First Time with Follostim

After a negative pregnancy test after last cycle we decided to move on to a hybrid clomid + low dose injectible cycle.  I took 250mg of clomid days 3-7, and 75iu of follostim days 5-8.

My clinic suggested ordering the follostim and an ovidrell shot from Alexander's Twin Pharmacy.  Their prices were much cheaper than any of my local pharmacies, including Costco.  My prescription was sent to them on a Friday morning and by Friday night they had mailed out my package (I needed to start the follostim on Monday morning).  I received it on Saturday via Fedex (making sure someone was home to sign for it) and it arrived in a little styrofoam cooler.  There was a little ice pack inside to keep everything cool, a box of ovidrell, a box containing a 300iu vial of follostim, a small sharps container, and a follostim pen kit.

The follostim pen kit is actually cute looking!  I wasn't expecting a small inconspicuous lime green zippered case to conveniently store the follostim, directions, and needle tips.  Actually, I wasn't sure what I was expecting at all.  I assumed the follostim would be similar to the ovidrell, which is a prefilled needle all ready to go.  I knew I had ordered a pen, but I wasn't sure what that meant.  It turns out it is a pretty neat little device for administrating medication.  It really does look like a pen with an end cap that gets taken off, and a trigger where the clicker would be.  Each time you administer a dose you use a new needle tip   It seemed like a complicated procedure to get the needle tip on and off the pen, but it only was the first time.  I had watched an informational video twice (and had my husband watch it) before slowly following the steps to load the follostim vial into the pen and attaching the needle tip.  The first time I attached the needle it was hard.  I couldn't get it on correctly, even though it really is simple.  And once I had the outer needle cover off I grabbed the inner cover and pulled it off with an inelegant motion.  I accidentally stabbed myself in the finger with the needle tip.  It took 3 clicks for a droplet to form on the end of the needle.  I then dialed the pen to set it to 75iu and administered the dose near my bellybutton.  It was pretty easy and painless to insert the needle since it's so thin.  Then the hard part came - taking the needle tip off of the pen to discard.  Later, I realized that this step is easy: place the outer needle cover over the needle and then twist it all off, but my first time doing it I thought you had to pull it straight off.  I couldn't get it after trying a few times, so I had my husband help.  Luckily he figured it out very easily.  The following three days the follostim administration was a piece of cake and I did the whole process myself with ease.

I took the first dose of follostim at 9am on a Monday and by noon I could feel my abdomen being "full".  The follostim seemed to be working!  The following three afternoons I experienced this feeling after giving myself a dose in the morning, and it made me happy.