by Melissa Willets posted in Pregnancy

Over the next 9 weeks, we invite you to come along on an IVF journey, step by intense step. From making the decision to go forward with in-vitro fertilization, to the meds involved and what they're really like, and to finding out whether this emotional and sometimes painful roller coaster ride yielded the results so dreamed of and prayed for. BabyCenter blogger Melissa Willets will be documenting every detail in a series of blog posts.
I'll never forget sitting in my doctor's office and hearing her matter-of-factly telling us that some meds, used during the egg stimulation and embryo transfer phases of IVF, could only be administered via injections.
Her calm delivery of this information left me thinking, "Okay. No big deal." Except it is a big deal, and I'll tell you why. As a little background, I don't have a fear of needles. I don't enjoy getting injections, but after four pregnancies being poked and prodded, even having undergone an amniocentesis, I am over my needle phobia from childhood.
But when my injectable medications arrived via mail, I was shocked by the sheer number of them. Most meds for the egg stimulation phase require refrigeration. Below is a photo of my "drugs."

Even scarier" My husband, who has no medical training, would be administering the shots. Again, not a trained medical professional. My husband. He would learn how to properly prepare and administer the injections by watching v...