Immune/NK issues - aka Pred Thread no. 21!

[Tee4me]

Roll call for all moony faces!! 🌝🌝🌝

Waiting for our rainbows 🌈❤️💛💚💙💜

Tee4me
Age: 34
TTC DC#2 since December 2015
x2 MCs (second was 'missed')
DS turns 5 this month 😱
Seeing Dr Shehata - diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and aggressive NK cells
Currently on cycle 2 of Pred and week 6 of Thyroxine
CD10, expecting to ovulate at the end of the week 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Sorry ladies for late catch up.
Welcome to all new members.
Hope all pregnant ladies doing good.
Iam now 16 weeks.stopped steroids,all medication,but had headaches couple of day because coming out of steroids.i need to take aspirin and thyroid upto 34 weeks.
I had harmony test .iam above 35 yrs.it gives 98 percent accurate results for all three genetic defects.test came back normal.
my 12th week scan was with DrAkolekar.the scan was very detail ,he checked nt spinal fluid ,heart blood flow,values,kidney,liver blood flow,brain,limbs,cleft palate,ambilical cord connected to placenta.it took nearly 40 min for scan,so detail.in my case position of baby made it bit difficult,he took sometime,he did very well .everything normal for me,it was great relief.
Next week i had same nt scan nhs.it was for 15 min,she said couldnt able to measure nt spinal fluid very difficult,can do on 20 week.i asked since 35 yrs,it is important to check it.
She doesnt bother,told me they can only do in 20th week.
As i had my scan on eariler week with Dr s clinic,it gave me peace of mind.
At the moment,iam getting ligament streching pain.fingers crossed for every week and next 20 week scan.

Hi Bala what wonderful news that you have reached 16 weeks and that all went well at your anomaly scan. How are you feeling?
Can I ask how many pregnancies you’ve had before, is this your First with pred?

Bala I’m so pleased for you! Congratulations! I bet your family are so exited too! You must be due around April, right?

Hi Poppy, how is everything going with you, any updates?

Hi Ferntwist,

I'm fine thanks, still TTC and taking another break this month cos my DP is abroad again. He will be travelling less from next month so I'm hoping we will be successful soon. Taking the opportunity to have a break from the Pred and I'm feeling much better for it. How are you feeling at the mo?x

I’m feeling okay, thank you Poppy, 9 weeks today although not out of my danger zone yet as it was exactly this time that my last baby’s heartbeat stopped. Hoping the pred and heparin are doing wonders. We have a reassurance scan on Thursday.
Fingers crossed for you that you’ll soon be pregnant again!

Hey Fertwist, I can understand why this must be a scary time but the odds are most certainly stacked in your favour given all the meds. The chances of MC on Pred are very low, lower than in the general population, so thankfully comparisons to previous pregnancies are not reliable. Roll on Thursday and some positive news!

Thanks, I have my fingers crossed too!

Thank you Poppy, that’s an amazing stat. I didn’t know that. I’ve felt so hopeful every pregnancy until this one, but we’ve had so many disappointments that it’s hard to stay positive.
Will focus on what you say, that really is excellent odds.

So thrilled for you @Trying01 !!! We all made it through the storm in the end :-) ! Continue enjoying your little boy. I love being a boy mom!

I'm just chugging along recently back from holiday. I left no really looking obviously pregnant and have come back unquestionable HUGE! 22 weeks tomorrow but feeling 8 months at the moment lol. I think that whole 'showing more' the second time around has finally kicked in... Couldn't have been all the junk I ate while away surely....!

Hiya,

Hope you ladies are all well. Bala03 hope you don't mind me asking but how long did it take to get the harmony results through? We decided to go for the test in the end xx

Thanks ladies.
@poppy thanks cant belive iam 16 weeks.i told to my mom and dad around 14 weeks.they didnt stop crying,even today i called my dad he was so emotional,first grand child,fingers crossed.my due date on middle of may.
How are u and wish u bfp next month.
@ ferntwist thanks,health wise,iam feeling much better compare to first 12 weeks.still bit worried even week passby.any ligament stretching concerns me.iam 36 yrs,i had two miscarraige and one ectopic,thankfully tubes saved.then ttc for 7 months with steroids,stopped for a month,got conceived.so far good still iam nervous.
You are at 9 weeks,i completely understand how much stress you are in.but,one thing iam sure is pred can bring real good change to pregnancy continue.my best wishes for scan.

@ hopeflower harmony test results took a week.nadiya sent through email and rang me explained results as well.

@ Drttc it sounds wonderful you are enjoying pregnancy and showing more.keep.us posted.

Thanks Bala03. Want them now! Huge congratulations, must be such a lovely feeling being 16 weeks and coming off the drugs and it all being positive. So exciting xx

Hi @Drttc! I've been wondering how you're getting on! I'm 22 weeks on Sunday and I've just started to show properly. Feeling lots of movement now which is brilliant! Hope you're doing well.

Hi all. Newbie here! I'm seeing Mr Shehata next week. I'm 41 and we've been ttc for two years. I've been pregnant four times resulting in two early mc's, a mmc and a termination. My last pregnancy took 8 months to conceive so I'm now paranoid about my age and fertility hence we decided on private testing as we don't have time to waste. To complicate matters my DH works away from home so we have to take time off during my fertile week to ttc. Next fertile time is going to be between my initial appt and follow up appt with Mr Shehata. Does anyone know if he will advise we don't ttc this month until I get results? If I'm honest I won't be happy with that as each month takes so much planning and at my age I'm not comfortable skipping cycles.

I'm very unsure about his methods but he does seem to get results. My NHS consultant recommended prof quenby instead so we may also see her at a later date.

Hi apple, welcome and sorry for your losses. Sounds like a good idea to see Mr S without wasting time.

I'm sorry to say though that he will ask you not to try before getting results. This is because his standard treatment plan starts from ovulation and for many of us, me included, starting from a positive test result would be too late. I was similarly frustrated but conceiving and then miscarrying would likely "waste" more than one cycle anyway. Obviously it depends what your actual diagnosis is, but you won't know until you've already tried that month. It could be worth a gamble, and totally understandable given your age, but just thought I'd let you know what his official line is. Good luck!

Have now been for first appointment and lots of bloods taken! You were correct, he was insistent we do not ttc this month. Back in two weeks for results.

I had initially thought it would be tests/results/prescription, I hadn't appreciated we would have to go there for all the pregnancy scans and possible intralipids. I live in Scotland so this may not be very manageable. Obviously depends on results and if we get a baby at the end I'm not going to care about a few flights to London.

I have a feeling we may end up doing super ovulation (probably lowering ovarian reserve due to age). Does anyone know if they prescribe letrozole and you just do timed intercourse or do you have to go to Epsom for monitoring scans every month? If so , how many scans is it per month? And for the pregnancy scans do you have to go every two weeks? Surely some can be done locally? Aside from the travelling problem I was impressed with Shehata, he was to the point and very thorough. For the first time in this two year saga I actually felt that someone was trying to help as opposed to 'go away and try again'!

Hi apple that all sounds positive - hope you get some answers with your test results!

I did SO and there was a follicle scan the first month. I was lucky to conceive first try so don't know if he makes you have it every month. The scan is to check that your ovaries aren't overstimulated, so it may be that once you're on a good dose of letrozole you wouldn't need the regular checks. Also depends whether you ovulate well on your own, as the scan can be used to time the trigger shot.

I have found that they are pretty insistent on the regular scans in pregnancy, even though I don't see why they are necessary. You will likely be prescribed intralipids at 4, 8, 12 and poss 16 weeks, which must be done in the Clinic and they won't let you have them unless you've also had a scan first. For the interim scans - at 6, 10 and 14 weeks, you could hopefully argue that it's not necessary for you given the distance involved. Having to fly is so extreme! Best of luck with your results - keep us posted.

Hi apple,

I am not sure about the super ovulation but when I was in having my last intralipids, there was a lady in who was also from Scotland. She was in having her 1st intralipids (at 4 weeks/positive pregnancy test) she got told she could have her 6 week scan in Scotland at her hospital EPU. At 8 weeks she would have her scan back in Epsom as she would have intralipids.

Hope this help x

Hi all,

I think last time I posted about myself I was awaiting my horrible 3D saline infusion scan to check for uterine abnormalities. Well, I don't have any! All normal and ovaries looking great with 31 follicles confirming very high ovarian reserve for my age. Winner! Bloods all good too. But still no sign of a BFP after seven months so a bit confused.

Welcome @Apple04 and all the best for your Shehata journey. I will shortly follow up with a piece that I hope will be encouraging for you and some of the other 40+ Mumsnetters! I am a big believer in women being able to have healthy babies well into their 40s, partly because it runs in my family (aunt at 42, great grandmother at 43, great aunt at 45) and partly because my wonderful acupuncturist has her first and only child at 48! She says before the Pill women were having kids right up to menopause there is far too much scaremongering. Even the midwives who handled my last MC told me at 35 I'm a baby; most of their mums are in their 40s and they had a 50 year old naturally pregnant in shortly before me. I can totally see why it's best to get on with it if possible because we are all dealing with enough risks anyway, we don't want to increase our odds of having problems. But do keep the faith! (I totally sympathise with your TTC disruptions cos my DP travels a lot and we miss windows!) 😡

@Bala03 I am loving this emotion from your family! Knowing what you've been through it is so heartwarming to hear about your family's tears of joy as they look forward to meeting their first grandchild 💗 I just wanted to ask, when you got pregnant again, were you still off the Pred or did you go back on? I had a chemical pregnancy then a missed MC in November last year and Jan this year; back to back cycles each conceived on first attempt. We took a break but since trying again for seven cycles I have not got pregnant again. I have been on a different plan to Shehata's which involves being on a low dose of Pred all the time and I honestly think it has stopped me getting pregnant because before Pred I was successful each time I tried to get pregnant and that was less than a year ago and I've been assured fertility doesn't just drop through the floor like that. My doc has agreed I can try the Shehata way and only take Pred from ovulation next cycle.

@Drttc I'm figuring you must be about to hit 24 weeks now! Love that you're miraculously huge almost overnight! 😉

Hi apple and welcome to the group. I’m so sorry for your losses and hope you’ll soon be expecting again soon on Dr Shehata’s protocol.
How is everyone else doing?
We had a reassurance scan yesterday, so happy to have reached 10 weeks + 5 with a heartbeat and baby the right size. Feeling tantalisingly close now to reaching our 12-week scan. Usually we have to cancel as I always miscarry in week 12, but this is my first time on the seeming wonder drugs pred & heparin.
I was wondering if anyone else had felt rough when they started tapering down the pred after week 10? I’ve gone down from 20mg to 10mg this week and feel sick and tired, especially in the evenings.
Hope everyone is well!

Poppy wonderful, lovely news about your anomaly scan. You must be feeling so relieved

Thanks @ferntwist it is a huge relief! Was terrified it was something unfixable that I was born with and that everything has been in vain. But no! Hopeful again! Congratulations on your 10w5d; that's always an important milestone and your chances are so good with the added meds. You will be gearing up to announce soon! 🤗

Here's that encouraging thing. Sorry to post from the Daily Fail, but peace of mind is more important than intramedia politics ;)

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4849528/Stop-scaring-older-mums-risks-having-baby.html