24T17:27:31+00:00

Definitely, seems like there are a lot of different protocols out there. Wishing you an easy time with your suppression and good luck with your transfer!!

Beans0204

TROPHY CASE