Updated by the Progyny Clinical Team — June 2025.
Many reproductive medication protocols need at-home injections of fertility drugs. If you’re not used to giving yourself a shot, you may be worried if you see blood or medication leaking from the injection site.
Some people wonder if these leaks mean that they’re doing something wrong. When removing the needle from the injection site, you can expect one of three things:
- Nothing
- A small drop of blood
- A small drop of medication
Over the course of doing daily injections, you may experience all three scenarios. None of them are a cause for concern — leaks don’t mean the whole dose is lost. Any visible leaks are likely a very small amount that won’t affect its efficacy. For example:
- If you see blood at the injection site after the needle is removed, you likely nicked a small blood vessel at or below the skin surface. The blood is just following the needle back out to the surface.
- If you see a drop of medication after the needle is removed, it’s only the medication following the needle back out to the surface.
There are a few tips that may decrease the likelihood of this occurring:
- Release the skin pinch once you have the needle in your skin, before you inject
- Once you have injected the medication into the skin, count to five before removing the needle.
- Apply gentle pressure with a gauze pad over the injection site as you remove the needle from your skin and hold it for about 10 seconds. The gauze helps seal the punctured tissue and prevents leakage.
- Rotate injections sites from day to day. This will keep the skin healthy and prevent scarring or hardening of fatty tissue that may decrease absorption of medication.
Summary
It’s normal to see a small drop of blood or medication after a fertility injection. It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong or lost your full dose. These minor leaks are common and not a cause for concern. To reduce the chance of leakage, release the skin pinch before injecting, count to five before removing the needle, apply gentle pressure afterward, and rotate injection sites daily.
If you consistently see a lot of medication leaking or experience injection site pain, swelling, or rash, you want to call your clinic just to be safe.
Progyny is here for you. Please contact your Progyny Care Advocate for support.
Disclaimer: The information provided by Progyny is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical guidance.