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Immune / natural killer cell treatment when ttc or pregnant (aka the 15th pred thread)

991 replies

sunnyday01 · 06/02/2015 20:10

This is a thread for those diagnosed with high or very high natural killer cells and trying to concieve or are pregnant and taking steroids/intralipids etc

Newcomers very welcome

OP posts:
Hula2 · 16/02/2015 23:20

I m seeing him in a couple of weeks. Had bloods today to re test cytokines as mine were right on borderline last time. If higher then gotta decide if will go for humira.

After a nice 30 day cycle day 16 ov i m now confused again as AF was weird, one day dark brown blood (fair amount) then mainly spotting for 2 days. Now today (day 4) had some ewcm. Took an internet cheapie last night and forgot to check it. Can see a really faint line today (but could be just an evap). Making me wonder if i had a chemical or what is going on. Can t blame the steriods as didn t take them last month. So confusing !

Smidge001 · 17/02/2015 02:29

Hello everyone. Well I don't have any good news to report. We had a low quality 5 day blastocyst transfered on Wednesday and by the weekend I was already bleeding. I'm so disappointed. I thought with all these immune treatments this time that it might solve our problem, but implantation clearly hasn't happened again. Don't know if the problem is our embryos or implantation or both but we have been through all the tests and treatments as far as I can see, and yet still fail to get pregnant. I'm so sad Sad. I've called my clinic and asked if I can have my blood test sooner (it isn't due until Monday) and they've agreed to bring it forward to Friday (which will be 9dp5dt). Effectively 14 days after ovulation I guess. You'd think they could probably do it a bit sooner but they want to avoid having to do it twice if there is a little HCG there. Anyway, in the meantime I have to carry on taking the progesterone, steroids, Clexane etc, which feels like rubbing salt in the wound.

I know I'm being very woe is me, I'm sorry. I just don't knew what our next plan of attack can be. We do have the chance of a frozen embryo transfer (and maybe my body will prefer that as there'd be fewer hormones being injected etc?) but i just don't feel positive about it at all, and after that we have no fall back and I feel quite desperately in need of a plan.

Snoopysimaginaryfriend · 17/02/2015 10:11

Second one confirmed this morning.

My TSH levels are up from 1.27 to 2.28.

I'm done. I've got nothing left.

Thank you for all your help and advice. I wish you all the very best for the future.

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 10:41

Snoopy so so sorry. Take as much time as u need to grieve and see how u feel in months to come about tests and trying again. I'm sorry :( Flowers

Smidge also so sorry. Is this ur first round of ivf? huge to u too.

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 10:46

I mean hug x

Seekingmiracles · 17/02/2015 13:58

Glad your hsg and uss went well Trying. Can totally see why you're confused about SO, it's a minefield out there. But like you say hopefully Mother Nature will step in and make her own decision!!
Smidge and Snoopy, big hugs to you both. So so sorry x

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 14:12

Seeking when is ur appt with mr s? Good luck for it!

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 16:27

Hula missed ur post-are u going to take another one tmrw? I think cheapies can do evap lines? So confusing!

Hula2 · 17/02/2015 20:25

Snoopy and smidge so sorry ladies. This is such a hard journey. Huge hugs.

Hula2 · 17/02/2015 20:37

Trying - yep did another this morning and a definte bfn. More ewcm today, only day 5, that s gonna mean mega early ov which is not good. Was gonna take pred this month but if it s a screwy cycle not sure if there s any point. Worried my ovaries (or at least maybe one of them?) are trying to shut up shop....Sad can t decide if i should just stop all extra supplements (other than prenatal and vit d) so q10, spirulina, chinese herbs or go hell for leather and up q10 and add dhea because if these cycles are due to my low ovarian reserve then they may need all the help they can get ?

dildoos · 17/02/2015 21:29

Snoopy I am so sorry to see your post, give yourself some time and relaxation in form of nice things for you. Hugs to you.

Hula wow confusing times for you? Maybe leAve a couple of days and retest?

Trying, agreed the so and IVF is such a minefield however I am hoping that now you can feel positive about what's happening with you mybe it will bring for a BFP sooner than the so and IVF consideration!

I am day 12 have been doing my monitor but no ovulation gets and thinking possibly will be a mixed cycle. DP away from tomorrow so takes decision to try or not to try away from me which I feel is a good thing. I shave hideous amounts of spots and as I don't usually suffer acne struggling to deal with them.

Does anyone know if a thyroid issue in a man would effect his sperm? Or his labido at all?

Love to All xx

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 21:47

Hi dildoos, i think thyroid can affect
Libido but not sure re sperm. But u have had his sperm checked and it was okish no?

Hula that is confusing. What's going on?! I would be inclined to
Stop it all and go back to basics!

I'm trying to stay postive but just had a cry about how unfair it all is and how I don't want ivf or SO and why can't I get preg again on top of miscarrying. It does feel like the world Is against me and it won't ever happen. bless DH he made me write down what I was worried about and showed me most of it was just irrational and that the end product is what's most
Imp not how we get there. Can't help but feel sorry for us though. Anyways another day tmrw, hopefully be more positive

Smidge001 · 17/02/2015 21:59

Thanks for your kind messages.
trying this was our 3rd IVF attempt which is why its failure has got me so down. It's not the physical aspect that is hard to deal with really, but more the constant waiting for results, counting follicles, finding out they don't all contain eggs, then of the eggs only some are mature, then of the mature eggs only some fertilise normally, then of those only some make it to day 3 healthily, and then you are desperately holding out for one to make it to day 5 to be put back... And when it's low quality and doesn't implant you just cry.

I always felt IVF was the fall-back plan if we couldn't conceive naturally. - I don't think it ever really occurred to me that IVF might not work either, and that realisation has been a massive shock.

Hula2 · 17/02/2015 22:20

Ah sorry you re feeling down trying. Hugs

Yep we ve got to stay positive and believe it will happen when it s meant too.

I look back now and think to have my amazing, unqiue son then i had to concieve that month and that meant 2 years of trying. Ok if i d concieved another month i d have had a different child but knowing him now and what i would of missed means i wouldn t change that hard journey for a second. So i think we ve got to trust in what is meant to be will be and just hang in there.

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 22:22

Oh smidge I'm so sorry. It's really so shit. Are u at a clinic with good results? Can u afford to go private somewhere with better results ive heard lots about argc as crazy as it sounds?

For now u prob need some time
To collect urself. And grieve and then decide which way u want to
Go.

What was ur cause for infertility in first place? It's easy for to say, but most people say if u have the strength to keep going it will happen. I hope u have a little hope left in u.

Tryingno1 · 17/02/2015 22:25

Hula u r right....

It's not my time right now for a baby. But my day will come. I just hope it's not in another 2 years when I'm demented with all this grief and thought!

Hula2 · 17/02/2015 22:39

Smidge, what an emotional rollercoaster. You ve been very strong to go through all that 3 times i can understand how hard it must be. Was this the first attempt with immune treatment ? Have you read the alan beer book ? It may help give you hope. In there it says immune issues can be affecting egg quality too but that 85% (who have had multiple failures that have immune issues diagnosed) then get preg within 3 ivf cycles with immune tx. If you have done two without and just one with then maybe with adjustment of tx the next could be sucessful, or now you have an immune issue identifed may try naturally with immune treatment for a while ?

Smidge001 · 18/02/2015 07:19

Thanks Hula and trying. Our first treatment was without any immune, the second had a little (endo scratch and Clexane) and then the third had the most (adding in the intralipid infusion and prednisolone). So perhaps it is just a numbers game and we need to try more times with the immune treatments. Our problem is 'unexplained' although clearly my biopsy showed the elevated NK cells (and family have a history of immune issues). Sperm, tubes, uterus in theory all ok, but unprotected sex for 4 years, 'actively trying' (using OPKs etc) for 2, along with clomid and IVF without a hint of a positive suggests a natural conception is highly unlikely. Time is not on my side anymore either - I'll be 39 in a couple of months.

We're already private and our clinic is meant to be one of the best where we are, though they aren't very specific on publishing success rates over here. (We live in Aus as my husband is Australian). Our clinic does claim to be significantly better than others though and definitely gets most recommendations. They seem willing to try more than some of those that I've heard about back home (though that might just be NHS related).

You're right that if we finally conceive, I won't mind how long it has taken, and am sure that will be the 'right' child etc. the trouble of course is the not knowing if that will actually ever happen. It's such a lottery and such hard work.

Thanks for your support though, I really appreciate it. Can I ask what SO means trying? And if you need any info on IVF in the coming months I'm happy to impart the knowledge I've gained!

Tryingno1 · 18/02/2015 07:59

SO is clomid/letrazole to get more eggs. Sounds like u have tried that...

It is such a hard slog. But if u have hope and strength to go again hopefully it will work. It's so hard to stay postive all the time though...I find myself struggling too.

Smidge001 · 18/02/2015 11:41

Ah OK, yes we tried 3 cycles of Clomid, but I have to agree that if you are already ovulating (as I was) it doesn't really feel as though it's the answer. Still, it seemed worth a try Smile. Good luck.

Tryingno1 · 18/02/2015 20:41

U too smidge. Let us know wot ur clinic says and if they have any helpful thoughts of where u go from here. Hope ur coping ok Flowers
Do they do genetic testing on the embryos in aus? To make sure that they are putting in chromosomal normal ones back in? (My ivf knowledge isn't great at all-but think its called cgh or PGD which is slightly different)

Smidge001 · 18/02/2015 21:02

They will do genetic testing on the embryos here, yes. But we haven't done that so far - initially just the expense but in fact we've only ever had one blastocyst available for transfer by day 5 each time anyway, so it's not as if we had a choice to pick the better one iykwim, so in the end it hasn't seemed to be worth doing. (Though perhaps it would give us an explanation).

Tryingno1 · 18/02/2015 21:03

Are u going to go again on another cycle?
Hope ur looking after urself x

dildoos · 19/02/2015 06:50

Smidge. What a roller coasters or you and dh. I hope you see some light soon and find it in you to carry on trying ,
I saw a beautiful saying the other day which reminded me of all us ladies.

Good things come to those who
believe,
Better things come to those who wait,
The best things come to those who don't give up .

Hope this helps all of is mentally.

I have finally made a decision for this month, no pred as can't bare feeling depressed.

Xx

Tryingno1 · 19/02/2015 10:09

Hi dildoos. How u holding up? Ur DH was away during ovulation anyways so I suppose no pred is good.

Such a true saying. Def very apt for us.
I'm entering ovulation time so will be busy this weekend Wink