Gonal-F and fyremadel experiences??

[Pinklily2]

Hi everyone! We have our treatment plan and it’s proposed that I take gonal-f and fyremadel - Does anyone have experience of these, how did you manage, was there side effects, did it impact your mood?? I’m wondering if some time off work would be beneficial. Thank you in advance ☺️

[neonpg]

Hiya, it's so hard to say as everyone reacts differently to the meds, but I took these two on my first IVF cycle. Aside from a bit of bloating at the end I felt alright. I got moderate OHSS (I was on 300 IU gonal-f) but I didn't feel poorly with it luckily. Just a warning that the fyremadel can be a little stingy so I'd rub the injection site a little to help ease it.

[Pinklily2 in reply to neonpg]

Hi neonpg! Thank you for this, I’m already feeling a little fragile emotionally & mentally at the moment and I haven’t even started them yet so sort of trying to prepare myself, while I do understand everyone reacts different. I work in quite a stressful & chaotic environment as well which is adding to my anxieties. Thank you for the tip with the fyremedal - Noted! ☺️

[neonpg in reply to Pinklily2]

I completely get why you're feeling fragile... it's a lot. Is there any way you can take some leave or delegate some of your work duties during this time?

My wife did stims before me as our original plan was reciprocal IVF. Towards the end they bumped her dose to 375 iu ovaleap (she was a poor responder) and she experienced brain fog and weirdly struggled with her driving which I've never heard anyone else have. As she's a gardener she had to ask her boss to go on light duties for a few days.

I'm sure you'll absolutely boss the injections and the clinic will monitor you to make sure you're feeling okay, but if you have any doubts at all see if you can ease the mental load somewhere. For my current round I've been using the IVF positivity planner and focussing on what I can control Vs what I can't, which has helped (along with a bit of weight training...though I need to be careful not to overdo it!).

[Pinklily2 in reply to neonpg]

In my head I’ve already decided if it feel it’s overwhelming or too much for me to be at work then I’ll take time off, it’s already going to be stressful without additional stress so I’m going to be focused on looking after myself - As selfish as it sounds however needs must!

Thanks for your advice, it’s been very reassuring! I’ll look into an IVF positivity planner! Good luck your journey ☺️❤️

[Kotick83]

I took these two for my two cycles and I was ok. I agree about the bloating towards the end, but that might just be because of the huge amount of eggs compared to a standard cycle. Good luck!

[Twiglet2]

I’ve had these on a cycle I think they are quite common ones. I was a little more sensitive mood wise and did start to bloat but the end of stims but that’s it really and I didn’t need any time off work prior to any of my egg collections (had 5) so I’ve just taken the day of egg collection off but I’ve always been ready to go by day 7-10 after starting stims but I know personally folk who have had to stay on a bit longer who did get a bit more uncomfortable and the days went on and took a few days off at that point so you might want to play that by ear 🤗 good luck!! Xx 💜

[Pinklily2 in reply to Twiglet2]

Thanks for your advice, this has been helpful ☺️

[Orttc]

I did exactly these. I’m really pathetic with needles and also have always quite struggled with pms etc so was really really anxious about how I’d react. I took the maximum dose of Gonal F for 14 days and overall, the whole thing was nowhere near as bad as I’d feared. After taking the trigger shot I was bloated and uncomfortable, quite sore, but other than that the whole experience was better than I expected. I was pretty teary once or twice, as it’s obviously an emotional time, and pretty bloated and sore boobs, but all very manageable. In terms of the injections themselves I did bruise a bit but didn’t find them too painful. The needle for gonal f was absolutely tiny, it helped taking it out the fridge for half an hour before using it as otherwise it felt cold when it went in. Most times I genuinely didn’t feel it. Fyremadel was ok, i made sure to ice the area before injecting which really helped. I bruised quite a lot actually, but overall I didn’t find them painful. After the first couple of days I got very used to them. Good luck!

[Pinklily2 in reply to Orttc]

Thanks for this, I’m relieved to be reading so far that people have been able to manage this pretty well for the most part! Will make sure there’s plenty ice for the fyremadel as all the feedback is that one is a stinger! 🫣 Thank you!

[WillowPark]

Hi Pinklily2, I'd agree with everyone else, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I felt totally fine on the stims. For me the northisterone I took to regulate timing for my cycle was worse mentally/emotionally than the stims - that gave me regular panic attacks. The only stressful bit for me on the gonal-f/fyremadel was needing to be near the fridge at the same time every day. I worked from home during my stims for that reason. I did find I was shattered and I blocked out social events for that couple of weeks but looking back I probably didn't need to and that was more after egg collection. You do get bloated and sore but that is more post-EC too, so if I had time off to take I would time it around then. I find the second half of any cycle worse than the first. Hope that helps x

[Pinklily2 in reply to WillowPark]

Thanks for this! I think the meds in the fridge is adding to my anxieties a little, I work shifts as a residential care worker so could be tricky if I had to bring it into work. I’ve preempted things to keep me busy like reading and projects in the house if I do decide to take a break from work. I also feel that the whole unknown of it all very unsettling - Trying to stay positive but feeling quite anxious and flat at the moment. Thank you for sharing, it’s been helpful ☺️

[WillowPark in reply to Pinklily2]

I think it is completely normal to feel like that. I just tried to concentrate on the next step and took it day by day. I heard a really handy tip about keeping your injections in a berocca tube in your packed lunch with a coolpack for taking it into work/on the move. I never needed to do that but maybe worth considering! It is overwhelming but the thought of it is definitely worse than the reality. You will be fine and just shout on here if you need guidance or a friendly ear 🙂 So many lovely ladies with so much knowledge ❤️

[Pinklily2 in reply to WillowPark]

The Berocca tube is an excellent shout, very resourceful! I’ll pick one of those up! Definitely think it’s a lot of mind over matter at the moment, could be doing with giving myself a shake but I’ll try to keep positive and just take each day as it comes!

I’ve found this page super helpful and reassuring, it really is the perfect safe space!

Thank you again ❤️

[Orttc]

I was told Fyremadel didn’t need to be in the fridge and that gonal f (which I had in a sort of pen) was fine out the fridge once the vial had been started. Obviously check with your clinic in case yours is different, but that took some stress out of it for me. Berocca tube is a great idea! I bought an insulated cool bag and ice packs in case I needed them but didn’t in the end.