Immune/NK issues - aka Pred Thread no. 22!

Thank you @DaniMERL How are you getting on? Am I right in thinking that you previously didn’t take the pred from ovulation and suffered a loss? Did you find it took longer to conceive on the pred or not really?
Congratulations, I’m so pleased for you 😊

@wishing5tar sorry to hear about the negative but onwards and upwards for next month! Let us know what Mr S says when you see him.

I use the clear blue monitor to track ovulation which I find really good. I also use the cheapy sticks in the vital few days.

@Anatrina absolutely! We did lots of research before deciding that we wanted to see Mr S so putting my trust in his plan ☺️

@DaniMERL thank you & huge congratulations 😍 how far along are you now? Have you started weaning off the pred?

Negative test for me yesterday so this month wasn’t meant to be 😏 Enjoying a break from the meds & I’ll start a fresh next month 🤞🏽

How does everyone track ovulation? I usually use the cheapy sticks but I really don’t like dehydrating myself in the afternoon to test after work. I’ve seen a few adverts for the bracelets that you wear while asleep and didn’t know if anyone had any thoughts or had tried them?

Just seen the above posts. I would absolutely take the pred from ovulation as instructed. It’s the one thing that Mr S is adamant on and it’s one of the things that makes his treatment different to others who treat. He truly believes that this is where the difference is made, this early on (before implantation).
Good luck all xxxx

@Wishing5tar haha no worries!
Yea I guess it makes no sense to pay the money for all the tests and then not do what he says!

@Anatrina sorry the post wouldn’t send and now it’s gone 3 times 🙈😂

@Anatrina I had a normal amount of thyroid antibodies but the were more aggressive than they’re supposed to be. I also had a normal amount of NK cells but again the activation marker was higher than it’s supposed to be (I think that’s what my results mean anyway haha it’s so overwhelming when he goes through everything isn’t it 🙈)

Yeah I’ve been taking the pred since ovulation. I know people have mixed views on when to take it from but I like the fact that he’s taken over control of the situation and said do this, follow that etc. and it’s taken the thinking away from me if that makes sense?

@Anatrina I had a normal amount of thyroid antibodies but the were more aggressive than they’re supposed to be. I also had a normal amount of NK cells but again the activation marker was higher than it’s supposed to be (I think that’s what my results mean anyway haha it’s so overwhelming when he goes through everything isn’t it 🙈)

Yeah I’ve been taking the pred since ovulation. I know people have mixed views on when to take it from but I like the fact that he’s taken over control of the situation and said do this, follow that etc. and it’s taken the thinking away from me if that makes sense?

@Anatrina I had a normal amount of thyroid antibodies but the were more aggressive than they’re supposed to be. I also had a normal amount of NK cells but again the activation marker was higher than it’s supposed to be (I think that’s what my results mean anyway haha it’s so overwhelming when he goes through everything isn’t it)

Yeah I’ve been taking the pred since ovulation. I know people have mixed views on when to take it from but I like the fact that he’s taken over control of the situation and said do this, follow that etc. and it’s taken the thinking away from me if that makes sense?

Hi @Wishing5tar sorry to hear about your losses too. What were your results from Mr S?

I haven’t started the plan yet as my results appointment with Mr S was a few days after ovulation and so now I have to wait a couple of weeks for next ovulation. I’m in such a quandary about when to start the pred. Have you been taking it from ovulation?

Hey ladies, do you mind if I join?

I’ve been reading this thread for a little while now and finally built up the courage to post It’s great to see so many success stories as we all find ourselves on this rollercoaster of journey!

I’ve had 3 miscarriages, all between 6-7 weeks and we’ve never seen anything on a scan (always been told my HCG levels were low) - I don’t really know if that’s a blessing or a curse but at times it’s certainly felt like I’ve been imagining the whole thing

Maybe TMI but every time I’ve had a positive pregnancy test I’ve always had a period like bleed, at the exact time my period is due. Like the first time we ever fell, I only noticed something was different when the next month the ovulation test came up positive straight away and I was totally convinced I’d just had my period 10 days earlier. I don’t know if anyone has experienced anything similar? I must remember to bring it up with Mr S next time we see him to get his view on why/ is it normal

During the ridiculously long referral window to the recurrent miscarriage clinic on the NHS, we decided to book an appointment to see Mr S privately. I had all the blood tests done that he recommended and my husband had the sperm comet test done. Mr S started me on the high treatment plan of multivitamins, aspirin, pred & cyclogest.

I’m just about to finish month 2 of the treatment & we’re due to see Mr S later this month to get a refill on my meds. So far they seem to be going okay. I find falling asleep difficult and struggle to wake up for work, and my appetite is definitely bigger but no other major side effects.

Hi @Anatrina. So sorry to hear about your losses - have you started your treatment plan yet?

Hi hopeful. Can I ask how mr s asks you to take Gcsf? When does it start and how long for.
I had had 6 mc and then had my son worked on a similar plan and now trying for no 2 :)

Hi everyone

Hope you don’t me posting but I spent yesterday morning reading through the entire threat. It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s different stories and so great to hear the successes!

I have had 3 losses. 2 chemicals and one missed miscarriage found at 8 weeks. I had my results from Mr S last week which were all normal apart from testing positive for the mthfr gene. He’s put me on the high treatment plan anyway as I said I wanted to do everything possible. So that is extra folic acid, baby aspirin, all the vits, plus progesterone, prednisolone and thyroxine for slightly high thyroid. Then intralipids at 4 and 8 weeks. Has anyone else had success with the plan and normal results?

Also, slightly wary about the prednisolone and people saying it takes longer to conceive 😬

Good luck to everyone x

@ginandtonicformeplease I was told it takes 8 weeks for the karyotype test results. I don’t think there’s any rushing it as that’s probably how long it takes for them to “grow” what they need to or whatever they do.

@ginandtonicformeplease good to hear from you again. I quite like the clinic (I'm at zita west; not sure if you knew that). I've switched; used to be somewhere else but they didn't really do anything about NK cells etc. It's good to be in one place where they can (hopefully!) get me pregnant and keep me pregnant. The protocol is largely similar to Mr S's.

Good luck to you and well done on the healthy eating x

It's been a while since I posted - glad everyone is doing well. I'm still on my weight loss kick, and it's slowly coming off. I'm really hopeful that I can get my BMI down towards the good range for the next time we do a FET.

I had a load of blood tests this morning to check for all the different autoimmune disorders, and karyotype testing too. I forgot to ask the dr how long they take to come back - the phlebotomist said the karyotype takes the longest, but didn't know how long. Has anyone else had that test done? I'm private, not NHS. Apparently the turn around for some of the tests is 2-3 hours, which is pretty amazing!

At the moment we're looking at FET in August I think, depending on the results of the tests of course. I'm going to try and book in with the consultant for the end of June, and then if we haven't got the results postponing it.

@KittyKatSmile How are you finding the clinic? I've been on some of the IVF threads where people are unhappy with their clinics and changing after a failed round, but that's never crossed my mind as I do like it!

@DaniMERL congrats, so happy for u!! Feeling more confident that hCQ ll do the trick for me too..
@Lau2019 yes its always hard to decide about these early scans..but i m bit impatient everytime and wanted to know whats going on, so had it around 6 weeks in each of my pregnancies..

@lau2019 I had similar issues and didn’t want to pay a fortune to not even see Mr S. I just told them I was away in the end and had some scans at EPU but also would have paid for a local private scan if that hadn’t been possible. At least I could save a bit of money! So the first time I saw him was the 8 week scan when I was nearly 9 weeks and had to have intralipids then so felt more worthwhile.

@Hopeful07- thanks for sharing. It’s sound like Mr S hypothesis is a good one and good (not good but u know what I mean) that you were able to find out that it was chromosomally ok. The heartbeat thing is so hard we have had 3 pregnancies with heartbeats at 6 weeks and 2 of the ones we didn’t, were because we chose not to have 6 week scans. Mr S is not available much these next few weeks and I am away for a few days so he can’t fit me in until 8 weeks for a scan so deciding whether to get a scan at 7 weeks at my nhs clinic just to see what is going on in there.....

Hi all,

Back again. I remember some of you from a while back. I've just had my fourth loss and have had my results from Dr S. My NK count is normal but my activation marker is high. I'm starting the Hydroxy but as it takes 8 weeks to kick in, I'm going to try this cycle on Prednisolone.

I'm also having Fragmin, Aspirin, Cyclogest and the pre-natals, plus 5mg folate cos I have the MTHFR mutation.

Cycle not back since last MC but hoping to TTC in the next few weeks!

So happy to see this thread continuing, it's been a lifeline!

@kittykatsmile thank you :)
Good luck with your next step xx

@DaniMERL hurrah! So happy for you! You've come so far! Update from me: I'm full of drugs and waiting for egg collection and then embryo transfer (hopefully!) I'm already on the intralipids in line with the protocol at my IVF clinic.

How is everyone else doing?

Hi all,
I had a scan with Mr S today and am measuring 11+1. This is on the pred and hydroxy. All looking good x

@Lau2019 yes the miscarriage was almost same as the previous ones, didnt get past the 7 week mark but saw a heartbeat. That said once i had the same in one of my previous pregnancies miscarried with the heartbeat..And this one is a chromosomally normal one. So Mr.S has put down all to immunes. Jus praying the hCQ works out for me..

@hopeful07 thanks for your message. So sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. It’s such a slog isn’t it. Fingers crossed the extra potions make the difference.

Mine all follow a really similar pattern so can I ask was the m/c on the plan exactly the same or was it different? Did u get to find out the cause (eg if it was a chromosomally normal baby)? sending lots positivity x

@HarrietM87 Congratulations, thats a wonderful news.. very glad to hear a positive story.
@Lau2019 congratulations to you too..Fingers crossed.. hope all goes well..i m almost same as u, saw Mr.S after 6 miscarriages..Unfortunately failed on his complex plan, so taking hCQ and g-csf this time..