Immune/NK cells - pred thread 29

[StillTrying10000]

Starting a new thread as the last was full.

@Conundrum12345 it means your body isn't very efficient at breaking down folic acid. I found this website quite good at explaining mthfr and the link to recurrent miscarriages: miscarriagehopedesk.com/mthfr-fertility-miscarriage/#two

You can't change your genes obviously but you can take methyl folate rather than folic acid, as it bypasses the steps in your body that breaks down folic acid. Some Dr's prescribe high dose folic acid (mine did) which I don't fully understand because the body can't use it very efficiently if you have an mthfr mutation.

I'm 11dpo today and did a pregnancy test this morning as my Ava tracker has shown a second temp rise which has been sustained for the last three days. To my surprise the pregnancy test was positive! I've started progesterone and pred as per my protocol...now to hope for the best and try not to panic!

@Sezmarelda1 tentative congratulations 😘 xxx

Congratulations @Sezmarelda1

I've had more bad news today. I'm due to ovulate but my lining was really thin and not triple layer. Feel like this is the end of our journey, I can't keep doing this. We're not even getting a chance any more 😪

@VenusStarr do you have Instagram? I follow recurrent loss Psychologist and I'm sure she had conflicting views between her IVF clinic and recurrent loss treatment specialist in relation to lining thickness with her last IVF transfer (she is now pregnant as a result of that just incase that would be triggering for you). It's a great profile x

https://instagram.com/recurrentlosss_psychologist?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Mums next keeps changing the link, between the words are two underscores if it doesn't work x

Profile below.
I'm sorry to hear you're going through this 😔 xx

Yes I do @FfayeN I've spoken to her a few times and know she transferred at 6mm but mine isn't getting to triple layer even though its a similar thickness, so it's not good for a transfer. Buy thank you x

Hi everyone

Apologies as I have been MIA. Unfortunately I had a lot going on in the last 2 months, I moved house, my father passed away, I had eye infection, then UTi and then hit by Covid! On top of that I'm on my 6th super ovulation cycle and feeling deflated as to why I'm not getting pregnant at all.

I had a quick read of this thread but there is just so much to catch up on. I just wanted to say I'm thinking of each and everyone of you and hope everyone gets some positive news on this already difficult journeys we are all on.

I have my super ovulation scan on Friday. Dr Edge upped my Letrozole dosage this month to 10mg from 5mg as I only had 1 follicle last month? I expressed my concerns with her regarding why I'm not not even getting pregnant when before I had no issues, only issues I had was holding onto pregnancies hence my miscarriages. Also, I am on lots more medication this time round than my last pregnancy and still nothing. She suggested I try the HyfoSo treatment where they put dye through the ovaries to see if there's any blockage so I will try this on Friday also. They did say they had someone who got pregnant after doing this after 10 superovulation cycles so fingers crossed it works 🤞🏼

I feel like this has financially drained me already but willing to try this and see if it works.

@VenusStarr my cycle before last my lining was very thin and I was put on Progynova and then at my last scan my lining was over 8 which was satisfactory. Have you tried this?

Sorry to hear that you're also having difficulties @Sophi81 ❤️

Yes, I was on estrogen and did a medicated frozen embryo transfer last October on 6mg of progynova and it was textbook, over 8mm. I miscarried that baby and had a d&c. The baby was healthy, so my immune protocol failed. I had a hysteroscopy with Mr Jan in April and he gave us the all clear to try again. I did a superovulation cycle in May with estrogen from early on but didn't get to trigger until day 20 and my lining was only about 6.1mm - it got to 6.7mm but shrunk. I had very faint shadowy lines at 12/13 days past trigger.

I tried another medicated transfer in June, exactly the same as before but my lining only got to 6.8mm so they increased my estrogen 8mg but my lining shrunk to 6.2mm and then was cloudy, so not a good environment for transfer, so the cycle was abandoned.
The scan I had today was completely natural as they wanted to see if I could have a non-medicated transfer but considering my follicle is 20mm and I'm ready to ovulate, my lining just isn't ready. They believe I'm producing enough natural estrogen because my follicle wouldn't have got to that size, but its not translating to growing my lining.

@VenusStarr awwww I'm so sorry to hear that😞Does that mean progynova stopped working second time? Sorry I didn't realise you were having IVF treatment. I don't know much about IVF but feel like I might have to go down this route if the dye test doesn't work😬

I'm just starting to think since I been on more meds something just isn't working anymore. Is that possible? 🤷🏽‍♀️ I just hate taking all these meds😩

I think I will probably get more answers at my next visit 🤞🏼

@VenusStarr sorry you’ve had that news today. Could they try a cycle with stim meds to see if that helps? Apparently that can be more effective than the meds used for a frozen transfer.

I wonder if the D&C’s did damage to my lining though I don’t think I have Asherman’s as my saline scan was clear. I get to a normal thickness naturally but it’s not always triple layer. I did get to triple layer on stim meds so that seems to work.

Thank you @Ifitistobesaid that's interesting. I did think about that (after we left the clinic! 🤦🏻‍♀️) But then I also thought if I'm going to do a stim cycle, should I just try and get any eggs? As we were thinking about more ivf and Dr S did suggest we try and bank embryos. But I'm so torn, if this ever works we will not be having a second, so I don't want embryos that I can't use. Plus I'm 39 soon, so feel like the door is closing anyway.
I think I'll try next cycle and if it gets cancelled again, maybe think about stims (with ot without egg collection).
I think my d&c has done something too 😕

We actually had a teary discussion about just stopping everything, but we've not done all this to only get to this point. Dh is really struggling seeing me upset 💔

@Sophi81 I hope Friday gives you more insight 🙏 I've spoken to a few women with Dr S who are having issues conceiving since starting meds.
My acupuncturist said we should just try this month anyway. I'm not going to waste any meds though, I want a month off hormones etc. I'm on hydroxy but that's all I'll do regardless this month.

I've spent the afternoon googling and apparently red wine is recommended 🍷 worth a try 🙃

@VenusStarr it’s a personal decision, we did do embryo banking to get some euploid embryos and buy us some more time while I try to sort out my issues, plus I struggle to fall pregnant naturally. My cycles were around the time I turned 39
so a similar age to you. If you decide not to do a retrieval I think they can modify the medication so you’re not on the full doses of stims (the stims medication alone can be very expensive).

Definitely have a glass of red wine tonight, you deserve it.

@VenusStarr I think the clinic will tell us to have a break after our next cycle for a month. I really hope this is the month I conceive as I turned 41 last month and I was hoping to be pregnant whilst I was still 40 😩 feel like my time is running out. Have you had any side effects from hydroxy? I was put on it back in 2020 and within a week 2 thirds of my hair fell out so I stopped taking it. Took almost 2 years for my hair to grow back. I was put back on it again in Feb this year and after a week my hair started falling out but I continued to take it for a month and then stopped as my hair situation just got so bad. Here we are 5 months later and I'm still getting large chunks of hair coming out. The clinic are saying it can't be the drug as that's long out my system. But can't be coincidence that both times my hair fell out. Only difference is this time it's still falling out 5 months later 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you @Ifitistobesaid 💕

@Sophi81 my hair has been breaking and much thinner since my miscarriages, so I'm not sure if the hydroxy is a factor but it's definitely not got better being on it.
I'm sorry you're having a rough time with it.
I hope that this cycle is positive, feeling like time is running out is awful :(

Tentative congratulations @Sezmarelda1 - fingers crossed this one sticks for you! How are you feeling?

@VenusStarr sorry to hear your news on your lining. I don't have any words of wisdom just sending hugs xx

@Sophi81 the hair loss sounds absolutely horrendous!! Can't believe the clinic are saying it's unrelated?! You've really been through it the last couple of months, sorry to hear this. Hopefully it's just all the bad luck happening all at once ready to make way for some good news. How many SO cycles have you tried? I am another one who stopped getting pregnant on the meds, we went straight to IVF after 7 failed cycles as couldn't stand the delay. Previously we had very little trouble catching. OH did have borderline high DNA fragmentation which may have caused some of the delay perhaps, but who knows. I'm now very early days with a positive test on first go of ivf.

@VenusStarr i would definitely say it’s the hydroxy that’s not helping with the hair situation.

@Amy00 hi Amy yes the hair situation is horrendous. I literally don’t have much hair left on my head and you can clearly see my scalp. Even my step mother in law made a comment about my hair which made me think why would you say that and make me feel even worse 🙄. But yes the clinic are saying it’s not related as it’s been 5 months now. I stopped taking the hydroxy but I think the damage is already done😩. I am on my 6th SO cycle but we going to also try the dye in the tubes to see if there’s any blockage.
omg are you pregnant? That’s amazing!! Many congratulations 😃. I have sometimes sat here and thought should I just scrap all this and go straight to ivf as time is just going by. And the amount of money we have spent I probably would have just been better off getting ivf? Did you got to Dr S or somewhere else?

@VenusStarr I'm sorry your scan didn't go well, I also have lining issues and previous cycles/ivf have been given progynova. However I had a natural (no meds at all) monitoring cycle with Argc before my ivf there and my lining was over 8mm and triple layer. My scan last month with Dr Edge also was over 8mm and a triple layer (no meds such as progynova). I'm a bit of a believer in all these meds can cause lining issues, I know clomid thins the lining so I'm just making an assumption that other ovulation induction meds may do and maybe that's why most of us are given progynova.
Anyway after doing research myself and seeing Mel Brown nutritionist as well as a Ayurveda Dr in Sri Lanka I drank beetroot juice daily or ate beetroot, pomegranate seeds too and my lining has been fine. Last month I had beetroot juice daily without fail and it was 8mm, triple layer.
I know we all get sick of trying all the internet advice but if you are going to ttc anyway give it a go? Pure beetroot juice drink about 200ml a day xx

Gentle congratulations to those who have had bfp's xxx

@VenusStarr what have you tried to help with lining issues? Want to avoid giving you suggestions if you’ve had them already. My clinic and nutritionist gave me some pointers for lining issues but I’m sure you’ve tried lots of things already 💛

Thinking of those of you with BFPs and sending you lots of love and luck 🥰

I'm so sorry it wasn't better news at your scan @VenusStarr . It really is difficult to know when to call it a day, especially when you want a baby so badly and have invested so much physically, emotionally and financially. I had a similar discussion with my partner and we sort of agreed that if I miscarry again (unless very early) we will stop trying, although I'm not sure I will be able to accept that tbh. It's very hard to let go of a future you want so badly.

I keep reading about women who conceived quickly before Dr S's treatment, but once on his protocol they stop conceiving. I'm under a different dr and she has me start progesterone and pred after a positive pregnancy test, rather than around the time of ovulation which is what I think Dr S recommends (please correct me if I'm wrong!). I wonder if there could be a link. We're all so different so it's possible some women respond differently to others on the same meds.

@Sophi81 that sounds awful about your hair falling out. I had some hair loss a few months after giving birth to my son (my one successful pregnancy) which I found out was to do with hormones. It sounds like it probably is the hydroxy for you given the timing but just putting the hormone idea out there as a possibility. I had bald patches around my temples which looked terrible but the hair did eventually grow back thankfully!

Hi ladies, for those of you having intralipids, would you mind sharing when these were given to you during your FET cycle/pregnancy? Thanks

@Sophi81 god what a nightmare with your hair. And the MIL comment !! 😡 hope you didn't take it to heart, maybe try and view it as another bump in the road to being a mum, and hopefully it will all grow back just is taking a bit longer this time!

I've heard the dye test can work wonders even if they don't find anything as it flushes it all out. So might do the trick! Fingers crossed for you.

We decided to skip SO and go straight to IVF as felt like we might as well go straight to what I feel like is the ultimate fail safe way of getting pregnant. I hadn't heard of SO outside of DrS' clinic so felt a bit borderline sceptical - logically it sounds like it should work and I know it has done for lots of people but for us personally we just decided to go straight to throwing the kitchen sink at the problem with IVF.

We went with a local clinic as Epsom is a 5 hour round trip for us and you have to have regular scans etc - they were fine about our decision to go local and put no pressure on us to go with them. I know they do do IVF at the CRP clinic but work with Kings to do the actual egg retrieval, growing embryos and transfers etc.

We signed up with Access Fertility on a finance package for 2 rounds which includes unlimited transfers (great if you get loads to freeze but we only have one extra and very grateful to have that!) - it cost £9,600 plus meds which were £1k. If this one ends in mc it is only a live birth that counts for the package so we would get to transfer the one we have in the freezer and also go another round of egg collection/transfers without paying any more other than the meds. Works out a lot cheaper this way if we do need two cycles and a bit of an overpayment if first time works but who cares just give me a baby - I'd pay double!

They do a package where they offer a refund if you don't get your baby after the number of cycles you sign up for. But anyone that has already had 2 miscarriages isn't eligible for that. Bit of a kick in the teeth but nevermind.

@MyEasterEggs for my fresh IVF cycle they said to do intralipids about a week before egg retrieval (so roughly same as a normal cycle, a week before ovulation). After positive test they want you in for intralipids at 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks. So once a month. For a FET they said to do intralipids 7-10 days before embryo transfer and then same plan.

Thank you @MyEasterEggs for my cancelled FET I did so much. I had 3 lots of electro-acupuncture, beetroot juice, beetroot salads most days, fertility yoga, daily walk (most days 40-60 minutes), Brazil nuts, vitamin E, pom juice, 2l water. Alongside my usual ubiquinol, aspirin, fragmin from day 9, etc.
My lining started at 5.7mm on day 9, was 6.8mm on day 13 (went up to 4 estrogen tablets a day), then shrunk to 6.2mm on day 16 after increasing estrogen to 8mg, no longer triple layered.