TTC or pregnancy on prednisolone or similar part 9

[sarahs999]

Oh dear - we reached 1000 posts on thread 8 without noticing! I hope you can all find this. THis is a positive thread for all those diagnosed with High or Very High NK Cells and looking to start TTC or already pregnant on Prednisolone and/or Intralipid treatment.

Newcomers very much welcome!

Links to earlier threads:

Part 8: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/a1492407-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-8#33842381

Part 7 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1452035-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-7

Part 6 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1419032-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-6

Part 5 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1391787-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-5

Part 4 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1366323-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-4

Part 3 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1348773-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-3

Part 2 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1323594-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-2

Part 1 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1236324-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar

Hi mollie, so sorry to hear that. Yes, in answer to your question, I had the same thing. And also having had a12 week natural mc before that with horrible labour pains and lots of bleeding I went for ERPC. It was a much better experience for me and got things done a lot quicker. I was very nervous about the anaesthetic but it was all fine. Silly I know but I remember the only time I cried during the day was when being wheeled down to surgery and asking the surgeon to please be very careful as it was my fourth mc with no children and I was so paranoid about damage like asherman's. Everyone was very lovely and I stopped bleeding so much quicker than after the natural one. I would definitely choose that option again, based on my experience.

This was my first pregnancy on the treatment and I remember thinking why has this happened to me when so many other people seem to have recurrent mcs, find the treatment, get pregnant and have a baby. If you look back on these early threads it's probably all still there.

Anyway, mr s wanted me to wait two cycles, added it hydroxychloroquine and bingo - it worked for me too. Hope it's all over and done with swiftly for you mollie so you can get it behind you too.

So very pleased to see so many pregnancies progressing and looking forward to more too!

Mollie i'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. Not sure if it helps, but it sounds like my experience of the Erpc was quite similar to Free's in that I recovered quite a lot quicker than the subsequent nmc's I had. Mine may have been a bit different because it was not identified until about 4 or more weeks after it stopped growing so they were unsure if it was a BO as they thought it probable that my body had re-absorbed some of the contents of the sac which apparently can happen. Also of course I wasn't on the treatment then. But I think i would opt for it again if i had another on the treatment. I found the staff really lovely, they held my hand when I was scared of the anaesthetic and when I was having a bit of a cry afterwards while I was coming round. It was quite a long wait to go into surgery, they had to slot me in around emergencies, and I was worried about Ashermans, but on balance for me i felt that risk was outweighed by the risk of infection as my body just wasn't dealing with it myself. No experience of the tablets I'm afraid, they don't offer that option at my hospital.
Thinking of you mollie and hoping whatever you choose or whatever happens that you are on the mend soon and get your take home baby really soon too.
Thinking of Sue as well, so sorry I wasn't around to post the other day but hope you are doing ok.
Hoping moving day went well Free
Exciting to hear of all the babies due soon, I just hope so so much to join all you third trimester ladies one day!
Oh and interesting to hear about the Wobenzym Ari it doesn't sound like it has too many side effects at the moment at least!
It's telling isn't it that when I write "ok" my phone tries to change it to "opk" and "please" to "pred"!
Not sure who else I missed as I'm on the phone and can't see the previous page, but great big hugs to everyone out there. Xx

Oh Mollie I'm so sorry to hear this news. I was really hoping things would turn around for you with this pregnancy. In answer to your question, I had one natural mc and one erpc. To be honest the natural one didn't hurt very muchit was like intense period pains for about 2 days. But my pregnancy was very early and there wasn't much "in there" to come out. I did have an acupuncture treatment to get things going and the mc happened that very day (feel free to PM me if you would like any details of my therapist, she is amazing and is actually the one who sent me to Dr. Shehata after my mcs). The second time, despite all my efforts, things did not happen naturally and I let things linger for far too long (my mistake)it had a terrible effect on my body and I wish I had taken swifter action. I finally had an erpc around 10 weeks (though pregnancy had not continued past 6) and it was actually okay, not too traumatic. I went off to sleep and when I woke up, I started sobbing uncontrollably--I don't know if it was the effects of the anaesthetic, or just finally coming to terms with the whole experience. Everyone was really nice, and I got to go home that evening knowing that it was all over. There is a finality to it that is very reassuring. You can of course choose to go the medical route, but I haven't heard any experiences of that and they didn't offer it at my hospital.

I am thinking of you and hoping you have some wonderful people in your life who can support you through this. Very best wishes.

Thank you free and lawlee for your advice, so sorry for your experiences with this too. Free I remember reading the first thread and seeing your posts re your mc, hopefully its all a bad dream now you've got your baby boy. After going through 6 natural mcs already I am veering towards an op, I just want to get it over with and move forward as quickly as possible. I have got a bicornuate uterus which is making me worry more that they might do something wrong during the op though, its all quite head spinning having to decide. My body may well decide for me before I get to my next scan anyway. Sorry for hogging the thread for the past week or so with my woes, I'm so grateful to everyone for your support and advice. I am a depressed mess and picking myself up gets harder each time especially after the worst heartbreak imaginable last year losing my son but like all of us on here I won't lose hope.

Its so lovely to hear of all the successful pregnancies, it gives me so much hope for the future.

Xx

Thanks rose that's really useful and you're all so kind. Hope your keeping well xx

Hi again rose, there is a clinic near me which does fertility acupuncture and reflexology. Are therapists usually willing to do treatments to assist with mc'ing naturally? That's an option to think about after next week's scan if nothing is happening. I live in Wales, is your acupuncturist in Surrey? Thanks for your help x

I've had two D&Cs and three naturals. I didn't ever consider the pill option as I didn't want to go through all the pain and blood and then find I needed a D&C anyway.
The D&Cs were fine, though I was very emotional and cried both times as I was having the anaesthetic and again when I came round. All in all they are quicker and less painful than natural, though my naturals have all been fairly early (5-8 weeks).
Second time round I had a slight reaction to the general anaethetic and found it hard to get my breath. Also I was very cross with my hospital that when they were preparing that day's operations they didn't segregate the people having d&Cs because their babies had died and the people who were having abortions. It was shockingly crude people management. But that's just my idiot hospital.,.

Dear mollie you are so brave, my heart goes out to you.

The acupuncturist just does something where she says "I may be able to help things along" rather than "I can help you mc naturally"---the idea being that if this is something your body is going to do anyway, then acupuncture can just get things moving. But (as in the case with my 2nd mmc) if your body is not ready to let go, then no amount of acupuncture will work.

I live in London (unfortunately, I have had to see Dr. Shehata privately, which has completely wiped out my savings...). My acupuncturist lives in Hendon, north London.

I hope that's helpful. Please take extra special care of yourself.

Oh and just wanted to say 2 more things. First, it's possible that if you stop taking cyclogest, you are more likely to mc naturally, as the progesterone often keeps things intact in there. That's what my doctor told me.

Also, if you are concerned about your bicornuate uterus (I have one too), some hospitals will do the erpc under ultrasound guidance, which reduces the risk of Asherman's. When I went to UCLH for my erpc, they said I could either A) get the erpc under ultrasound guidance by a consultant with only a LOCAL anaesthetic or B) get a regular erpc done by a trained nurse/midwife under general anaesthesia. To me this seemed like a really tough choice. In the end I went for the general, because someone who had had the other procedure said she was really traumatized at having to be awake for the whole thing.

I hope I'm not confusing things too much. Just wanted to share my experience.

Mollie, I'm so sorry to hear how things have worked out. This was pretty much what happened in my last pregnancy too. It took a good couple of weeks to confirm because they thought they'd seen something that looked like a fetal pole but it disappeared.

I have had several ERPCs and no scarring problems as a result, although I don't have a bicornuate uterus. I will second what rose has said about having an ERPC under local though. One of mine was under local anasthetic and it was really painful and traumatic. So much so that I had to get them to stop and pass what was left naturally over the next week or so anyway. I really wouldn't recommend it at all!

mollie I'm so sorry. I hope your as well as can be. I found that physically a d&c was much easier for me I had v.minimal bleeding after and wasn't in much pain. I pretty much felt normal from the next day. emotionly though no better for me I felt that I was almost choosing to get rid of my baby. which was silly really as I knew it wasn't a viable pregnancy I think I just struggled with the fact that my body wasn't realising that. the trouble is who knows how long it could take to happen naturally.
my first mc did start naturally but we knew it was coming after bad news at the scan which made that slightly easier and well you have to just accept mother nature. but it was very traumatic and I ended up in hosp and needing a d&c anyway. you, yourself know how awful it can be. if I had the choice I would choose a d&c. with your worrys about ashermans etc unfortunately its something that I think is so rountine for them that there so well practiced its very unlikely something will go wrong I'm sure if you talk to someone about your worries they will be able to put your mind at rest. x

mollie I'm really sorry this has happened. A few of us have had MCs while on Mr S's plan (three since seeing Mr S for me so far) - you just have to remember that there is always the chance naturally of a MC, if the chromosomes aren't right, and no amount of prednisolone/clexane/whatever would stop those.

I've had 2 ERPCs myself and 4 'natural', one of which my acupuncturist helped to 'speed along' - and it really worked; I had no spotting or anything, I saw my acupuncturist and started cramping that evening and major bleeding the very next morning. The ERPCs went fine (general anaesthetic - I wouldn't even contemplate having this done under local!) and like others have said I stopped bleeding quicker than I did with the natural ones. I don't have a bicornuate uterus though, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

You should be able to see any acupuncturist that says they specialise in fertility - quick google should show your nearest. I'd obviously recommend mine - but I'm in Surrey, not much use to you I think!

Hope it sorts itself out quickly so you can focus on moving forward again!

/waves to everyone

I've just had my scan, still at the clinic going to have my intralipid while I'm here. all looks good measured 6+6, 2 days behind what I thought but still ok. there is an area of bleeding outside the sac that is causing my spotting but he's not really sure why.

cartoon congrats on your scan news, you must be so pleased and relieved.

Thank you girls, you've all been so supportive, I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. Helps to know I'm not alone. ari so sorry you've had 3 mcs whilst on treatment. kittens I saw an old post of yours about your erpc done under local, what an awful experience for you. After reading it I knew I could never do it, traumatic enough without having to endure that. Interesting about acupuncture, I love reflexology so may look into that. rose thanks for the progesterone advice, I will try stopping that before opting for any treatment. Also thanks for the BU info, I will def ask about it before going for an op. I'm having mild twinges today so I'm not sure if my body is gearing up to mc naturally. There is a part of me which wonders if a baby is suddenly growing, dh thinks I'm crazy and I know he's right really.

Hope everyone is well x

thank you Mollie. still got 2 get through the next couple of weeks to be completly safe and my spotting really needs to stop but its looking good. I've never seen a hb before so at least I know that this treatment helps.

mollie. Sorry you are having to go through this. I have no experience of ERPC's as all 7 of my mc's have been natural, between 6 and 12 weeks. The only thing that concerns me about erpc's is that it seems to take people a while for normal cycles to return. I have been very lucky to have returned to normal cycles fairly swiftly after natural mc's (if that can really be counted as lucky). As a reminder, my last mc was due to a trisomy. I saw a hb at 8 weeks but measurements were already a full week 'behind' and growth was less than expected. I guess it's just useful to know it wasn't the treatment that failed. Thinking of you xx

That sounds like really positive news cartoon..and the first hb..fantastic x

Congratulations on the scan, cartoon, how wonderful you got to see a heartbeat!

When I had my scare on Friday, at the scan they also saw a bit of blood outside the sac--they called it a subchorionic hematama.

I am now on day 5 of bed rest. It's making the hours crawl by! I have another scan booked for Saturday to see if the hematoma has grown or been re-absorbed.

Thinking about you at this difficult time, mollie.

thank you. even mr s admitted that my spotting made him a bit unsure of what to expect. it was a bit of a suprise to hear him say the babys fine. I was like pardon, what did you say? are u sure? we've never got this far before. rose are u still on aspirin? he said to stop mine, the spotting should get better with out it.

I know what you mean, cartoon, I've never gotten this far either, so whenever I go for a scan, I always expect the worst!

As I'm not in the UK at the moment (I was supposed to head back at the end of the week, but because of the bleed I was told not to travel) I've not been to see Mr S, just got a few brief emails from Louise. She did say that the bleeding I had would have been made worse by the aspirin, but she didn't tell me to stop taking it. But it's a very good point. I wonder if I should email her again and ask?

I would rose. she did actually suggest about a week or so ago that I stopped the asprin for a bit. but it wasn't like a definite order if you see what I mean so I choose to continue anyway. it made sense in my head at the time but now I think I shouldve listened!

Thanks cartoon! I am always worried I am sending her too many emails, but I guess one more can't hurt...

mollie so very sorry to hear your news and wishing you all the best getting through this horrible experience. I had 5 natural & 1 erpc & only one of my natural m/c's was really painful (and messy!).
sue I think of you often and wish you so much luck as you continue your journey
kittens congrats on reaching 30 weeks - that seems to have gone quickly (although probably not for you!)
sarah good luck for 21st feb! olives look forward to hearing about your imminent arrival
My given due date is 18th feb so think I am next unless baby olives gets impatient! Still can't quite believe we are about to have our second & if only someone had been able to tell us that 7 years ago when we started out on this recurrent miscarriage rollercoaster, life might have felt a little brighter at times.
It's been said before but it takes so much strength & determination to keep going & so many of the stories on here are truly inspirational.
Sorry if I've missed anyone personally but good luck to everyone at your various stages & I look forward to keeping up with all the news x

Sorry cartoon forgot to say how fantastic to see a hb - yay! When I bled at 6 weeks I was also told to stop the aspirin by louise but my hospital consultant put me back on it at about 16 weeks. Good luck!

Hi Mollie so sad to hear your news, I hope you are bearing up ok. I know you have had plenty of opinions from lots of the other lovely ladies, but here's my history if that helps. I have had 2 natural and 4 erpcs (all general anaesthetic apart from one under local at Mr S's clinic -never again.) I find the actual op not too bad but the anaesthetic wipes me out for a week and then my body and digestive system takes at least 3 months to recover and I have had weird things happen like an allergic reaction to the sea/seaside! Having had my last erpc in only July, I couldn't face having another one in Oct so waited it out until it happened naturally in early Dec (I also had acupuncture and reflexology to speed things up - and homeopathy which definitely worked in the end -I'll look up the name of the remedy if you like). Although it was painful and I had the threat of still needing an op, it never came to that and I recovered physically much quicker and my period came back on cycle too. I know that is not the case for everyone and people do still have to undergo the op. On a positive note having had 4 erpcs by 4 different docs I still managed to get pregnant, so try not to worry about Ashermans. Whatever you decide I hope it is as painless as possible emotionally and physically and you can start to ttc again before too long.

cartoon brilliant to see a hb, you must be relieved.

Delta not long to go....yay. We definitely need people like you to inspire us and keep the hope alive.