TTC/ pregnancy on Prednisolone or similar part 3

[freelancegirl]

For those who are TTC/pregnant undergoing immunotherapy treatment. Current list as it stands, do feel free to come and join us, it's moving quickly round here!:

Tuesday 22nd November

TTC
Waiting to test
Snoopygirl - V High NKC TTC, will be Ist try with Pred, Intralipids on bfp Testing from 21/11
Havingkittens - Upgraded from High to V High NKC TTC #1 after 2 month break/testing 29 Nov -2 Dec depending on my resolve.
Waiting to ovulate
coleyoz - V High NKC. TTC #2 - ov 3 Dec (Pred and Intralipids at BFP)
duggs1976 - High/V High NKC - TTC #1 - Superovulation cycle1
batteryhen - High activation NKC, factor v leiden. TTC#1
Suemays - V High NKC TTC/ov 30th Oct. TTC#2.
Cherrycheeks - V high NKC, TTC#2/ ov 25th-26th Nov/ 4th cycle of pred
pureequeen - High NKC TTC #2 again from November (BFP cycle one but mc)
eurochick - TTC#1 awaiting first appointment (in Nov)/ov expected 28-30 Nov.
BFPSeeker

BFP
2nd Trimester
Stogan - V high NKC - BFP 9/7/11 cycle#2- 24+3 Due 10/03/12 next scan 30/12
Digitalgirl - High NKC - BFP cycle#2 -19+1 Due 16/04/12 anomaly scan 23/11
Coconutfeet - V High NKC, Factor II gene mutation, underactive thyroid - BFP pre-pred, started at 6 weeks ? 16+1 next scan 14/12
Comedy - V High NKC - BFP cycle#2 - 13+3 due 26/5/12 next scan 12/12
Iggi - High NKC & Hypothyroidism - BFP cycle#2 - 12+6 anomaly scan Jan

1st Trimester
BrownieGecko - High NKC, Hypothyroidism, & Glucose Intolerant. BFP on cycle 3 of Clomid - 11+4 next scan 28/11
Scooterchaser - V High NKC - BFP cycle1 - 8+1 Due 01/07/12. Scan 25/11
Freelance - V High NKC TTC#1 Hydroxchloroquine, Pred, Intralipids. Thyroid/hashimotos. MC 1st cycle. LMP18/10 - 4+6 - Scan 3/12
Arianhod - V High NKC, MTHFR homo, hypothyroid, TTC#2 BFP 2nd pred cycle LMP19/10. 4+5 Scan 7/12
Cheerfulcharlie - V High NKC, MTHFR/TTC 1/ (metformin, intralipids, no pred). LMP17/10(Ov'd 3rd Nov) 4+5 Scan 6/12.
ChoccyPud - V High NKC / TTC #1 BFP 4th Pred cycle LMP20/10 4+4. Scan 3/12.

Right think I've caught up with this morning's conversations!

duggs I think the mooncup has worked for some, but personally I would bother doing anything more than maybe stay lying down for 15-20 minutes afterwards. The ones that fall out are falling out because they're not good enough - you only want the strong ones to survive! I've previously got pg after having sex in the morning, then getting up and going for a 30 min run.
My only other tip - have lots of sex. And make sure you've definitely definitely ovulated before stopping. For me, this is checking my temperature has risen and that my cervix has closed.

free I think it's worth booking in after the 9 week scan and getting a nuchal booked in. Given your history a mw will most likely call you up pretty soon and see you within a week and then ensure your dating scan is booked in good time to do the nuchal test. If anything, god forbid, should go wrong after your booking in then you can get your DH to call the MW and let her know so she can cancel any appointments for you.
I also think it's worth moving the Mr S scan to the week after your St Mary's scan. If anything shows up that is worrying in the St Mary's scan you can always contact Louise and I'm sure she'll book you in for an emergency one with Mr S.
Pleased to hear your IVF friend has been given a diagnosis and encouraged to give ttc a go on super ov. Please keep up posted on that as I'm really keen to hear if this works.

coley I consider myself a bit of an 'irregular cycle' expert - having suffered many years. Obviously the pred has affected your cycle...but I can guarantee that it can't have delayed your AF by more than a few days as the luteal phase (time between ovulation and AF) is never longer than 16 days but usually 13-14 days. Being a week late gives us the following options:

1. you ovulated at least a week later than you thought and if you weren't having sex then your AF should show up shortly.
2. you ovulated at least a week later than you thought and were still having sex so it's possible you're pregnant and should get a BFP shortly.
3. you didn't ovulate at all and your body is either going to have a withdrawal bleed before attempting to ovulate - or will skip straight to attempting to ovulate now you're off the pred.
4. (and this is the most unlikely but I thought I should mention it) The only time the luteal phase is extended beyond 16 days is if you have an ovarian cyst - which can confuse your ovaries to keep producing progesterone (which stops your AF from coming). Either way, if you want to know what's going on I think you should be doing both opks and hpts from now on until you either ovulate, get a bfp or AF comes. The more expensive option is to have a scan and see what's going on (but even these can be confusing for even experienced sonographers).

battery yay for darker line! And yay for newborn baby snuggles. Have also heard it's considered lucky to snuggle newborns. Will be lurking for second hcg results...fingers tightly tightly crossed.

Oh my, I really should hit Refresh before posting ... so many more messages that I hadn't read before I posted my quick update!

kittens I so feel for you ... how on earth are you going through what you are, and yet still manage to be so funny? :) I was in fits with your description of sperm lossage and fitting the softcup ... I confess like duggs I had visions of having to insert the thing with a chopstick. Mind you, sounds like it comes with something just like that!

From the little I read around on superov it seemed people were saying they got pregnant within 6 months, not that it took 6 months, so breathe out all you ladies looking to do superov and panicking!

kittens don't beat yourself up about not spending as much time as you would have liked with your mum in times gone by. Someone once said something to the effect of "try never to have regrets, they don't help with the present or the future" - in other words, beating yourself up about what has passed can only hurt you and just isn't worth it. All you can do is live for now, deal with what you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, and live as good a life as you can do right now - what's gone is gone, try to leave it in the past if possible. You do need to find a way to de-stress, of course you do, especially with the load you're carrying - but you know, sometimes we just have to run with the stress and deal with it as best we can at the time. Sometimes that's all we can do, right? I think you're an amazing woman, juggling all the balls that you are - any one of which would bring someone not as fabulous as you to their knees, I would say - and still remaining bright, witty and articulate. Yay you! :)

battery so pleased to hear of your darker line, and hope they give you your hCG results soon so you can relax on that front. This early pregnancy lark is a bugger for stress as it is!

free Just a thought - even if you book in somewhere, you can always switch later to a different hospital if you want. I did that with DD; I was booked into one hospital, had my first scan there, then because of something that happened I switched to another hospital. No problems, records just got transferred over from the first to the second hospital.

Ooh that's interesting free, wonder why they're saying I have to be on it for so long before TTCing then? Cumulative effect maybe? I did a quick bit of research, interesting that it seems to be not only an immunosuppressant but also helps prevent blood clots in women, which is of extra interest to me because of the MTHFR. I admit to being a little concerned that in the States, those with MTHFR are put onto Clexane for the blood thinning, whereas I'm just on aspirin, so anything that helps with this as well is welcome by me!

Also interesting to hear about the appetite suppressant effect ... I don't tend to have much of an appetite anyway, but I'm thinking anything that helps get the pred-induced weight off is a good thing! I had bought a really nice slinky dress for my work Christmas do (last night) but when I tried it on, the pred tummy just made me look awful, so I didn't wear it :( I've never been this blobby in my life, I feel like Mr Blobby's older sister! But without the pink and yellow colouring, of course.

Bugger, meant to say, so pleased your friend has had a result with Mr S free, and even more so if she can avoid IVF - that's got to be a good thing for her? Would love to know how she gets on, if she wouldn't mind you keeping us up-to-date?

Thanks sue. I think the overall stats are 80% within a year (without superovulation) so that is some improvement. But I am already in the minority who don't manage it in that timeframe. I just feel like now we have a possible reason for not getting pg and I'm on the treatment (plus superov), I want it to happen right now. And of course, the dr mentioned that the hospital he referred us to for IVF had around a 4 month waiting list. I desperately want something to work before IVF.

duggs they sell mooncups in Boots, usually by the tampons. Getting it in takes a bit of practice (if you struggle try some conception-friendly lube to help). I haven't found that I have had to cut the stem off but I know a lot of people do. I'm quite tall and find the stem helps with, er, retrieval.

free I'm in a similar area as you know and don't want to think about giving birth in any of the local hospitals. Hospitals freak me out anyway and I had always planned to use the private midwife only unit that was next to St George's, but it closed earlier this year. I would consider a home birth but if I do that I don't think my paediatrician friend would ever talk to me again. Of course, she only ever attends births where there is a problem so I think her view of the world is rather skewed by that but it does concern me that we wouldn't be right next door to a hospital like the midwife unit was. The best option in our area (in my view) is probably the new midwife-led unit at Lewisham but it is within a hospital (and not the nicest hospital at that) so I have reservations. I am overthinking though as I am not even pg!

Duggs - I see Kittens has answered your question. I've got a couple of Softcups I could post to you tomorrow if you PM me your address, but I have a feeling that might be too late for your timing this month?

Kittens - Sorry to hear about your mum's awful night. I bet she will be glad to get home today.

Battery - Really glad to hear the line was darker today.

Just amending the list as my date was slightly out.

Thursday 15th Dec

BFP
3rd Trimester
Stogan - V high NKC - BFP 9/7/11 cycle#2- 27+5 Due 10/03/12 next scan 30/12

2nd Trimester
Digitalgirl - High NKC - BFP cycle#2 22+3 Due 16/04/12 MW appt 25/01
Coconutfeet - V High NKC, Factor II gene mutation, underactive thyroid - BFP pre-pred, started at 6 weeks 19+4
Comedy - V High NKC - BFP cycle#2 ? 16+5 due 26/5/12 next scan ?
Iggi - High NKC & Hypothyroidism - BFP cycle#2 - 16+0 anomaly scan Jan
BrownieGecko - High NKC, Hypothyroidism, & Glucose Intolerant. BFP on cycle 3 of Clomid - 14+5 next scan?

1st Trimester
Freelance - V High NKC TTC#1 Hydroxchloroquine, Pred, Intralipids. Thyroid/hashimotos. MC 1st cycle. BFP#1 8.2 Scan 23/12
Cheerfulcharlie - V High NKC, MTHFR/TTC 1/ (metformin, intralipids, no pred). LMP17/10(Ov'd 3rd Nov) 8+0 Scan 12 weeks
batteryhen - High NKC, factor v leiden. TTC#1 BFP cycle?. 4+4

TTC
Waiting to test
Cherrycheeks - V high NKC, TTC#2/ ov 25th-26th Nov 4th cycle of pred
coleyoz - V High NKC. TTC #2 - Test 12 Dec
Snoopygirl - V High NKC TTC, #2, testing 17th Dec
Havingkittens - Upgraded from High to V High NKC TTC #1, testing 26/12
duggs1976 - High/V High NKC - TTC #1 - Superovulation cycle2

Waiting to ovulate
Suemays - V High NKC TTC#2.
buster76 - V High NKC, Factor V Leiden.
eurochick - High NKC, superovuation cycle 1, pred cycle 1

WTTC
Hopefulfor2nd - High NKC TTC in New Year
PQ77 - V High NKC TTC #2 again from January (BFP cycle one but mc)
ScooterChaser - V High NKC - TTC#2
ChoccyPud - V High NKC - (chem pg cycle 2 of pred (only found afterwards), mc @c.5 wks cycle 4 of Pred, confirmed @6wk scan) TTC#1, review w/Dr S 14 Jan.
Arianhod - V High NKC, MTHFR homo, hypothyroid, TTC#2
Lemonsherbet - awaiting results
Breezyweezy - V High NKC - TTC#1 from January

Adding Choccy into the NK Cell list:

NK Cell Count List

Name/absolute count :
1 Cheerful 473 and 2.11
2 eurochick 412 and 0.92
3 Suemays 334.3 and 1.9
4 Arianhod 322 and 1.83
5 Buster 272 and 4.11
6 ChoccyPud 247.1 and 2.11
7 scooter 200 and 2.7
8 Duggs 165 and 1.79
9 ColeyOz 132 and 2.40
10 Coconutfeet 130 and 3.32

Name/activation :
1 Buster 272 and 4.11
2 Freelance 3.79 (no other figure at this time)
3 Coconutfeet 130 and 3.32
4 scooter 200 and 2.7
5 ColeyOz 132 and 2.40
6 Cheerful 473 and 2.11
7 ChoccyPud 247.1 and 2.11
8 Suemays 334.3 and 1.9
9 Arianhod 322 and 1.83
10 Duggs 165 and 1.79
11 eurochick 412 and 0.92

Great news Battery that its stronger today - that's a great sign! Fingers crossed for bloods

Thanks for your advice digi - I think its either option 3 or 4 to be honest. I was temping and got a positive OPK at 14 dpo and temps rose so don't think I ovulated later but it is possible. I will take an OPK test and see what it says.

Can you feel an ovarian cyst? I've had a niggling cramp on my left side for the past week or two which I thought may have been implantation but obviously not. Is there anything to worry about here?

Just got back from A&E with my daughter after an extremely heavy glass top of a coffee table fell on her foot at a friend's house this morning. It was x-rayed and nothing broken - apparently they don't have many bones in their toes at 20 months - mainly cartilage which is good. It was funny having the radiology lady telling me she needed to keep her foot still - not possible at this age but we got there! Big blood blister and black/blue but she seems ok:)

Hmmmmmmmmmm. HCG 85. Not a good sign. Its so frustrating being in limbo!

Poor mini-ColeyOz. i'm glad no major damage was done.

Someone was wondering about the interplay of total count and activation. I have been musing on this since I got my results on Monday. I wonder if it works like this: think of a protest. If you have 10,000 people but they are marching quietly and not causing any trouble, that is fine. If you have 500 people but they are very active and up for a riot that is a problem. So I guess you look at both numbers to work out how many potential troublemakers there are and then look at how active they are being to see whether they need policing. So need to look at the total level of NK cells and how active they are being to get an idea of how they might cause trouble for an embryo. That might be completely off but if would fit with Mr S's focus on those two results on a whole page of test results.

Oh battery, so sorry you're still in limbo on this. What have they suggested, re-test in 48 hours? It's rubbish being stuck on this, I know, you have my huge sympathies!

euro Mmm That's a great analogy! I did wonder though, if having more (but less aggressive) cells could cause almost as much trouble as less, more aggressive ones. Kind of if your 10,000 were mild amounts of trouble but because there's more of them, they can form a more effective attack plan than their lesser-numbered, but more argumentative brothers. Don't know, just wondered.

Poor wee-coley, that's got to have hurt! Glad there's no longer-term damage, but poor thing, not nice!

battery but they have risen so not totally hopeless. What did Louise say? grrr bring back the ignorant 1970's when u only saw a dr after 2 missed periods!!!

Like the protest analogy. Once the list is a bit more complete we can position people and add up the total - ive done it already and many of us are around same number because of high one reading and lower another. The successfully pregnant people can be beacons of hope.

Again - my weekly disclaimer - means nowt much in real world but in cocoon world helps give us a comparison and some hope!!!

I've just tested after thinking I'm not pregnant for the past week and not taking pred and I've got a strong BFP! Oh dear - time to get in those intralipids and start pred again tomorrow! Really scared.

Battery - I hope you get some answers soon.

Hey ladies, so sorry I haven't been on for ages been sooooo busy working trying to get everything finished before I leave next Friday woo hoo !!!

In answer to scooters question, no we don't know if were team pink or blue as DH didn't want to know and free I love the idea of the babys sex being a flavour, so much cuter than saying boy or girl !!

Well a huge hello and irrational pregnant woman mega sob from the third trimester !!! I can't quite believe this is happening to me Mr S is my god and, although I still can't believe that this is going to happen, I have got this far after saying goodbye to 4 angel babies so anything Mr S says is priceless to me.

3rd tri is providing me with stupid amounts of tears and crying fits but Christmas eve also brings the memory of my first MMC at the 12 week scan 3 years ago so this is such an emotional time for me. Hopefully this year will change that and although I'll never forget I can remember my baby while I feel my little one inside me and it brings me so much comfort, a comfort all of you ladies will hopefully feel soon too, no one deserves it more than us ladies.

Sorry for getting all emotional that's just me at the mo, u all have it to come !!!!!

Hope everyone is well xxx

Woohoo Coley, that's fabulous news!!! Get taking that pred!

MASSIVE congrats coley woo hoo !!! X

Coley wow! I was going to suggest you test this morning, but i thought that was too obvious so i held back! Ha ha. Well done girl! If you're scared about the intralipids, don't be. Honestly I am a bit of a wuss and i found them absolutely fine, just a bit boring really.

battery how annoying with your HCG numbers. If you do loads of googling it seems like a lot of references say that 85% of women have numbers that double within 48 hours. I could never ever find anything that mentions the other 15%. What have St m suggested?

kittens you made me laugh with the lodger / cat pushing open loo door scenario!

ari interesting you are being put on the same meds as free. So do you take the pred as well as this new one or is it a substitute?

Loving these references to our NK Cells as protesters! I like to think of the non activated ones as totally useless protestors who are just there for a day out, especially as mine are particularly high!

I have to admit I do not believe in getting too hung up on our exact numbers. From what i have read the immune system is a very dynamic system and changes from month to month. Our tests were all a snapshot in time. I also still can't quite get an answer or my head round one thing and that's that the NK cells that do the killing of fetuses are not the ones that are measured in our blood. So why are the levels of the NK cells in our blood relevant? I had an ear infection when i had my test so would that not mean i had more NK cells in my blood at that time?

Actually i am not too hung up on it as I believe that currently the medical world might not necessarily be able to explain exactly why certain treatments work, but they definitely do have evidence that they DO work in many instances, and that is the main thing.

I did ask Dr S why he didn't measure the NK cells in the uterus and he said something along the lines of it's very difficult to test because the uterus is very bloody and you can just end up getting blood rather than uterine lining and the blood would just be the same blood taken from our arms so it is much easier to take sample of blood in the normal way.

Nice one coley a Christmas BFP!! Know it is scary but you are now 'in it to win it' and that's the first step. Impressed with digi and cheerful for their suspicions, I can't even keep abreast of my own cycle, let alone the rest of the thread! Hope DD is feeling better, that table sounds horribly heavy and she must have had a big shock, TLC to coley junior x

euro great analogy for the NK numbers, are you a teacher by any chance, anyway you have a real talent for making complicated things seem straightforward. I now have some visuals of the NK rioters having gathered in 'womb square' and being taken on by the Pred Police and their reinforcements Team Intralipids. And a lot of hopeful news this week, so looks like the goodies are winning and the rioters slinking off to attack colds and normal things, hurrah :)

stogan wonderful to have a real life wonderful emotional pioneering third trimmer in our midst!! Mc anniversaries are so hard and many of us have difficult Christmasses/memories of Christmas to contend with at the moment so you're not alone. I honestly don't know if it's harder to be pregnant or not this year.... all so blooming poignant and emotional either way!! Anyway, hope your little twirling success inside continues to bring you comfort and joy this season x

battery still rooting for you, so tough to have to wait around for figures. A darker line and the latest result is in the right direction at least, but really hoping for some clearer reassurance with the next reading for you. Limbo must be so maddening.

kittens what a nightmare night for your mum, as if she needed a fall on top of everything else!! Hoping she is comfortable now and over the shock of it all. Glad to hear she is able to go home. Agree with Ari how inspiring you are in managing to still be hilarious (and informative!) with your swi stories with everything that is being thrown at you at the moment. Tough cookie is an understatement.

free hooray a hydroxy buddy for you! Ari is this on the basis that your levels are particularly high or on the basis that the treatment plan as it stands didn't work? Wonder if he's going to try throwing this one at me and choccy too.

Sorry if I've missed people today, thread went at full pelt earlier and I've been struggling to keep up using the phone!

Tricky day for me, another family birthday to be on form for. 'Get through it, leave early' is my new mantra (was pretty overtly miserable
throughout but turning up was all I was aiming for really, can't have it all!) Will be booking flights to Caribbean for early Jan tomorrow morning, a little chink of light in the NY to get me through all this Christmas shenanigans!! Hoping to tank myself up on Vitamin D ready for the 2012 bandwagon :)

scooter well done you for getting through today. Roll on that Carribbean holiday, it will be fabulous!!

Truthfully I'm not entirely sure as to the exact reason Mr S is putting me on the hydroxy although Louise did say maybe because of the very high level of cells (and the fact they're so much higher than they were previously). He did mention when I saw him for my scan taking the 'throw everything we can at it' approach which I'm all in favour of. Perhaps it's a combination of the two. Will be asking more when I see him on the 4th but right now I'm happy to try it.

coley congratulations! It was door number 2 afterall!

battery sorry you're still in limbo chook. Are you having another test on Saturday?

coley that is fab news :
duggs I did email Louise too - she said they have risen so not too bad, do another on saturday and let her know. She said that in some early pregnancies they only rise by 20%.
digi Yes I am going to the epau on saturday to have them done. I may bring my scan forward to next week - I am worried about ectopic so will have to keep my wits about me xx

Sorry not to name check, am fairly exhausted, but I am reading all your posts too xx

coley - was meant to be a :) !

Fab news for Coley! It's that first crucial step! Don't worry too much about the break in Pred, it will still be in your system and you can get right on the case with the intralipids. The left side niggling is probably the corpeus luteum. I had quite a lot of that at first too.

Hurrah! Another BFP. And so the mentalling begins for you too. We are here for hand holding.

Stogan so glad you are feeling so positive, if emotional, about things. May we all follow in your footsteps!

Scooter a holiday is exactly what you need. Go soak up some sun and rest your no doubt weary bones. Take lots of books (assuming people with kids still get the time!) and switch off for a lovely break. Gosh I can almost feel the sun on my face just thinking about it.

Battery glad your levels are going in the right direction. Still very stressful for you I realise.

I think those are some wise words from Cheerful about trying not to get too hung up on NK cells counts and numbers. Especially about the medical world not necessarily being able to explain exactly why certain treatments work. In my more optimistic moments I feel the same. It was something that did bother me, being that my count was so high. But we have to have a little faith sometimes I guess. Not always easy though. Especially when I have had the odd mild cramp this evening! Keep waiting for it to turn into something hideous but so far it has just gone away. I haven't been to the loo now since Monday's issues so I guess that is becoming a problem again

DH has gone to that dinner tonight (the one I was umming and ahing about a few weeks ago) and I have stayed in, happily in comfy clothes and getting some work done. I am quite happy not to be out in the cold and dark at the moment and having to put a fake face on things. Brighton for the weekend tomorrow but it will be calm with daytime activities not evening ones! Still mentalling that things are going wrong, but there's nothing to be done except clock-watch, knicker-watch and get on with things.

Brilliant news coley. I did have my suspicions. It was you who was wondering about pred making your AF late wasn't it? Congratulations!

digi you make a good point about the mooncup theory. It's something that had crossed my mind before actually but I wasn't sure if the 20 minute window of legs in the air was enough. I may lay off the mooncup for a bit again and see what transpires.

ari thanks for your lovely comments. I guess seeing the funny side of things works as a distraction for me. I am very sad and anxious these days but I'm trying to not let myself get too bogged down. I think there will be time for that to come.

Whilst I'm at it with the funny TTC observations. We have a kind of amusing routine whereby when we have finished the SWI, OH grabs me by the ankles and lifts my bum off the bed whilst I grab as many pillows as I can lay my hands on and stuff them under my bum before he lets go. It's quite hilarious.

free, I am driving to Hove this morning too, to see my granny and auntie.

battery how are you getting on? Are you having another blood test today?

Just reading back Digi's advice to me about booking appointments and also to Coley about why her AF might have been late. You really know your stuff don't you. You do know what if (WHEN!) I have a baby I will be phoning you up every 5 minutes asking you what I need to do next :) You are so right about the scan dates. If I get that far I will follow your advice.

Kittens hope you have a nice time with your grannie and auntie. Staying wit family might be just what you need. I am heading to a work related lunch in Chatham first and then to Brighton.