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Infertility

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Assisted conception after recurrent miscarriage part 5

999 replies

Mel3062 · 14/09/2013 19:37

Hope this is right ladies ...

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brownstag · 21/03/2014 11:13

I'm probably heading for a fall, being insanely optimistic again about melatonin being a miracle drug for this cycle. Started taking pred 3dpo today. Dtd for 3 successive nights up to ovulation, with an extra outlier 5 days before. I'm really hoping, since melatonin is meant to be a master hormone and in control of several others, this means lower-down-the-chain boil-inducing DHEA is no longer necessary. I had much more CM this cycle.
How long until you can test?

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 11:48

Penny sets great store by insane optimism :) And why shouldn't it be the answer, something somewhere has to be?!

Next Thu is my test date, burying my head in the sand until then.

brownstag · 21/03/2014 11:52

Ooh, I hadn't refreshed when I posted, so didn't see your post about DHEA. Mmmm, tricky. I want to use it less anyway, so if melatonin can help me do that, all well and good. from my point of view, I had no pregnancies while ttc without DHEA, but 3 miscarriages with it. Which is better? Confused But my longest-lasting pregnancy was when I was on the highest dose of DHEA.

Mel3062 · 21/03/2014 12:17

Can't wait for my dhea results then :/
Yey duggs amazing news!!!

OP posts:
Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 12:50

Found these:

www.lifeextensionvitamins.com/dhrethpa2.html
www.naturalnews.com/010396_DHEA_anti-aging.html
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487697

So it does seem to boost NK cell levels. But one wonders, if you're taking pred at the same time, would the combination of the two normalise out your immune system? You stop taking DHEA on a BFP anyway - perhaps it would be enough? It does appear to boost egg quality; were I TTCing naturally, I think I would take it for a short period anyway, with the fact that I know I have low levels of DHEA.

Pebbles73 · 21/03/2014 13:18

Fantastic news Dugg am so pleased for you!! Long may it continue.

Well Serum can fit me in next weekend but flights working out v expensive. Going back to original plans and will do infections testing early April and book Aquascan end of April and combine it with a four night break. Arii is it anywhere near the Acropolis??

BellyD · 21/03/2014 13:20

Wow Duggs fantastic news - yayyyyyyyy! What a bloomin' relief - one step further. So happy for you.

Interesting about the DHEA, Ari will read when I get a sec. We have started our real DE cycle...IVIG on Monday and off to Spain on the 3rd.

Keeping everything crossed for you Ari.

Good luck with whichever order you decide to do things in Pebbles. I collected mc blood (sorry tmi) for our hidden infection tests as I found AF too difficult to trap!

Hi Brown, Mel and Sue and any other lurkers

Pebbles73 · 21/03/2014 13:54

Fantastic news Dugg am so pleased for you!! Long may it continue.

Well Serum can fit me in next weekend but flights working out v expensive. Going back to original plans and will do infections testing early April and book Aquascan end of April and combine it with a four night break. Arii is it anywhere near the Acropolis??

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 14:04

Last minute flights are often more expensive pebbles, do book as soon as you have a definite appt date. And of course as we're getting towards better weather the prices will start to creep up too .. they weren't too bad when we went out last April, but when I went out on my own in May for ET they were much higher. But then of course that was also last-minute booking, so a higher price anyway.

Serum is about an easy 10 min walk to a metro stop (the metro is dead easy to use) and the Acropolis is right off another metro stop, so it's very easy to get to. That's what I did the afternoon of my hysteroscopy actually .. hospital early morning, back to Serum to go through the DVD, restaurant for a bite of lunch and then all afternoon wandering around the Acropolis. Shows how much easier on the system the GA and procedure itself was over there compared to the ones I've had over here, where I'm usually wiped out for a couple of days.

If you're doing a four-night break you might consider going down to the coast pebbles (also a metro stop :) ), I know quite a few of the FF girls do that. One on the March/April thread in fact moved her base from an apartment close to Serum down to the coast (she was there for an OE cycle so there for quite a few nights), she said it is much nicer :)

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 14:05

belly I meant to say huge good luck for your 'real' cycle! Are they doing anything different to encourage a better lining earlier on this time? You had the endo scratch, of course, which should help!

brownstag · 21/03/2014 14:15

That's annoying, Pebbles, when you want to get going. Still, it isn't that long to wait really.
Good luck, Belly. We'll be close on your heels to Spain on the 7th. As well as excited, I'm getting a bit nervous about the holiday: as if missing planes are not enough to worry about, I'm a bit concerned that my wig-wearing, and a suitcase full of more wigs and drugs are going to raise suspicion.

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 14:28

Are you going to the IVF Spain clinic as well then brown??

Loving all this excitement going on :)

brownstag · 21/03/2014 14:36

No, just on holiday to Benidorm! But I might have a look around.

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 14:48

Are you still having problems with your hair brown? Might be completely unrelated but I found taking DHEA did that to me also, but worst of all I was losing loads of hair with the adrenal problems. Within a couple of weeks of starting back on steroids (dexamethasone and pred) it slowed down, and now I'm barely shedding hair at all, virtually none. The steroids of course provide the cortisol that my adrenals cannot right now, so I'm dreading what will happen when I stop taking the steroids again (sounds an odd thing to say, given how much we all hate steroids!) but then again, I'm hoping that won't be for another 10 weeks or so ;).

Just a thought, I'm sure you being the testing fan like me have probably already tested your adrenals, but just in case you haven't it might be worth looking at?

brownstag · 21/03/2014 15:04

The hair loss is awful, yes, and I don't show anyone my real hair any more and don't like to look at it myself. I haven't got anything tested as I've assumed it was the DHEA + miscarriage rollercoaster of hormones. But I am thinking I'd really like my hair back now so may well go to the doctors and get checked out, thanks. By the way, I don't notice it falling out - it just seems to have disappeared without my noticing it.

Arianrhod · 21/03/2014 15:51

Do bear in mind that doctors don't do the 24 hour adrenal test, if you were considering getting that checked. And they largely don't recognise adrenal exhaustion, unless you have it to an extreme so that it's become Addison's.

Pebbles73 · 22/03/2014 12:57

All booked for Serum! Going on the 27th April for four nights so going to Serum 28th April. Going mid week to weekend about half the price and staying by Puraeus harbour so couple of little beaches and lots of restaurants and cafés round the harbour. I phoned Serum as changed the dates twice due to finding cheaper deals and they were really lovely about it.

How are you feeling Ari? Thanks again for all the info.

Waves to all.

Mel3062 · 22/03/2014 13:10

Yey pebbles!! Exciting ;)

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duggs1976 · 22/03/2014 13:13

Brilliant...pebblesGrin hoping it goes well and you enjoy some of sunny Athens too x

BellyD · 22/03/2014 17:50

Glad you are all booked in Pebbles - how exciting!

See you in Spain, Brown Wink

Arianrhod · 22/03/2014 22:49

Fantastic pebbles, with being at Piraeus you could also hop over to one or other of the islands for a day if you feel like it! Exciting times :)

Me, well I was doing so well with being chilled, no worrying at all. Then Thursday afternoon the glands in my throat started hurting and my throat itself feeling sore, and it's still the same. Given that I haven't had so much as a sniffle in more than 2 years, and I'm not showing any signs of developing a cold or anything, this is freaking me out. I'm doing DD specifically because my immune system zaps anything to do with my OH because of our DQa match and with all the meds I'm on I really hoped my immune system wouldn't react to DD embryos. I'm already on 2mg dexamethasone and 10mg pred, alongside intralipids, neupogen and sairei-to, I honestly thought that would be enough but now I'm worrying my body is killing these embies off too.

I've been getting mild cramps on and off since yesterday (or the day before, I've lost track) which I wasn't concerned about and some very odd slight discharge (sorry, TMI warning) when I got up yesterday morning (it wasn't brown or red, but a very dirty grey. I've never seen anything like it!) which I don't know what to think about - I've never heard of implantation blood looking like dirt!

I've sent a quick email to Penny asking her thoughts but I'll confess I am worried now. My silly immune system is supposed to be suppressed! So much for being nice and relaxed about it all.

Mel3062 · 23/03/2014 05:16

Ari,Hope penny can ease your mind alittle soon. Hopefully the cramps are a positive sign.
I had my intralipid yesterday by a nurse at home, took 2 and
Half hours so may ask for it abit quicker next month! Still should be cheaper than a London visit or h at h!
I've got an annoying cough, debating if to get antibiotics or just sit it out :/ always difficult to know what to do.

OP posts:
duggs1976 · 23/03/2014 05:31

Ari I would say that is a sign your immune system is suppressed across the board hence the sore throat? I usually get a cold sore or two in v early pregnancy as my immune system overloaded when trying to accept embryo? We r susceptible to colds, infections, food poisoning etc when we r pregnant because of it? Surely that has to be a good sign? As for grey discharge dr Google says it can be a sign of infection if itchy or smells bad or else just another form of white discharge which is hormone related. Don't think yours is itchy so I guess it isn't anything sinister. The quality of the embryos are excellent and both DNA is foreign to your body so with the drug cocktail you are on surely it is fine tuned enough to at least let them implant? I v much doubt your body would kill them off this quickly. Did u have intrallipids too? I'm sure Peny knows what she has given you will get those embies at least to implantation stage and then as far as they can go... Hopefully 38 weeks later.

Arianrhod · 23/03/2014 11:46

duggs I hope you're right, but last cycle I know my immunes started flaring up about the same time (although it was my psoriasis that reacted then, I didn't get a sore throat) and that stunted the one embryo that implanted right from the start. So yes unfortunately it can attack that early. Even with all the immune suppressing stuff I've been on, when DD and OH have been down with really heavy colds I haven't got even so much as a sneeze so it's unlikely (although not impossible) that it is an actual virus. Penny has told me to increase my steroids, doubled the dexamethasone which is the equivalent of increasing by a further 13mg pred, so I'm now on the equivalent of 36mg pred from today. I'm just praying if it is my immunes then it's not too late since I've had this 3 days now. Yes I'm also on intralipids - but you know, Mr S's NK cell testing doesn't do the test with ILs and IVIG to see how your body reacts like everyone else does, so we actually don't know that ILs work for me.

incidentally Dr Google seems to think you can get a grey discharge from using cyclogest in the visitor's entrance, I've only ever used it in the tradesman's entrance before so never encountered it before. I'm assuming it's that. How pleasant! :)

mel They usually do intralipids slowly the first time you have them with a different place to make sure you don't have any problems, then subsequent ones are usually faster.

pebbles I meant to say in my PM, one thing about Athens that did surprise me is that it is all so run-down, at least that's how it looks to me. The little road that Serum itself is in looks like some dodgy backstreet dump!

/waves to everyone

duggs1976 · 23/03/2014 15:25

Well Ari dr S would have you on 40mg pred anyway so being on 36mg shouldn't be too out of the ordinary. How many dp transfer are you now?