Step-by-step Instructions
- Review our blog on making injections less painful
- Open all supplies:
- draw needle (18-21 gauge 1-1.5 inches needle)
- injection needle (23-25 gauge 5/8″ needle)
- 1mL Luer lock syringe or threaded syringe
- vial of hormone
- alcohol swabs
- Band-aid, gauze
- sharps container
- Wash hands.
- Clean the top of the hormone vial with an alcohol swab three times.
- Place draw needle (18-21 gauge 1-1.5 inches needle) onto syringe with twisting motion. Then remove the plastic protective cap from the needle.
- Pull back on the syringe plunger to place 0.3 mL of air into the syringe with the draw needle already in place.
- Gently insert the draw needle into the top of the cleaned hormone vial and then flip everything over vertically (hold the syringe upside down with the bottle on top).
- Reposition the syringe to adjust the needle so that it is well UNDER the level of liquid in the bottle (near the neck of the vial usually).
- Inject the air into the hormone vial by depressing the syringe plunger.
- Pull back on the syringe plunger allowing your current hormone dose to flow into the syringe.
- Depress (or push) the syringe plunger to purge residual air from the syringe cylinder until only your current hormone dose remains in the syringe barrel.
- Before removing the syringe, place the bottle upright and slowly pull the needle out from the rubber stopper.
- Once again, pull back on the syringe plunger, allowing all liquid in the draw needle to flow back into the syringe barrel.
- Carefully remove the draw needle and place it into a ‘sharps container.’
- Place injection needle (23-25 gauge ⅝” needle) onto syringe with twisting motion.
- Cleanse the area of skin to be injected with alcohol swabs three times in a circular motion moving from inside the circle to outside the circle.
- Remove the plastic protective cap from the needle. Hold syringe vertically with the needle pointing upward, purge air from syringe barrel until liquid barely emerges from needle tip by depressing (or pushing) the syringe plunger.
- At the previously cleaned injection site, pinch the skin firmly and then at a 45-degree angle. QUICKLY insert the needle into the injection site to the needle hub (as deep as it will go) and just a little further to indent the skin.
- Gently depress (or push) the syringe plunger until all the hormone has been injected.
- Count to 5 before removing the needle with the attached syringe from yourself.
- Place an adhesive bandage over the injection site. It is okay to remove in 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove injection needle from a syringe with an untwisting motion and dispose of it into a ‘sharps contain.’’ Learn state-specific sharps disposal instructions here.
- Throw away all other used injection supplies in the regular trash.
- Store hormone vial in cool, but NOT refrigerated, place.
Self-Injection Video How-Tos
Need to order supplies?
In-person pharmacies frequently give you incorrect injection supplies- wrong size syringe, needle and syringe don’t fit together, too long of a needle, etc. You can order supplies online in bulk for much cheaper than paying individually at the pharmacy window and get the ones you want!
Here are a couple of options:
- Westend Medical Supply:
- 1 ml luer slip syringe with 21 g 1 inch needle – $16.99 for 50 pack (~1 yr supply)
- I prefer leur lock over leur slip, but COVID has made these less accesible
- 25 g 5/8 inch needle – 50 pack (~1 yr supply) $8.99
- Shipping $7-$10
- 1 ml luer slip syringe with 21 g 1 inch needle – $16.99 for 50 pack (~1 yr supply)
- Health Warehouse– more expensive, but I have a slight personal preference to BD needles. I feel like they hurt the very least!
- Product ID: A285122- BD Regular Bevel Needles 25 Gauge, 5/8″, – 100 Needles
- Product ID: A10039382- BD Luer-Lok Tip Syringe Without Needle, 1cc – 100ct Box
- Product ID: A284604- BD Needle Only 20 Gauge 1.5 inch 100/Box
- Online ordering:
- Total price for one box of 100 each is $76.97. You can sign up for monthly emails and get free shipping or pay $3.00 for shipping.
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