How to Give a Progesterone Injection

This article will tell you how to give a progesterone injection to yourself or a family member. Progesterone is typically used for infertility therapy.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• prescription for Progesterone
• 3 cc syringe
• 2 ea 1.5 inch needle
• alcohol wipes
• sharps disposal container
• band-aid

1. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands...
   Proper hand washing is critical to avoid the spread of disease. Use a good quality hand soap and warm water. Make sure you take your time and get well under your fingernails. Rinse your hands and then carefully pick up a paper towel and use it to turn off the faucet. Throw paper towel away. With another clean paper towel dry your hands going from your fingers to the wrist.

2. Carefully take the protective cap off of the vial of Progesterone, then using one of the alcohol wipes gently clean the rubber stopper at the top of the vial.

3. If it is not already attached you will need to attach the needle to the syringe. Remove the protective cap over the needle using care not to touch or otherwise contaminate the needle.
   
   pull the plunger on the syringe back to the 1 cc mark, then insert the needle into the center of the rubber stopper on the vial of Progesterone.

4. push plunger to inject the 1 cc of air into the vial then turn in the bottle with the needle inserted upside down and withdraw the prescribed amount of Progesterone into the syringe.
   
   Carefully withdraw syringe with needle out of the vial of Progesterone. Pull slightly on plunger to draw remaining Progesterone out of the needle and into the syringe.

5. Lay needle cap on table or other flat surface and insert needle back into cap.
   Remove needle from syringe and dispose of into sharps container.
   Attach new needle to syringe using care not to contaminate it with your hands or on another surface.
   Tip the now new needle and syringe so that the needle faces upwards and give the syringe a gentle but firm tap with your fingernail to break up any bubbles of air that may be trapped inside the syringe.
   
   While the needle is still pointing upwards you will gently push on the plunger of the syringe, until you see a bubble of Progesterone form at the tip of the needle.

6. Using another Alcohol wipe clean area that will be the injection site. Progesterone is given IM (Intra-muscularly) which simply means that it is given into the muscle. Not under the skin or into the fatty tissues.
   
   Typical injection sites are the upper thighs or the upper outer quadrant of the buttocks.

7. have the person sitting or standing in such a way that they are not putting any weight on or flexing the muscle that will be injected. Brace the area with your free hand, The hand holding the needle and syringe will inject it into the muscle at a 90 degree angle and then in a dart like motion inject the needle into the muscle.

8. 
    
   Dispose of entire needle and syringe into the sharps container and dispose of Progesterone vial and packaging.

   Pull back slightly on the plunger to insure you do not get a blood return.
   Then if no blood shows, inject the entire contents of the syringe into the muscle.
   Quickly withdraw the needle and place a band aid over the area.

Tips & Warnings

• Progesterone is an oil so it will be somewhat difficult to withdraw out of the vial. This is normal.
• If you don't feel comfortable with the idea of doing injections ask the Doctor or Nurse to show you. You can practice on an orange the texture is similar to giving an injection so it is easier to gain confidence using this method.
• NEVER recap needles by hand! Always if recapping is necessary lay the cap on a flat surface and inject the needle into the cap.
• Always dispose of needles in a designated Sharps container. Never wrap and throw out in regular trash.

Resources

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[betterbody]

on 4/3/2009 Thanks for the 5* details in How to Give a Progesterone Injection.