Infertility diagnosis and treatment is one that requires lots of blood tests and potentially the use of injections. For a person who has aichmophobia or phobia of needles, this is not ideal and can be a drastic experience. Unfortunately, infertility does not discriminate and a person with this phobia may have to undergo diagnosis and treatment. There are different degrees of the phobia. Some patients may experience a low degree phobia which can be dealt with easier. If the phobia is of a higher degree, some more professional measures can be taken to try and make the patient as comfortable as possible. I have personally seen all degrees of this phobia in our clinic and have seen how our staff tries to deal with these situations. It is a more common phenomenon than you might think and an important topic to talk about. The more a patient is at ease, the easier and better the prognosis.
When I got in touch with @mrandmrsivf on instagram, she shared her infertility journey with me. Their story started when they got married 5 years ago and tried to conceive naturally. After trying for 6 months, they started their fertility investigation with the NHS (National Health Services) in the United Kingdom. All of their tests came back normal and they were diagnosed with unexplained infertility. They met the criteria for a government funded IUI and IVF cycle. They underwent both treatments and unfortunately were unable to become pregnant. She mentioned how their IVF treatment was a challenge and her being afraid of needles did not make it easier. However, she was able to overcome her fear for her fear. She was determined and managed to find the strength to inject herself every day. She knew that this was essential for their treatment plan. She shared a few tips with me on how she was able to deal with and overcome her fear. It helped her when she iced the area before injection. She also tried her best not to overthink, along with using the 'pinch and push' technique. These helped her to complete their first round of IVF. Unfortunately it was not successful and they are now looking into doing another round of self-funded IVF. They have had a tough journey but are optimistic about their next treatment. The techniques that worked for her may be useful if you too are dreading the injections associated with treatment. It is definitely worth a try to make the process a bit easier to deal with.
When I heard her story, I realized that I also had seen many patients struggling with needles and injections. Going through infertility treatment is already such an emotionally heavy experience. Add to it the fear of needles, and it becomes much more difficult to deal with. It might be hard for some people to comprehend this phobia but if you speak with anyone who has any phobia, they know how debilitating it can be. There are some tips on how to try and comfort the patient so that the situation becomes a bit more easy for them to handle. First and foremost, the patient should inform the staff that they have this phobia so the staff can prepare a suitable plan for them. It is important to have a professional phlebotomist who is confident in blood collection. They should also have some training on how to speak with patients to calm their nerves. It's important for the patient to feel safe and be able to trust the staff. As for the injections they may have to do on their own, a comprehensive teaching session should be given to ensure the patient feels comfortable in doing the injections. In some cases, it may be easier to have their partner or a family member do the injections for them. They should also be given the option of having a nurse do the injections for them. There may be extra costs associated with this service but most clinics offer the option of having the nurse visit the patient's home and do the injections for them. If the phobia is not managed with these steps, it may be beneficial for the patient to visit a psychologist specializing in dealing with phobias. The psychologist should be able to identify the root of the problem and provide ways for remediation.
From my experience, once a patient feels comfortable with the staff, they are more easily able to overcome their fears. The egg retrieval process may be another step which is an issue for these patients. It is normal to be anxious on the day of egg retrieval, however for patients with this fear, it can be more than just an anxious feeling. For these patients, more sedation is usually administered so they are more comfortable during the procedure. There are certain clinics that also offer full anesthesia for the procedure. If you feel this might be a better option for you, it might be a good idea to seek out these clinics. When dealing with this phobia, it's important to not judge the patient and make sure they feel safe. Ensuring the patients are comfortable and feel enabled to complete their treatment is essential for the best results possible. If you suffer from aichmophobia and have any questions on how to deal with it for infertility treatments, please feel free to contact me directly.
