Immune/NK issues - aka Pred Thread no.20!

[harrietm87]

Hi all, thought I'd get the ball rolling on the new thread.

Welcome all with immune/natural killer cell issues.

It's been a while since a new thread so thought it might be helpful if we all added our stats:

I'm harriet, age 30, TTC#1.
3 mcs (2 at 5 weeks, 1 mmc at 9 weeks).
Hypothyroid and high NK cells.
Cycle 2 on pred!

Just/Harriet/Luna I think you're right, I'll test again Thursday morning, just on the off chance. I'd kick myself if there was a miracle bfp next week and I missed several days medication! c

Tee, with my DS I got a negative test the day before AF was due! Ended going out and getting bladdered thinking I wasn't pregnant (to my horror 2 days later when I retested!) And with my other pregnancies I was never certain until 1/2 days before AF...

Hi everyone

I was just browsing the active discussions on here and I spotted this, and (apologies to all) although I haven't read all your posts, I just felt I had to say this.

I gave birth to my rainbow baby in April after a difficult time of recurrent losses over a period of 4 years. I went to Dr S after giving up hope - and then followed his plan for high nk cells and within 7 cycles it worked. I was astounded every time I went to the clinic for a scan and saw a baby - I really had reached the stage where I thought I would never be a mum. No kind words or positive stories could convince me in those dark days that I would one day have a baby.

Nobody talks about losing a baby. Let alone losing three or more. I felt defective, hopeless and a failure to my husband and family. I never realised, until it happened to me, just how many women go through it daily and quite how much some of us will endure to get our rainbows.

So just wanted to send a hug to all you magnificent brave women. I wish you all your rainbows. You deserve only good things, and you are going to be wonderful mothers.

X

Oh sheepy 😩😩😩 the saga never ends! Hun I can't wait to hear you tell us you had a healthy baby - and hopefully in 10/11 months time!

Lovely to hear waiting! And sorry for the slog you've had, but wonderful you have your baby finally! I totally get the feelings you talk about... I'm sure we all do!

We are a brave, powerful squad of amazing ladies and I'm certain we will all prevail!

Waiting4change what lovely words! It's so encouraging to hear success stories, especially under the care of Dr S! I can't wait for my rainbow and I'm so delighted that you have yours after so many years of heartache. Just wonderful x

Oooo Luna that's interesting! I'm not due AF until Sunday. Will be Saturday if I was correct suspecting that I ovulated a day earlier this month x

Waiting4change, thank you so much for saying that and for updating us. Congratulations on your little rainbow and sorry for all the pain you went through on the way.

I needed to hear that because I have those thoughts of failure too and sometimes feel like the fact I can't always see a good outcome means I won't get one. I know that's silly but good to be reminded! You're so right that no one talks about miscarriage. People talk in hushed voices about anyone who announces their pregnancy early, as though, heaven forbid someone would have to admit they had a miscarriage. Sometimes it annoys me when people who don't know me well do the ticking biological clock thing at me or talk to me about pregnancy in an educational tone assuming I've never been there, of course, because I don't have a child. Only occasionally I feel brave enough to say well actually...But I find every time I open up to someone I feel comfortable with, she says she's had a few herself, or her sister or close friend has.

Tee, sorry to bury my reply in such a long post! Basically I strongly suspected I didn't ovulate because I had no signs and I didn't get a positive OPK for two months (March and April). By May I had the full works again. This isn't foolproof because I never got an OPK the cycle I got pregnant second time, but I didn't test religiously that time because I'd had an MC 3 weeks previously and wasn't expecting to be back to normal so quickly. I'm not actually on the Mr S plan, I see Professor Conway, a top endocrinologist and gynae at UCLH and The London Claremont Clinic because we think my problem is due to an underlying endocrine condition I have. I tested negative for antiphosphilipid syndrome and I have excellent AMH and FSH levels, but I haven't been tested for anything else yet because we think the Pred will fix the endo business.

Oh, Sheepy, meant to say I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It could take a few weeks for your cycles to be predictable again. I think up to six weeks is completely normal...

Tee... seems so early to test in my opinion... and even 2 days after AF was due the test I took was so hard to read that I thought I'd imagined it! That's why it scares me to come off the Pred on day 10, as I won't feel sure until 3/4 days later!

waiting thank you so much for your lovely message and congratulations on your baby! It is so great to hear success stories - I think we can all sympathise with those feelings of failure and like we'll never have a baby (or another baby).

tee I agree it's worth testing again in a couple of days. Remember how faint my 10dpo test was?! but also I think the first pred cycle can be weird, even for those of us who have always conceived easily - def was for me - so don't be too downhearted if it's not your month. Apparently pred has a cumulative effect so you'll be even better prepared for next month!

luna I think that happens to people all the time (not realising and drinking!). Obvs no bad effects whatsoever for you. How is bf going? Is tomorrow pred day1?

Speaking of drinking early on, has everyone read Expecting Better? It explains all the science behind pregnancy advice so you can make informed choices - it's a really good read! Also includes conception advice and stats which is interesting.

Interesting what you say about the Pred effect harriet... curious to see how it pans out for me on this first go. Took Pred today... so 🤞

Haven't heard of that book; sounds like a good read... I rarely drink anyway, so I didn't fancy it or miss when I was pregnant - a friend of mine however measured the units she was allowed so she could drink a little every week lol! I'm just glad dippy eggs are on the menu nowadays - I really missed those little beauties when I was preg! And salami! And blue cheese!

Luna, I am eating so much blue cheese ahead of my next pregnancy!

I don't really drink either so don't miss it while TTC or preggers. Dippy eggs on the menu?! This is news to me!! I really missed those with DS too. Plus cheeses like brie and goats cheese 😋 I avoid these things in the 2ww too, which is probably a little OTT x

Ah yes fingers crossed luna - 1 down 9 to go! Exciting!

I'm not a big drinker either - never drink at home unless people are over for dinner - but I would have one or two when I'm out and I've had so many social occasions recently where I feel like it's been really obvious I'm not drinking. No one has said anything but I bet they suspect. The thing I find it hard to cut down on when ttc/preg is caffeine - love my tea and coffee so much!!!

I'm probably the worst pregnant person ever... I'm drinking so much tea at the moment
I'm constantly bloody shattered - I need the caffeine to function!! Fell asleep at 8.30 last night!! I found that weeks 9-11 were the worst for me with Tallulah and so far this pregnancy seems to be the same!
I really do miss wine when pregnant! Not that I drink every night but for some reason the fact that I can't have it makes me want it more!!

Also anyone else having horrendous night sweats? It's gross! I wake up with such a sweaty neck and face with my hair stuck to me!

I haven't had the sweats seeking but I wake up every morning dying of thirst and with a horrible dry mouth...wonder if I'm snoring?! Lovely! DH is working away again atm so luckily he is spared if so!

Have you had any nausea/sickness yet or do you think the pred will protect you?

I've had the odd day of VERY slight nausea but nothing that I could whole heartedly say.. 'YES, that was morning sickness'! Didn't get much with Tallulah either though so not sure if it's the pred masking it or wether I just wouldn't get it anyway.

Out of interest, does anyone have an idea of next steps/course of action Dr S recommends after x2 unsuccessful cycles on Pred? Going to book my review for last week of September, but already thinking ahead and wondering what he might suggest. Or does he just like to check in that Pred isn't causing too many adverse effects?
I'm starting to wonder about trying IUI alongside the meds 🤔 x

Tee, it'll just be a check that your coping with the drugs ok. He's not normally concerned until maybe 6+ months in. We conceived Tallulah on cycle 6 but had drugs ready for super ovulation on cycle 7.

Tee, no idea what Mr S says but my endo says two cycles is nothing to worry about. He did get me to check my progesterone levels though to confirm ovulation but mainly cos I had spotting. I wouldn't be surprised if that was recommended for you too if you don't get pregnant soon. But at the end of the day, we have an average 20% chance every month so conceiving within two months would be considered fortunate in most cases. Difficult when we want it NOW! Haha, I'm so impatient 😂 X

I don't think you need to worry about iui yet, you've only just done your 1st cycle Hun. Try not to get too caught up in how long it takes, remember the drugs also build up in your system a bit so think of it as a positive if it doesn't happen straight away. Perhaps SO would be your first port of call if you're thinking of assisted conception

Sorry ... *2nd cycle

I agree with seeking, tee dont panic yet. Why do you think you need IUI? Have you ever had issues in the past? I've always conceived first month trying so was gutted when I didn't on my first month on pred, though in hindsight I think that's because I messed up my pred - started taking it too early and then had a uti, the combo of that plus the pred meant my body geared up to ovulate but then didn't for like 6 days, so I think the egg was old and manky by the time it came out!

Anyway, I tried superovulation on my second cycle as a way of bringing ovulation forward to when my DH was in the country, and it worked! So I'd def go for that before IUI. It involves taking a drug called letrozole to stimulate ovulation, then you have a scan to see how many eggs are ready to be released, and if one or two are ready you get a trigger shot which makes them mature and release 36hrs later (like a fake LH surge). Makes it really easy to time sex - DH and I only did it twice for this one.

You could mention it to Mr S when you see him? Though I think as seeking says he normally gives you about 6 months of natural trying, it was just I had DH's annoying schedules to work around plus long cycles.

Morning ladies!
The reason my mind is wandering to this is because we've been trying since December 2015, so whilst it only took us 3 months to conceive DS and the same for my first bfp back at the beginning of 2016 (that I miscarried), we've actually only fallen once more within the last 17 months. You are all absolutely spot on though, and I must remember to view this as month 1 rather than month 21! The IUI thing is just in my head because this is what we were considering before I found Dr S and the whole NK cells thing, so just wondering if throwing everything at a single cycle could improve my overall chances. SO sounds like a better option though! I'd love twins and perhaps could improve my chances of that too!? Do you have to inject yourself with the trigger shot, or do they do that??
PS. BFN this morning 13dpo x