TTC or pregnancy on prednisolone or similar part 12

[teamdozie]

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!

Duggs totally amazing news. Am in the car with my sister and welling up for you, she must think I'm mad! How wonderful, a little boy. It is your time x

Duggs that's fabulous I'm so so pleased for you. Did you get a 3D scan? They're amazing. Now. You've made it through a massive milestone. Try to relax. I guarantee that at some point you will suddenly realise that you're measuring in weeks not days. You may even enjoy being pg!

What's happened with Ari just saw something above re having two but can't scroll back without losing this post. Must go look...!!

London by rheumatoid factor do you mean TNF alpha?

duggs I am so thrilled to hear your good news! Massively chuffed for you!

village Congratulations on the BFP! Your patience has paid off.

belly crossing fingers for your embies and a positive test in the next few days....

Can anyone help out LST ? I have been talking you up - don't let me down, ladies!

Duggs that is such amazing news! Such brilliant risk and growth results! Enjoy the peace of mind!!

nerdy welcome, I'm on 25mg pred and it mostly just makes me a bit thirstier than usual. I'd have thought that starting it at over 26 weeks would involve minimal risks to baby; best of luck with the rest of this pregnancy!

Hello Ladies - I am now back as MattsMamma (slightly different spelling) !

LONDON - really sorry I can't really help with your query but I amsure someone will come up with something soon x

DUGGS - fantastic news! : ) A little boy how wonderful. Xx

NERDY - I have always been fine on the pred - actually feel better on it. It does give me an appetite that is the only real side effect for me and I have to make sure I take it as early in morning as I can (no later than 9.30 am for me) or I have trouble sleeping at night but not always. You'll be fine x

Day 26 here for me and bfn with fmu first response so I am feeling bt despondent but still hopeful as my nipples are still so sore and it is usually sides of boobs only. Keeping the optimism right to the end! Or I am deluded : /

Next 2 days will surely reveal all! Xx

London, sorry I can't help with your specific query, but you and I are in a similar situation with regards to subfertility, miscarriages, having one 1 child already, etc, except I'm 3 years older. I'm just giving melatonin a go currently; just got a positive ovulation test this morning.

Hi London, I am not sure I can give you a precise answer, but I can say that I had an ANA+ test, so like you an unspecified auto-immune response. I was prescribed low-dose prednisolone on the basis of this for during early pregnancy, as you should be for pregnancy. I was told I should take it prior to conception, but unfortunately it just messed up my cycles and I never managed to get pregnant while taking it, despite being easily pregnant off of it.

Have you been tested for lupus or other possibilities like infections as the RA test can be positive for things other than rheumatoid arthritis. I have a strong family history of rheumatoid arthritis, and have early symptoms that I have been ignoring (partly as I have had regular short courses of pred, that have eased my symptoms anyway!). RA is linked with recurrent miscarriage. However, there is a chance that, like me, your miscarriages are due to age related factors instead. I have been trying (on and off) since 2008, and in that time had 13 first trimester miscarriages. Only two off which have been keryotyped and both showed genetic issues. Both my dh and I have normal keryotypes and had three healthy children previously, so the genetic issue is purely from the older and poorer egg/sperm quality. 40 is not too old, and your next pregnancy might be perfect. I think if you feel that taking prednisolone is something you would like to try, then go for it, it has fewer negatives than the possibility of miscarrying due to an autoimmune issue. I blamed the autoimmune issue for my recurrent miscarriages for a long time, but I think I have come to realise than the age factor for me was a bigger issue. Having said that it has not put me off thinking that maybe one day we will find that golden egg and still have another perfect baby! I hope that you get your #2 soon.

Interesting, Willit. Have you looked at melatonin for egg quality? I'm quite impressed with it so far in terms of its effects on my cycle; we'll see what this second month brings.

Hello - I have been lurking and trying to catch up with nkc testing and consultants. brownstag I would be interested to learn about melatonin. Was it suggested by your consultant? It seems dr. Braverman in the US is also advocating it. But not sure if only for ivf or also for natural cycles.

Triple, I was advised to take it by Penny at Serum during my free phone consultation. Like you, I had heard of it being used for IVF, and she said, 'Why only for IVF? It improves egg quality so use it for natural a cycle too.' Not only does it improve egg quality but in one study where it was used by perimenopausal and menopausal women it restored menstruation and changed many hormone levels to a more normal range. Great sleep too. What's not to like? I might have my AMH tested again after 3 months to see if it's improved that (there doesn't seem any research in this area).
I am currently on a letrozole cycle with it, and whereas letrozole has previously caused vaginal dryness, I have had lots of CM with melatonin. I get mine from Vitasunn.

Umm maybe I should try that rather than dhea (which now I've stopped) or maybe I should leave anything else alone in case it raises my uterine levels again!!

Ladies can you advise me please - I thought I had all the ovulation etc sussed but briefly - I used clearblue opks this month with the smiley face. Got my positive on day cd11 with small amount of ewcm. Started pred 3 days after this. However day 15 or 16 got more ewcm and tested again and got another positive smiley. Could I have ovulated again? I am now on cd 27 and my periods are usually on the nail 27 or 28 days and this morning fmu frer negative. I really don't think I am pregnant now but nipps still sore - but today is day 14 of taking steroids. I won't take them today but did I start steroids too early this cycle? I was going by the ovulation test. Maybe I should start temping too. I am just so confused by it all this month. Plus if by a miracle I was pregnant - would missing a couple of days steroids be a problem? Do you think I am too early with the pregnancy testing?

Sorry if this is all garbled - due to see Dr S next month so I can ask him but for a couple of months I have been getting positive opks more than once a month x

I'm not sure how the clearblue ones work, but if they are just testing lh like the cheapies, it is possible to get a positive opk when you are pregnant (the hormones are similar).
Alternatively you can gear up for ovulation and not do so, and then have another surge later in the month; only temping will tell you if you've actually ovulated after a surge.

Mel, yes, I am planning to stop everything but melatonin after this month (and concentrate on growing my hair back!) If you read the research about melatonin, it would seem that melatonin is a kind of master hormone (disruption in melatonin seems to precede, and maybe is the cause of, menopause), which I'm hoping will mean DHEA is redundant, i.e. that melatonin will do a similar job but without the boils and hair loss.

Duggs what amazing news!! A little boy!! So pleased for you!!

Village how are you feeling? I'm so excited for you!

Luna how are you?

matt have you tested to see if maybe you are pregnant?! I used the clearblue fertility monitor and found it slightly more accurate that the sticks! But the resorted to SO which has led to a healthy 19+5 baby! Amongst all the meds too lol! If you are unsure maybe email Louise I know she is off this week though!

Waves to everyone else!!

Xxx

Can some one confirm it is right for high nk cells only one lot of intrallipids right? I don't need anymore as I've had 2 already at bfp and 8 wks and no one said anything just took my 700 ? I won't bother with the next 2 then...

Hi duggs I'm on the High NK cells protocol and the sheet says intralipids at 6-7 weeks, and at no other point (not even at BFP). have just booked this via Cheryl and Mr S and no one suggested otherwise... Are you on High NK cells too? Why did you do intralipids at BFP if you don't mind me asking?

duggs sorry that sounded a bit unclear, meant that the sheet only says to have intralipids at 6-7 weeks, not that it says that you shouldn't have them at any other point IYKWIM!

Thanks brownstag that is very interesting. I will read up. I may give it a go as I have not been sleeping well either due to mc stress. What dosage do you take?

On very high I had them at 4, 8, 12 as per protocol and he decided to chuck in an extra one at 16 too. But my levels are apparently in the top 5% he sees so it's probably different. Ask them. Soooo pleased your nuchal etc was good!!

I've never had a positive properly on ovulation sticks Matts but I've only ever tried cheapies and had faint lines.

Team I'm ok-ish, thanks, at times quite laid back and at others already quite stressed! AF would have been due tomorrow and part of me fears that it will still arrive and that this will turn out to have been a chemical... Hope you are feeling a bit more reassured this week!

Ladies, a question for all of you. Luna has already talked some sense into me IRL but I'm putting it out there to you too... since getting a BFP at 10/11 DPO I've been doing a repeat test on a FRER every morning and the line doesn't seem to be getting any darker. It's always a clear line, not too faint (but not as dark as the control). It's not fading at least! But I'm a bit worried not to see progression, and that this could mean that hcg isn't rising as it should. In past pregnancies I've always seen an increase in darkness after a few days using the same brand of test (though I've never used FRER before, I have to say - previously it was Sainsbury's own brand or similar.)

Am I being ridiculous? Anyway, we'll see if AF arrives tomorrow or not. (Luna has suggested I do a Clearblue that dates in weeks instead and from now on test only weekly! A VERY sane suggestion! )

Yes go for clear blue village. Fingers crossed, lines can be unreliable but frer are pretty good brand. Try again tomorrow and compare to the first day then go get clear blue.
I think I was given the IVF high sheet and it says intrallipids on bfp + 4 days am actually on 25mg pred have been since bfp so I had another lot at 8+4 wks. Was going to book for 12 wks + 4 but was then moved forward 3 days so am 13 wks today and realise I don't need any more intrallipids as I am not v high so think I was just reading an old sheet he didn't give me a new one and the last time I had one was when I first met him almost 3 yrs ago and can't find it. So I won't bother with any more then ! No need. Thanks for the info ladies !

Btw instructions were. 4,8,12 I just added plus 4 days as was when I could get an appt !

Village, I have been told that the very sensitive tests do not give as good lines as the standard ones after a point. I was using the sensitive cheapies and worried that the line didn't go very dark, but once the company told me this, I changed to 'normal' ones and the lines were stronger. So the sensitive ones are good in the very early days but then it's better to change to 25miu ones.
Triple, I was told to take 3mg. The first ones I got were time release and didn't agree with me (I felt like it was being released in the day not the night!), but then I changed to 1mg non-time release ones for a month, and I'm now on 2mg. I take them at 8.30 and go to bed at 10. Next month I'll go the whole hog at 3mg.

Duggs and brown thanks for the hpt info. It's all so potentially blinking stressful.

Duggs yes, I've just looked it up - the IVF/ICSI protocol for High NK cells is intralipids at 7-10 days before embryo transfer, then at 8 weeks. Seems we High folk (oops that sounds odd!) don't get them as often. I wouldn't have minded a round of intralipids at BFP but I guess that's just not the protocol I'm on. Sigh. Something else to mental about!