Michelle Obama had to stay home and was "forced to administer IVF shots herself"

[Catren]

"Obama, a former lawyer and hospital administrator, also disclosed her marriage went through some rocky times, especially after Barack Obama joined the Illinois state legislature, leaving her at home where she was forced to administer IVF shots herself" Guardian today.

Umm don't get me wrong I love Michelle and I'm pleased she's raising infertility issues and ivf from her huge platform in her book. But.. don't we all give ourselves the shots? Sounds a little over dramatic, no? I mean if he didn't bother coming to important meetings or the egg collection or transfers or whatever.. but the shots?

Umm no. Sorry to disappoint I got my dh to give me all of mine.

I’ve always done my own. He’s never been interested in doing it

Care actually recommend that your partner gives the shots and comes to all appointments with you as it gets them more involved in the cycle. My DH would reschedule his work for them and it felt nice that it wasn’t always me that had to do it.

I did mine. Partner would not have.

I did my own. DH would have, but I wanted control over the needle!!

I did mine, there was no way I was letting DH anywhere near me with a needle. Plus he was busy so only ever turned up at the clinic to give sperm. Even for the egg harvesting, which was done under a general so I needed someone with me going home, I had a friend come with me because he couldn't. I didn't really think much of it tbh.

Depends. The ones in my bum (progesterone) my husband did. I tried to do one in my thigh (husband away) and it was awful so I went to clinic and friend who is a vet helped. Clexane I did myself in tummy fat - bit ouch but ok. Triggers I did myself.

I did my own injections and went to scans on my own. DH obviously came to egg collection and transfer, but I didn't see the point of him using annual leave for a 5 minute scan, or drug appointment.

Sounds a little over dramatic, no? I mean if he didn't bother coming to important meetings or the egg collection or transfers or whatever.. but the shots

I think you think it sounds over dramatic because you’re looking at this through the eyes of an infertile person who has been through IVF.

For someone who has never had infertility or IVF and has NO IDEA what these entail (as most people don’t as is frequently demonstrated on AIBU), it’s not over dramatic. I think most people who haven’t been through this would be shocked to find the process involves you stabbing yourself with needles every day and having probes up your vagina on a regular basis.

Having had multiple cycles, I suspect my perspective on how difficult the shots are is somewhat skewed as is yours compared to most of Michelle Obama’s intended readers.

My mum mostly did mine, she is a retired nurse tbf, or I did them myself. I do only work part time but DH is a shift worker and it would literally never have occurred to me to call him away from work to do them.

Thanks for all your replies, it's interesting to hear how differently we've done things. There's no way i wouldn't be in control of my needles, and i always had to give them (gonal, trigger and clexane) in my tummy so can see why thigh or butt ones might need assistance (let alone if you have fear of needles).

I can also see how it might look to outsiders, being on your own doing your jabs. But for the journalist to take that view i guess i thought it was a bit lazy and adding needless drama. Going through ivf in itself is a shitter, and worse when your partner isn't around, but the daily jabs (for me) were no where near the worst part so i wondered why focus on that.

I wonder what ivf was like 20 years ago compared to now - maybe it actually was a lot worse to go through the stimulation? Things seem to move so quickly in this area of science so I'm probably not being fair comparing it with current treatment. Hrmm

I mean, I don't really have any choice because I'm single, but I tend towards the view that people's feelings are valid and they get to feel whatever it is that they are feeling. I've definitely come across many women online who are worried about doing their own injections or find it very difficult, for a variety of reasons. And I agree with those who've said that it's easier to be blasé about it with the benefit of hindsight. I pretty quickly reached the point where I could nip into the bathroom during an advert break, stab myself with whatever I was due a dose of, and be back before the programme started, but that's not necessarily how it feels before you start. And (not that I really get this, what with the extreme singleness) I also wondered whether some of what was being expressed there wasn't just about the injections but more about the sense of one's partner not being very present during an emotionally difficult time?

Plus, of course, the point of life writing is to bring a sense of storytelling to what you're presenting - so if I were writing my autobiography I'd probably approach it differently to how I'd write a blog post or a reassuring forum message or whatever.

Mainly, though, I just like Michelle Obama even more now than I did already, which I hadn't thought possible!

That's The Guardian for you...

Urgh sorry wrong thread, have reported

My husband did all of mine, I couldn't have done it without his physical and mental support.

I've heard that it's kind of romantic to have DH administering shots for you and decided to give it a go... the first time it was painful, the second time DH accidentally pierced his finger and spilt the content of the syringe... I did my own shots afterwards... I think moral support is more important than who is doing the injections.