I can't remember if I needed to start BCP right before my period or a certain number of days after (3?). Sorry that isn't much help.

As for the injections- have you done any at all? They really aren't any worse, just more. Some nights we had to do 3, but they are tiny and very thin, so there is a small sting but that is it.

i just started IVF as well but i did not use any BCP before hand. I got labs drawn on day 2 of my cycle and started follistim on day 2 (in the evening) but they told me they start the shots anywhere between days 2-4.

I have only used the follistim pen so far and it does not hurt at all. the needles are super tiny. I am even on a large dose 225 units (the nurse said normally they start with 75-100 units) I am not sure why my dose is so high but it is.


I dont understand this concept of taking birth control pills before starting IVF. my RE never said a word about taking BCP.

Any side effects from the meds (nauseous, rashes, etc..)? Did it interfere with your jobs at all? We are trying to keep this as private as possible minus a few close family members.

I started bcp day 3. (Just finished meds w/ trigger shot tonight.). I had mild nausea and headaches w/ my antibiotics and insomnia w/ the dexamethasone, but even those went away in a few days and they weren't bad. I feel like I've learned so much going through this. For me, the meds (and doing shots) were easier than I thought. Good luck!!!

i have no side effects from the meds as of right now. the first 2 nights did not hurt at all but last night it stung a little bit. This morning i have a blood drawl which will probably hurt more than the shots.

I did have really bizarre dreams the 1st two nights but idk if that was from the med or if it was just me having weird dreams.

i suffer from chronic n nausea and frequent headaches so its hard to say if the migraine i had yesterday was from the meds or not but i dont think so because the headache started friday afternoon and i took my first shot friday night.

First off, good luck on your first cycle! :) I started BCP's on the 3rd day of my period. Someone asked why you take BCP's, well every RE is different but mine used it to get me suppressed so that they essentially could control the starting point of taking the stimulators and regulate me so that I didn't ovulate on my own and ruin the whole cycle.

So the injections are not bad at all! You really get used to it after a few days. If your pharmacy has a website, I would use it as a guide on how to do the injections and where to put them in. It was so helpful my first time out of the gate, I had never self-injected before. My pharmacy had you-tube videos on it showing you how to inject. As far as how you will feel on the injections, well we are all different. I had awful headaches on Lupron and my stimulator was Gonal-F and I had no troubles with that. It will go by quicker than you realize and it is all worth it! Well again, best of luck!

I started my BCP on day 3....and will continue them for 3 weeks. I take my last one on 7/5. I had my Sonohysterogram today and start Lupron on 7/1/13. Dr says everything looks great so far. This is my 2nd IVF...had a BFN last September and hoping this time is BFP. Good luck to you and let me know if you have any questions.

For the most part I reacted fine to all the drugs.

As for telling people at work, with my first doctor I needed to tell my boss because I was always late. As long as it doesn't affect your work, you don't have to tell them. For lots of reasons, I liked having people know. For instance, I've had to call out a lot more than I ever did due to all these procedures- they understand why. Everyone I have told has bent over backwards to help me in anyway I need, and while I don't need much, its nice to feel supported versus feeling like I'm holding in a big secret. But it is all a matter of what you are comfortable with- it is a very personal choice. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I also did not use BCPs. The pain from meds isn't much of anything for a while- they are so small. After, the PIO shots suck. Those are the only ones I get nervous about bc they are in the hip. Sometimes they hurt a lot and sometimes I didn't even feel them. Not really any symptoms for me other than Lupron is itchy at the injection site for up to 30 minutes.
GOOD LUCk!!! :)

Okay well I have this image that I am going to be bedridden for 4-6 weeks. So it is really not as bad as I am thinking it is going to be then...

Depends on the protocol. I did 1 full month of BCP and RE had me start them on day 6. Some protocols call for you to start them at different times, so best to check with your RE.

The injections aren't bad. You get used to them quickly. The needles are small, fortunately. The worst thing for me has been the PIO injections, which use bigger needles because it has to go deeper into the muscle and the formula is much thicker than the other injections. Those have been painful, but when you consider the end result, totally worth it.

im glad that i dont have to do prog. shots because i hear they suck. I am only doing supps.

We did two IVFs, and both I started BCP several weeks before the official start of the cycle in order for them to suppress my ovaries. This was because my RE has all of his patients basically cycle together each month, and this allowed them to control the start date.

I took Lupron and a mix of menopur and bravelle in the mornings. As others have said, they are small needles (1/2 inch) and very thin so I got used to it pretty quickly. Mixing the menopur and bravelle was time consuming, but otherwise, really easy. I had virtually no side effects, although I hyperstimulated the first time so my ovaries were incredibly swollen and made walking painful (and slow) for a few days.

The most time I had to take off of work was one day for the egg retrieval and two days for the transfer. No one in my office had any idea what-so-ever that anything was going on with me.

Good luck with your IVF!