TTC/ pregnancy on Prednisolone or similar part 2

[Arianrhod]

Starting up part 2 of this thread since the old one closed at 1000 posts!

iggi lots of luck for today, hope it's nothing - I know it doesn't help but I know lots of women have spotting and/or bleeding in pregnancy and it still goes ok. Definitely call the EPU, get scanned - it's worth it, honestly, at least you will know one way or another. Virtual hugs coming your way.

free I also started AF properly this morning, so looks like we may be both importuning a friendly witch for a good fertility spell on Hallowe'en? I know exactly what you mean about the scary stuff ... a small part of me was actually sort of relieved when I didn't get a BFP purely because it means I don't have to go through the whole worrying about miscarrying all over again. Bizarre, but there it is.

iggi oh you poor thing, this is not what you need. Are you sure it was, ahem, from the front end? Regardless - get yourself to the epu or a&e if the epu are being unhelpful. And let us know how it goes.

Feel a bit of a fraud with my little worry. Had another few traces of brown on wiping this morning (and was def the front end)...so coupled with my loss of appetite last night (and a strange bit of cramping yest afternoon) I called the mw to book an appt for a go on the Doppler. She promptly booked me in for a scan this Saturday which was a bit more than I was expecting. And also brought my doc appt forward to next week. Rather nervous now - after all my confidence yesterday.

Oh Digital, you had something similar to this before, didn't you? And it was alright? It's funny but if I hear of anyone else bleeding I always assume they will be fine! And we know brown is better than red!
I am interested with your "ends" comment, happy to clutch at any straw!
I phoned epu - they only want me to come in if the bleeding gets worse.
For my part, I just want to know if this is the end, before the false hope starts to set in that every thing just might be ok..
I am very good at deluding myself!

iggi am surprised at that response given your history. Are you willing to pay for a private one or even chance a&e? Or do you think you can hold out till Friday?

Yes I did have this before and it was ok. Hoping it's the same again - but I just feel so 'normal' today. I think I'm over the steroid withdrawal - which is good. My appetite has gone back to normal which I should be pleased about as I've put on far too much weight, but also it was one of my comforting symptoms. My headache has completely gone and my legs didn't hurt when I woke up. So I think that's the last of the side effects from withdrawal. Boobs still hurt at night - but that could be the cyclogest.

Hard work this pg after rmc business...

Did they give you a reason/suggestions for why it happened before?
If I bleed again, I'll get a scan - I don't want to be caught by having a scan that looks good if things have just started to go wrong today. Can't believe this bean has made it one day longer than all the rest, only to stop. DH's googling has come up with the theory of 'breakthrough bleeding' (me being 8 weeks today, af would be due iyswim) so here's clutching on to the final straw at the last chance saloon while waiting for the other shoe to drop..

Just marking place, ignore the other thread I started! Can someone pm the others as I've sent everyone the wrong link xx

Ditto just marking place. Thanks for the pm tho free!

I managed to find u all phew, how we doing ladies???

20 week scan for me on Friday and despite hearing heartbeat yesterday and feeling my stoby moving a fair bit now I'm still terrified !!! ?xx

Hi, Finally on a computer oh the luxury of typing with two hands.

Iggi and Digi my heart goes out to you, why oh why do our bodies have to put the frighteners on us just when we start to feel hopeful. You guys are over-quota for unsettling signs and symptoms now so you are definitely due some reassurance. Wishing you calm (if that's possible) and thinking of you...

Ari I know what you mean about relief with the BFN, I am feeling totally torn about which way I want my test to go, I still don't know if I'm ready to begin again....I know it'll just feel like groundhog day with a mountain to climb.

I think I am 10dpo tomorrow but feeling quite confused about that because the member of Dr S's team (good though she was) didn't tell me to test 10dpo -all of the notes I picked up say take pred for a minimum of 2 weeks seeming to suggest I test at 14dpo. Also is dpo calculated including the smiley face day or are we meant to start counting the day after?

Still have back cramps, a Mr Greedy shaped tummy and fleeting moments of (probably imagined) nausea but I really don't want to waste tests by going in too early, getting BFN and wondering whether to believe it. Someone tell me whether I should test tomorrow!! Lately I'm thinking that my symptoms are probably AF at the door or even pred related, the last few days I have been getting the jitters, HUNGRY! and finding it very hard to focus on anything so it obviously is kicking in a bit now.

stogan all the best for Friday. Will be praying for good scans all round.
free thanks for the pm, was pretty straightforward to track the thread down from there. Let us know how the hydroxy treats you, I could certainly do with an appetite-ectomy these days!

Hi ladies,
Good to see you all again on here (thanks Free for the PM)! I wrote a message on the other one before losing it due to too many posts too - how annoying!

Ari - I got my AF too this morning so a mixture of relief and disappointment. I did have a few pregnancy symptoms but I am guessing it was the preds doing that. Like everyone else I was over analysing everything! I am glad in a way as I stopped the preds after 15 days and my Af was 10 days late so if I did get a BFP I would have been worried that I missed over a week on the preds.

Scooter - I was told by Mr S to not take the preds passed 14 days even though my AF was late. You should take their advice as it can mess with your cycles. They might give you different advice to me though! Normally ovulation is 24-36 hours after the smiley face so I would say count the day after. I took the preds for 15 days.

Digi and Iggi, try to remain calm (easy to say I know) as it could all be OK. One of my friends bled on and off all the way throughout her 2nd pregnancy and all was OK. Scary stuff though for us ladies who have lost so many pregnancies already.

Free - I feel the same as you as when you are not ttc you can relax and not worry. I know as soon as I get a BFP I will be obsessing and unable to think about anything else! I am already worrying about getting pregnant as just want it to happen quickly but worried it will take ages to conceive. Fed up of living in limbo! Great that the new drugs are appetite supressants!

Stogan - good luck at your scan, its great you have got to 20 weeks but you are bound to feel apprehensive.

Finally. Hi everyone. It's been a hectic day not helped by the fact I feel I am virtually haemorrhaging I am having such a heavy period! Sorry for the TMi but I am barely keeping up with all the changing and loo trips. It feels good in a way, a bit like a purge after the very light period on the WTF cycle post ERPC but also a bit weird as it makes me feel a bit weak - all psychological I am sure.

Iggi I do hope you're ok. We all know that so many women have bleeding and are fine but I know it's hard to be positive given what you've been through. I can only echo way the others have said and say go for a scan. Are thoughts are with you.

And Digi sorry to hear about your spotting. It just makes me so flippin' mad to hear that you have to go through even the tiniest bit of worrying like that, after all you (and of course all the rest of you as well) have been through. Like I said, we all know so many people who spot/bleed and have all sorts of issues like that and are fine. I do hope you can keep feeling as positive as possible.

Choc, I don't think it can do any harm taking the Pred for a few more days. I think the point where you have to taper off rather than stop is at three weeks.

Well the first Hydroxy seems to have passed without a hitch. I was really hot today and there was a plate of biscuits with me in the studio all day and I didn't feel tempted to eat one of them! I think I am going to like this appetite suppressant thingy :) especially as I only have 14 more days to go until I am back on 2mg of Pred for ovulation (and 40mg beyond of course if I get a BFP).

Hi again Sue, sorry about the AF but yes it is a weird limbo stage being quite relieved to have a period and not have to go through the pregnancy mentalling yet knowing we need to get a BFP to get to the next level and actually 'be in it to win it'. I am with you on that one. Looks like we might be cycle buddies if they stay consistent. Will you tend to ovulate around CD14? I am not sure whether mine is 14 or 18 - last time I charted was the only time and I got a BFP and a triphasic chart. I think I will start charting my temps in the next few days. Just noticing that Ari has the same cycle too! Have we done that weird thing of synching cycles even though we have never met each other in RL ? :) Oh dear, we will all be going made and checking each other over for signs next month when all TTC. Gulp.

Scooter those were all the symptoms I had when I got a BFP on the Pred. Just sayin'...I would wait a few days to test if you can though. You will only have to test again if you get a BFN as it might be too early.

Stogan really good luck with the scan! I am sure it will all be great. It is natural to mental but look how far you have got!! Our thoughts are with you too.

Hoping Kittens, Euro, Battery and anyone else we have left behind on the other thread find us soon. How many of us are there on here now?!

Pmsl at "Mr Greedy shaped tummy"! Loving that, it is totally true... My boobs seem to be joining the huge tummy this month. Could be Pred, could be pre af, could be the other... Its always different and I could go mad trying to work out why xyz is happening this month! 14dpo tomorrow so I shall test again with fmu and go from there.

I was also going to say about synchronised cycles btw, funny we are all pretty close together. The power of the Internet eh... :)

Morning all ... lol to the synchronised cycles, now wouldn't that be funny! Could we work synchronised pregnancies as well then? We could obsess and mental out together!

free I sympathise with the heavy AF, I had that for my first 'proper' AF after ERPC too. But a query for all you ladies - have any of you had pred cause the complete opposite, ie a very very light AF? I'm usually regular as clockwork with my AFs, they don't tend to vary much in length or strength, IYKWIM, but this one is completely weird, nothing like usual at all. In fact it's a barely-there AF, it's really strange, hardly anything at all, and I'm wondering if this is something pred is known to do or if something else is going on? Never experienced such a light AF, so I can only assume it was an effect of the pred but I'd be interested to hear if anyone else experienced this?

iggi and digi, how are you both doing this morning? And everyone else?

Ari - are you sure its not implantation bleeding you are having? I had that with my daughter and didnt realise I was pregnant until I was 8 weeks! Is it a pinky colour rather than dark red? Thats normally an indication.

Free - My last 2 periods after my miscarriage in July were very heavy too. I was on a hen do on the last one and leaked through my trousers which was very embarrassing!
It is weird that we have similar cycles now, would be even better if we all had successful pregnancies too! Not sure if I will be able to conceive next month though as hubby has just told me that he has to go away again almost as soon as he is back from the far east! I might have to go and buy a turkey baster!

Any news from Iggi and Digi yet????

sue mmm I'm pretty sure - implantation for my other pregnancies have always been 7DPO or 8DPO - surely implantation wouldn't be as late as 14DPO, which is what I was yesterday? Too much of a coincidence that it's the exact same day as my AF would start, surely?

I just had a bit of a consultation with my friend and yours, Dr Google, and he assures me that apparently pred can and does bugger around with AFs .. it can make them very light, very heavy, or just disappear altogether. So that's nice, just what we need, yet something else messing around with our cycles!!

Posting this on the move so sorry haven't read all the posts.
Well I had more bleeding this morning, was also badly constipated so did hope that maybe it was a different sort of bleeding!
Have just been for scan and there is still someone there - heartbeat and had grown to 21mm, which is right for my dates. I am too shaken to feel happy, but I promise I will try

Oh thank goodness iggi ... I understand your shakiness and worry, but what marvellous news that your scan was ok. Did they see any possible source of the bleeding in your scan? Or did they think it was likely coming from the constipation (I can highly recommend Lepicol capsules for that, solved the problem hugely for me when I was pregnant with DD!)?

So pleased you had a positive scan, sending good strong sticky vibes your way!!

Thank you Ari, I don't think the midwife thought my reaction was normal at all, she kept talking about booking in appt and there is NO WAY I am arranging that.

That's really annoying about you pred-altered-af cycle. I hope it's a one off (you might be pg next month anyway)

Iggi - great news so relieved.

Ari - do another test. My "af" last month was shorter than usual too though not particularly lighter and turned out to be another early mc. Best just to be sure. It could be breakthrough bleeding rather than implantation.

Mmm I do wonder sometimes whether some of these midwives have ever had children/miscarriages/problems of their own - some of them just don't seem to have a clue what some of us go through. I remember having horrendous problems breastfeeding my DD, it caused absolute agony (various reasons) and one midwife, a particularly no-nonsense down-to-earth sort, sat in my lounge one day and uttered the opinion that I should "just whack her on the breast and get on with it". Needless to say, she wasn't invited back!!!

Anyway, I understand your reluctance for the booking-in appointment (even if your midwife didn't!) ... I was very reluctant to have my last one until I'd had a scan to show me the baby was healthy and well; as it turned out for me, I had the booking-in appt and 2 days later the (private) scan that showed me my baby had died 5 days earlier. So next time (hopefully there will be a next time) I will not be having any such booking-in until I know the baby is alive and well. Even if I only "know" that for the couple of days past the scan, then worry about it again afterwards!!

Hope you're feeling a bit better now iggi, hang in there :)

choccypud Good thought, but the flow has increased some now and it's definitely dark red. I do think it's just the pred messing me around. It's amazing what we will do to our bodies, I try very hard not to think too much about what else the pred may or may not be doing!!

Hello, I've found you lot! Just back last night from France. Sorry, not really been following that closely on the thread as I've not been in the right head space so not had a chance to properly see what's going on with everyone.

Very pleased to read of your recent positive scan Iggi, especially after all the scary bleeding. I have been known to have quite bad bleeding after a bout of constipation (from tearing... Ouch !) so fingers crossed it was that. Constipation is a good sign though, as it's a very typical pregnancy symptom. I usually tend to start mentalling when the constipation stops!

Can't remember who it was who was asking about when you'd need to wean yourself of Pred, but I was categorically told by Mr S's midwife that you shouldn't take them for more than 14 days as that's the cut off point for not having to wean yourself off.

My last 2 periods have turned up 4-5 days earlier than expected so I guess that meant I can get started with TTC around 10 days earlier than I thought, I think. Mr S might put me right on that when I see him next week but hopefully not. Although, on top of all the miscarriage and bad Nuchal Scan fears I have about starting TTC again I also have the fear about getting pregnant and reaching a stage where I am not allowed to fly anymore, as I will be needing to make regular trips to France for the foreseeable future. The train journey down to where my mum lives is a long and expensive one.

Digi, amazing that you've been able to "come out" as pregnant!

I agree with Free that it's been kind of nice to not be obsessing about TTC/symptom spotting/steroid side effects for a little bit. Perfect timing for me too really. I'm not really looking forward to starting the Pred again, but needs must.

Comedy, I had no idea you had lost your son. My heart goes out to you. That must've been a terrible thing to go through. I really hope you get some good luck soon.

Hi all - couldn't find the thread last night - made me realise how important it's become seeing how everyone is doing.

Really pleased to read about your scan Iggy and that everything is ok and hope the same for you digital.

I've just got home from the clinic - went for eight week scan and intrallips and all ok! Had to stop and vomit on the M25 to celebrate!!

I love the Mr Greedy image - it's exactly how I look at the moment - would be very happy if it was all baby bump but I fear more of a constipation bump.

Thank you having kittens and welcome back.

For what it's worth I was also told that you might need to wean off if taking Pred for more than 14 days or so although I suppose we all react differently on them. The steroids also definitely delayed my periods.

Sending all good wishes to everyone.

Hooray for another good scan! You know how to celebrate in style!

Woohoo Comedy, nothing but good news today! I have to say I laughed at your comment on how you celebrated, though .. :)

Welcome back Kittens, and 'grats on the imminent TTCing. We can all panic about it together with our collective fears as and when, right? :)

Hello everyone! I found you all eventually. I am now back on line via a dongle - as still no internet (don't ask). Will have a read through the thread, nothing going on here, I am on cd6. I have stocked up this month and have pre seed, cough medicine, and my cbfm at the ready.

I think I am a sinner. Not only do I not take my meds whilst af is here (can't see the point) but when I am on the pred, I test on 10dpo and if it is negative I stop taking the tablets. I can't bear taking another 4 days for no reason. However Dp told me off today for not taking my other meds so I will take them tonight.

Hope everyone is ok xx