TTC/ pregnancy on Prednisolone or similar

[freelancegirl]

I am not sure there are enough people here to start a thread but have been chatting on one on the pregnancy boards and was wondering if I could find any fellow ttc'ers on Prednisolone or similar?

I have just received a diagnosis of very high NK cells. It was a bit of a shock actually as it turns out I have some of the highest levels - 3.79 when anything over 1.8 is considered 'very high'.

Am trawling through Dr Beer's book and Dr Google and trying to found out more. I have been recommended 25mg prednisoline steroids for two weeks starting with ovulation, increasing to 40mg if/when BFP and then Intralipids Cyclogest too. I still have 13 days until I pop my first Pred.

There now just seem like so many hurdles - actually getting pregnant being the first one. I was prepared for high NK cells as I have high thyroid antibodies but it was shocking to be in the top 5% of people treated at the clinic. I am not sure if that gives me much less of a chance of being successful.

It would be great to hear from anyone else who is undergoing treatment and of course also if you've had successful treatment.

Hi brownie ewcm stands for egg-white cervical mucus. It's when your cm is at it's most fertile - clear and stretchy and resembles egg-white.

And I have had gallons of it this week. I think I might have ovulated yesterday. That herbal stuff is amazing.

Think I'll wait for another temp rise tomorrow before starting the pred.

Hello everyone. Just to say I am lurking, and reading, but hav nothing interesting going on just now. I am still in the WTF cycle, and waiting to see Mr S in 2 weeks. Off on holiday tomorrow so will catch up when I am back xx

Good luck freelance !! xx

I am lurking and reading too battery with not much to report apart from mild cramping, leg ache and some less mild mentalling. Nothing I can do though so am trying to just relax! Have a great holiday and can't wait to hear how you get on with Mr S.

Cheerful that article is really interesting. My online obsessive research has also revealed a random article about exercise being good to help raise NK cell levels in the body. Which would make sense wouldn't it - more exercise, less illness...? Except we don't want to raise NK cells in the body, so not sure if that means I should cut out the gym. Either way I haven't been for a couple of weeks and I have still be mainlining cake like intralipids, which can't be very good for me either.

I haven't had acupuncture before properly, no, just once on a work trip. Am seeing Daniel Elliott at the London Acupuncture Clinic and (as people here might also attest!) he is meant to be very good. I am seeing him on Tues though and there's a good possibility I might have already had bad news with Mr S on Monday. But it's good to hear it's good for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy so might help!

Thank you for the lovely big post Brownie now you have proper comms! I used to get Bergen bread all the time - it was lovely! I might invest in some more now I am back on the carbs. Of course there is also a train of thought that immune problems are exacerbated by gluten but I have been eating more bread than usual at the moment so am not quite sticking to that either. Unfussy uterus scares me too. This will be my fourth pregnancy and I have always found getting pregnant quite easy, so far.

at your gallons of EWCM Digi! Hopefully that's the weird and wonderful chinese stuff getting to work.

My next few days go like this: meal out for birthday with DH on Saturday, my bday picnic with lots of friends on Sunday (working out a way how to pretend to me my usual wine-quaffing self), Mr S for the scary scan on Monday and acupuncture on Tuesday. I guess I should go along anyway - whether good news or bad on Monday.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Freelance good luck today - thinking of you x

freelance I go to the same clinic but see Cristina. I've found her to be very good. I hope your appointment goes well!

Freelance - hope your scan went well today.

Hello all. Just to let you know how the scan went today. I am a bit confused now, with no answers and just another wait for answers again really.

The doctor said he is cautiously optimistic that it is there, but couldn't see anything in the sac as it is too early. By my LMP I should have been 6.0 today. He measured the sac about 5.2/5.3 and I have to go back in 8-10 days. He also said there is of course the possibility that it is the early signs of a miscarriage, but like I said he did say he was cautiously optimistic it's just a bit earlier than I thought.

I am chatting to Digi on another thread as to whether I might have got my ovulation dates wrong, as I did have a triphasic (ie a secondary temp rise) chart. I have no idea really as it was my first month of charting. The doc also said it depends on when implantation was really. I thought I had ovulated on the 26th/27th June but Digi reckons it might have been the 30th and it could have been a stray S Without I rather than the SWI that got me there! I would like this to be the case but part of me feels this might be too good to be true. Any charters amongst you do feel free to offer an opinion!

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/35dcaf

He said he thinks it is not an ectopic which I guess is something. After the session the midwife also said the sac was a nice shape and she says that often if it is going wrong at this stage the sac looks a bit misshapen.

Dr Google tells me ?the process of traveling and implanting will take somewhere around 7 to 10 days altogether?. Maybe the dating is not an exact science then? Maybe I took longer to implant? I have no idea really. It is just a case of waiting a week or two and going back.

Freelance really hope you have had good news from your scan today, everything crossed for you.

Well i had my follow up appt with Mr S last Monday and my results were borderline for NK cell activity: 0.84 (apparently less than 0.8 is normal, 0.8-0.99 is borderline and 1-1.8 high and more than 1.8 v high). I also had a slightly high reading for Thyroid antibodies 125.3.
So i have a prescription for prednisolne. Not taking it this month though as husband away with work for crucial time. Will try next month but a bit worried about the treatment plan and scans if I do get pregnant as will not be covered by healthcare whereas miscarriage testing was.

Hope everyone else OK.

Sorry freelance x posts. Really sorry that the scan was not more conclusive, hate the waiting. Really really hope your dates are a bit out and all is OK at your next scan. x

I'm no charting expert, but that ould be an implantation dip at 9dpo on your chart? Which would put you in the latter half of the 7-10 day average. Fingers crossed all is well!

Good point Euro! If FF had me at ovulating on CD14 and that dip that looks suspiciously like an implantation dip happened on CD23 that means I am in the 9 day camp from ovulation to implantation. Can't believe I didn't notice that myself. Sitting here googling profusely....

Thanks Libby too. That's interesting about your thyroid antibodies - has any thyroid problem been mentioned before? I have been treated for thyroid problems since I was 21 so I knew all about mine. If it makes you feel better my antibodies were over 400 and my NK cells were a whopping 3.79.

Glad you were diagnosed with something though, hopefully it will be very treatable. Any questions about taking the Pred fire away! It's certainly an interesting drug. Some nights I sit here thinking - what the hell am I doing taking all this crap - but hopefully it will be worth it. Waking up early was my biggest complaint from it, that and the hunger. But I am now on 40mg and you won't be going up to that on your levels I imagine.

Cost wise it is a very scary thing. I had to pau £355 today for the first scan. Ones thereafter (presuming I need them!) will be less but still over £200.

Freelance, looking at your chart I also think there is a high chance you ovulated on 30th, mainly because of the temp shift. Also the ewcm usually starts a good few days before ov and dries up immediately afterwards. Personally I get it 3 days before my OPK stick turns positive ( which is 12 -48 hrs before ov). You show on your chart it had dried up from 30th/1st. Also you tested on what would have been 8 and 9 or 12 and 13 dpo. If it had been 8&9dpo it's unlikely you would have got a positive but 12 or 13 dpo, you would more likely have tested positive by then.

It's horrible having to wait for the next scan but you do have every reason to be positive, especially if you did ov on 30th, you'd be bang on 5wks 3 days at the scan and also the nurse saying it's a good shaped sac.

Also unless you have 28 day cycles and ov on cd 14, the accurate way to date is to add 14 days from ov. I hate the way they date from lmp as it can really be quite in accurate at this stage when every day of counting matters.

Ps those scans are not cheap! I know it's extremely difficult but if I were you I would try and wait until you think you'd be 7 weeks (based on ov on 30th). Or possibly at least 6 wks 5 days ( without a doubt you could be earlier) at the very earliest. If you went at say 6 weeks 3 days , you might see it growing but could just be a few days early to see the heartbeat, then you have another agonising wait to get to the 'seeing the heartbeat milestone' as well as the expense.

That's what Digi thinks too Charlie, that I might have actually ovulated later than I thought.

14 days from ovulation on the 30th would indeed make me bang on 5.3. I feel like am grasping at straws though! But am starting to feel a bit better too I guess. I am doing all I can anyway, I have to keep that in mind. There's nothing else that can be done.

So am thinking if arranged the appointment for Thurs 11th August rather than Thurs 4th that might be best. It would mean that if there was anything there alive I would have to have the intralipids that same day too, as it would have been four weeks to the day since my previous intralipids. If the 5.3 measurement was correct yesterday it would make Thurs 11th 7.6. So pretty sure I should see something by then. Of course part of me wants to see something before then but you are right, it is expensive and there's no point really anyway!

Thanks for all the advice, and sorry it has been a bit me, me, me. I told my DH how helpful and supportive you all were this morning and he said he hopes you will all pitch in just as much when it comes to childcare

I just posted in the wrong thread thanks to my computer crashing so I will just copy & paste what I meant to write here anyway...

Morning everyone.

Sorry to hear you haven't been able to get the reassurance you need yet freelance. Fingers crossed it's just a matter of late ovulation and implantation, as others have suggested. A few days can make a massive difference at this stage as to what can and can't be seen. I agree that it's a good idea to hold off that little bit longer for a scan if you can bear it. Especially considering the cost!

Well, I had a lovely time in France. I didn't feel the slightest inkling that I was pregnant so I just decided to carry on as normal and indulge in plenty of runny cheese, shell fish, wine etc. Just as well too, as I am still in pursuit of that damn illusive rabbit. I did a test on Sunday and it came up negative and have done another this morning with the same result. Feeling a bit fed up about it, obviously. As my OH said, conceiving quickly was, if nothing else, one thing we had on our side in the past. That doesn't seem to be so easy now.

kittens oh poo. Sorry for the bfn's, but glad you were living it up in France. Mmm runny cheese!

I was a little bit over-keen and started the pred yesterday even though I wasn't completely sure I'd ovulated on Sunday (but I felt very bloated and womb-aware). I think I actually ovulated yesterday as temp was properly up today. So despite starting ttc at the beginning of May im only 1dpo on cycle 2 of ttc on Pred. Have already had the manic attacks in the evening. Mainly throwing myself into cooking dinner and sorting out the house when I get home after work. But I've been exercising this month and I plan to continue till bfp so hopefully that will help combat the nervous energy and early waking.

I'm going to test at 12dpo and if it's a bfn I have a prescription for next month's superovulation drugs. I've also worked out when I'll need to go for the follicle tracking scan and the week that I will hopefully ovulate!

In the middle of writing a really tough report so having an MN break...

Glad you had a good time in France kittens but sorry about the BFN. Are you going to test again? Remember what happened with me. Possibly because I ovulated a few days later than I actually thought I did, which Digi kindly helped me work out when mentalling over the smaller measurement.

Sounds like you have started the Pred in time Digi but rather annoying that the side effects are kicking in already. If you have cleaned your house from top to bottom though, do feel free to come and do mine . I am living in a pigsty, doing very little exercise (am usually a gym bunny) and eating cake at least twice a day. Every day. Really, the Pred thing is a bit mad isn't it. Do you ever think about it and think - what the hell am I doing? I find myself diung that. Have you been getting palpitations? I get them quite a lot. Funnily enough I felt a bit more crazed on my last days on the 25mg than I now do on the 40mg. I find myself getting very irritated with strangers on busy London streets and trains though so must be quite short tempered.

Hoping for your BFP this month Digi but if not it's good that there is a plan in action for super ovulation.

I have scheduled an appointment with Mr S for the 11th August. It's a whole 16 days away! He is on holiday though and is pushed for appointments when he gets back. It means that I will be 7.6 by the smaller measurements on that day so hopefully will find something out. If something is there and alive I will have to have intralipids there and then or go back for them the following morning.

I had the acupuncture today and although I was feeling totally exhausted before and after, this evening I feel quite ok now. I have had some mild cramps or awareness of the uterus area this evening too. Not sure whether that's good, bad or indifferent but maybe the acupuncture working to stimulate blood to the area? Not sure.

Good luck digital. I hope it works out for you this month! I managed to bypass the manic stage this month. Possibly quashed over the weekend by the sluggishness of cheese and booze overdose!

I am pondering the idea of charting this month but haven't got a clue where to start. I can't decide what time I ought to set my alarm, as most days I don't get up before 7am but then there will be the random shoot day here and there where I have to be up somewhere between 5 and 6 am which would throw it all out wouldn't it? But then, I don't want to be setting my alarm for 5.30am whilst on the prednisolone as I suspect once I'm awake I won't go back to sleep. Also, can you do charting just by temperature alone? I don't get EWCM at all anymore, which never used to bother me as I still seemed to get pregnant at the drop of my knickers a hat regardless, but now it does concern me somewhat as it seems to be more of a struggle to conceive. Also I have very small hands and can't really check my cervical position and status particularly effectively. Any thoughts on any of this would be appreciated!

I'm really starting to feel a bit despondent at the moment. I think this is the longest period I've had of not being pregnant over the last 4 years and it feels like it's never going to happen. It's amazing to think that at the end of 2009 I had an operation on my foot and I'd said to my OH, my last X-Ray is the day before I ovulate so we have to wait until after the X-Ray and try on the day I ovulate (and that was based on estimated ovulation too, not even using OPKs) - scored a hole in one! Oh for those days....

Morning ladies,
Was up early doors this morning full of excitement that only 24 hours to go before we pick up our puppy!!!! We haven't told a soul that we are getting her as we suspect our parents won't be overly chuffed. Going to wait a few weeks while we get used her, and her to us, then just turn up one day with her :)

Sorry Kittens about the bfn. What day are you on? I have tested -ve a few times when I thought it should be +ve and then a week later surprised DH with the test. I am waiting to test next Wednesday. Yikes, can't believe we are doing this again!

Keeping things x for you for next month Digi. Hope things aren't too horrible on the Pred. A close friend of mine who is 5 years older than me has always maintained that when she tries she is sure she will have same problems as me etc. She got married 3 months ago and is now 18 wks pregnant. I am happy for her as she will make a great mummy, it just is gutting everytime I see scan pictures etc on Facebook and wonder why it has to be so bloody difficult for us. :(. She wants to meet up but am being selfish, I just can't face it at the moment.

Freelance You must be feeling completely restless and wishing the 16 days would just fly by. It is so difficult to try and carry on with normality with people around you at work are talking about minutea. Take on day at a time and if eating cake twice a day makes you feel better, go for it. I think twinges, cramping is a good thing as your uterus is busy getting ready for things. Sending you uncool MN hugs

Well, I make it 16dpo today. AF hasn't shown up yet but I tested yesterday and it was -ve, I don't feel in the slightest bit pregnant. If I were to clutch at straws then I could say I'm constipated, I drooled profusely in the night (Mmmmm) which has often been a symptom for me, and something akin to PMT yesterday, oh and a 3am wee the last 2 nights. Based on past experience I've usually felt something more obvious than that by now with a +ve. Obviously I will keep testing like a maniac if AF doesn't show up but I'm resigning myself to a -ve in the meantime. If I do get a +ve, I'm rather nervous about all the days I'm not taking prednisolone though.

freelance, good on you for waiting. I know it's going to drive you up the wall. I hope you're nice and busy at least to try and preoccupy you some of the time. It's definitely at times like this that I think evolution should've provided women with a small window in our lower abdomen! Anyway, we all have everything crossed (apart from legs, as that would be counterproductive) for you.

kittens 16dpo is quite long for you isn't it? I think it's really unlikely that you'd be getting false negatives at 16dpo. I think it's much more likely that you ovulated later than you thought. (Clearly this is my diagnosis for everyone ). I think if this is the case, then temping may help remove the ambiguity. You'd need to do it for a couple of cycles to understand where your pre-ov and post-ov temp ranges are. I've been charting my temps for over a year now and I still get confused around ovulation time! But I think this is because I have pcos and so my hormones fluctuate quite a lot compared to a non pcos charter.
If you sign up to fertilityfriend there is a course you can read through. I think there's even a way to read in between different waking times - where you can adjust your temperature to account for that.
Also - if you're not getting ewcm anymore have you tried using something like Pre-Seed? I've never used it myself (with my long cycles we would run out of it before ovulation) but have heard lots of positive stories on MN.

brownie very exciting about the puppy! What is it youre getting again? We often look after my Dsis's dog which is a chug (chihuahua/pug cross) and he keeps us very entertained.

free glad to hear Daniel made you feel reassured. Are you going to see him fortnightly for the first trimester? That's his usual treatment program. Although last time I was pg he suggested weekly as he knew my history. I think it's his way of offering some reassurance and helping to reduce anxiety.

As for me - 2po here

I am with Digi on this one about getting false negatives on 16DPO and feel she is right in thinking you too might have ovulated later than you thought. I would tell you all about temping as I really got into it but it seems I might have been wrong about my ovulation dates too so I just managed to get lucky! I completely understand your frustration with having previously got pregnant easily now finding it difficult. All I can say is, from the other side of that coin, the mentalling really starts about whether you can keep it or not! I am not very optimistic that this is going to work.

I am going to be seeing the acupuncturist every week at the moment. Hope it helps!

Very excited too about Brownie Puppy! How cute! I know exactly what you mean about friends having babies though. It's really hard. No-one wants to be the one 'having problems'.

Yay for the puppy!

kittens you can chart based on temps alone, but FF does prefer to have CM, OPKs or cervical position to cross check against. If you have a clear temp rise post ov, it'll still show when you ovulated. This is what it has done for me this cycle (chart below). This month I had some EWCM and then it dried up (I think because I had a cold - any kind of minor fever often makes it disappear) so FF is noting that it has nothing to cross check against this month but it is pretty obvious from the temps when I oved.

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/343af6

Gawd knows! My first day after two positive OPKs was 11 July. I am on CD 30 today I think. My last period was so scant that I don't know whether I'm counting from 27 or 28th of July due to the normal laws of not counting on the first spotting day. I usually ovulate around day 14-16 and my cycle averages 28 days but can go a couple of days either way I think. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens but like you say, 16dpo is a bit long to get a false negative. I have some twinges so maybe she's on her way. Mind you, I had some quite strong twinges about a week ago too. That's also not unusual for me.

I will have a read on Fertility Friend and see what it says. I don't have a basal thermometer yet though, only a digital one. I've never considered charting before due to the fact that I've got pregnant so quickly in the past that I can't really get much of a history. Maybe I'll see how I go with the normal thermometer for now just as a practice run.

A normal thermometer should give you a basic idea but you can get basal ones for about 3-4 quid on amazon and ebay.