Amanda,
I just finished the stim part of my cycle earlier this week and, honestly, in my head I had made it to be WAY worse than it actually was. There was NO rollercoaster of hormones for me. (And I was really nervous about that part! I don't drink, smoke, or do any drugs; so, the thought of putting something foreign into my body, like these meds, was really worrisome to me). I thought I wouldn't feel like myself, but I DID. In fact, I felt totally normal. No bloating, no discomfort, no mood swings, until following the retreival. At that point, I felt pretty bloated and (sorry for over-sharing here) constipated. The rest is a piece of cake if your docs have you on the right meds and the right dosage. I'm sure if patients have complications, things could be different, but I was readying myself for a tidal wave of hurt that just didn't come.

I hope this helps put your mind at ease a bit! :)
And good luck!!!

Oh the lovely med delivery! Do yourself a favor and set up a TV table or something in your bathroom on which to organize all your meds and the syringes and vials that go with them. Trust me --- not having to fish through which syringes and vials belong with which meds at the end of a long day will make your life MUCH easier. And it'll help you better keep track of when you need to order more.

As far as the hormonal roller coaster goes ... it's different for each women. Some women are emotional wrecks, and some women are only marginally affected. Be prepared for both ends of the spectrum and somewhere in between ... and cut yourself a lot of slack. I found that prioritizing alone time for myself each day helped me deal with everything.

Discomfort/pain ... Lightly ice your tummy for a few minutes before you do your injections. This will help numb the area as well as minimize bruising. Plan to wear comfy clothing, especially around your abdominal area ...

I think that's all I have. Good luck! It's a roller coaster, but it's worth it!

Thank you ladies for the feedback. I also do not drink, smoke, or do drugs so hopefully I will have minimal side effects too! I really hope it all ends up being manageable and worth it :) Good luck with your transfer, thewaitinggame. I really hope this works out for you. Thanks for the ice tip, Hineschica. I am going for my blooddraw and US on Friday to see if I can start the Lupron over the weekend...here we go!

Hi AmandaSin,

Welcome to this world :-) It can be overwhelming in the beginning and also exciting as you are venturing into a new journey! my advise to you is to be surrounded by positive people and things and involve your partner in the process on injecting as well, this is getting down to real intimate details, but not sure if you are injecting yourself , or your parents is injecting you or you will be going to the hospital to inject. Irrespective of how you do it, involve your partner , then you will not feel alone.
Hormones can create quite a havoc ( dont want to scare you ) but every body is also different. I had bloated feeling, a bit of pain, difficulties in moving around and peeing as well. But this also depends on what kind of meds you will be taking and the dosage as well.
As you don't drink, smoke or do drugs, keep it that way as that is a total no during this process.Keep yourself occupied with other things too , so your entire focus is not on IVF.

All the best and hope all goes well :-)
Miracle happens

a correction to line 4
" or your parents " i meant partner ...
sorry it was a typo error !