Auto-injector could ease stress for fertility treatment patients

The piOna device has been developed to help patients who need regular injections of progesterone in oil (PiO).

According to Cambridge Consultants, daily intra-muscular injections are often the most anxious part of the IVF process as they involve a long needle and typically take the patient more than a minute to administer due to the viscosity of the oil.

Progesterone supplements are a vital part of fertility treatment as the hormone helps sustain the pregnancy to full term.

The supplements usually take the form of pills or suppositories but in some cases women need higher doses of the hormone, which involves regular self-administered injections.

The complex nature of the injections, however, means some patients are unable to administer the PiO properly or delay or miss injections, which can lower the success rate of the fertility treatment.

The PiO injections involve warming the oil to make it less viscous and then using a syringe fitted with a 22-gauge, 1.5in (3.8cm) needle to inject the progesterone deep into the muscle. Patients reportedly find it difficult to find the right angle, speed and temperature to ensure correct and painless drug delivery.