Assisted conception after recurrent miscarriage part 6

[Arianrhod]

Part 5 here : www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility/a1852840-Assisted-conception-after-recurrent-miscarriage-part-5

Wow so you could be having your babies in about ten wks, seems to have flown by although I am sure for you it hasn't! [smile ]

No change really in protocol, different type of progesterone as changed to Utrogestan but that's it.

Hey Ari nice to hear an update :-) pebbles you are such a trooper. Sound like a good plan - FET then I guess if you do go down donor egg route you wouldn't have to go through all the worrying about embryo quality and if that also failed from proven donors you knew you were making the most obvious choice so you guys could become parents. I know isn't that simple- but it is logical. How is belly D ? What r ur plans next do u mind me asking ? Think about u guys a lot. X

Pebbles best of luck for the end of this month!

Brown re SO: feels like a million cycles but I've only had 7. Doing another SO cycle now.

pebbles Utrogestan pessaries, or oral? Or both? I had both - well, I actually asked to have it both ways as my progesterone was low on the day of the transfer. Actually I ended up having utrogestan orally and cyclogest pessaries ... using the 'tradesman's entrance' since I started getting irritation from using the 'visitor's entrance'! You're going to monitor your progesterone levels, right? If you ask Serum they'll check it on your ET, if you're as obsessive as me of course :)

pebbles best of luck with FET.
Was thinking about you a lot, how you were doing. Really hope this is the one which will work for you

Thanks village, best of luck with your super ov too.

Not sure which kind they are giving me, I thought they just came in tablet form and that you generally used them as pessaries. Well that's what I gathered from googling!

They checked my progesterone last time and were happy with it.

Thanks nanny, how are you getting on?

Have been wondering how you are getting on as well Belly, hope all is ok.

They come in small (well, small compared to cyclogest!) softgel capsules pebbles, and you can take them either way .. although the friendly pharmacist at my local Asda had never heard of them being taken orally before. Think I was something of an education to her all round. :)

belly yes I was wondering how you're doing too??

Hmm, I have a box of utrogestan at home and after reading the leaflet I found out they have peanut oil in them. Not happy as am alergic to peanuts. Glad I checked before I used them.... pebbles would you mind checking yours once you get them to see if they have peanut oil as well - I got mine abroad. And yes they are exactly as Ari described them. Was also told they are really good...
I am fine thank you. Have first appointment with dr Ndukwe at Zita West next tue, just filling out the form - longer than St. Mary's one!
5DPO cant wait to start testing

Hi all, I am here, but just really hectic. Thanks for thinking of me. Will post properly tomorrow pm, but just wanted to say to Nanny definitely don't take the utrogestan if you are allergic to peanuts (I am too). I have to take prontogest injections (similar to gestone, I believe). Do you need something stronger than cyclogest?

Thank you Belly I always check before I use anything. It's unbelievable where everywhere they put peanut oil. I don't even know if I need extra progesterone, it is just something my new acupuncturist mentioned. As I am trying naturally noone ever tested my progesteron levels when pregnant. So I though I would test his theory and take progesterone for a couple of cycles. If it helps - great. If not - well it won't do me any harm...Cyclogest makes me very sore so am not keen on that. So am taking my progesteron tablets instead.
Did you ever have any issues with intralipids! Because of your peanut allergy?

nanny Without wishing to be overly personal ;) , does cyclogest make you sore in the 'visitor's entrance'? If so (that's what it did to me), I'd recommend the 'tradesman's entrance' ... ok, so it's not a pleasant thought, but I found it works well there and no irritation, soreness, or that yucky 'fall-out' you get from using it elsewhere! Just my tuppence :)

Nanny as ari said I find itch better generally using the tradesman entrance as had also made me sore in the past using visitors! Let us know how you get on with the appointment, the firm filling drives you mad!!

Thank you ari and pebbles . I have the most annoying piles though and just the idea of putting anything there... Well, tablets it is for me and if I need sonething stronger will have to get the injections. Are they quite expensive? Hope they dont use peanut oil in the injections as well

They're shockingly expensive nanny, I won't lie to you! And check the ingredients carefully of whatever is prescribed to you, as some of them do indeed use peanut oil as the carrier.

Hi All, sorry I have been so quiet, I have been lurking but since my hysto I have just been waiting out my six week recovery period and taking the HRT. I go back to the consultant on the 25th, I am praying that everything has healed properly so that we can go back to Spain, hopefully in Oct for a FET. For anyone who has had a hysto did you very light bleeding afterwards for a month? I did until I started taking the progesterone a couple of weeks ago. I'm a bit worried it means I wasn't healing properly and sometimes it was mixed with ewcm (sorry for tmi)

Pebbles so glad that you are able to go back for a FET so soon. Do Serum take over control of your cycle or does the transfer take place as part of your natural cycle?

Duggs and Ari I can't believe that you guys don't have too much further to go. Like Pebbles says, it seems to have flown by. You guys will soon have your hands full (quite literally) what will we do without you?!

Village best of luck with this SO cycle. I hope it is 8th time lucky for you.

Nanny have you decided what to do about taking the progesterone?

Mel and Brown not 100% sure where you are in your cycles, but sending loads of positive vibes.

Sue still so over the moon for you. Hoping ZW work their magic for me too.

Can I ask you ladies who are having No 2 or 2&3 at the same time Do you think you have a little more faith in your body, in that you know you have managed it once, so that your body definitely can carry a baby. I think I have a mental block because my body has let me down so many times.

We have had a holiday have a big building project about to kick off at home which have been very welcome distractions. Although I am worried about spending the money on the build in case we need it for more fertility treatment/surrogacy, which is obviously more important, we can't keep our lives on hold forever.

belly I had light bleeding on and off after my hysto until my AF started, I don't remember exactly how long but a month sounds about right.

Well not sure about hands full anytime soon, but I do know the hospital are p*ing me off something chronic. If one more person tells me this is a very high risk pregnancy I think I shall scream! My blood pressure is stable and pretty darned good for a person 28+4 pg with twins (101/68 this morning), I'm not showing any signs of anything untoward and feel absolutely fine, yet they keep on and on about the 'multitude' of risk factors I have, and I'm being tested repeatedly for everything under the sun. Honestly, I do appreciate they're taking good care, but the consultant's registrar this morning (never see the same registrar twice, and never the actual consultant) pretty much accused me of not being cooperative ... this, after having spent 2 hours at the hospital this morning alone! This was because the haematology dept messed me around back in mid-Aug when I went in to get bloods taken prior to an appt with the Head of Haematology (a Professor who apparently is something of a God in there), having been told I had to go three days before the appt, and when I turned up they said 'oh no, you have to come three weeks before your appt, please reschedule your appt'. I tried, and was told there wasn't another appt until the end of October, 2 weeks before the babies are due! All this because no-one there particularly understands MTHFR homozygosity. So I said don't bother to the rescheduled appt; registrar this morning was deeply disapproving, and even more so when she wanted me to come in on Monday for a ramp of blood tests and I said I couldn't get in on Monday as I'm not in the area, it would have to be a different day next week. She pretty much then told me I was being uncooperative, that they were doing their best to take good care of me but they needed me to show some cooperation!

I now have to go back on Tuesday - all morning, and possibly part of the afternoon - for 2 lots of bloods to be taken (28 week antenatal checks - which they hadn't told me were necessary prior to today - plus bloods for the good Professor), a GTT test despite my having no risk factors for gestational diabetes, and then I have to wait to see the Prof himself, despite the fact that the results of the blood tests he insisted on having done won't be received till the following day.

Sorry, rant over, they really p*d me off this morning. Apparently the babies are fine, the pregnancy is fine, but I am at a 'very high risk'. Meh.

/waves to everyone

Sorry belly, I missed your question in my ranting! I actually have perfect faith in my body (damn sight more than the hospital do, apparently!) and I know it can carry with no problems. Equally getting pregnant isn't an issue .. the issues were, and are, with my immune system. I guess it all depends on what the issues for you in particular are. If it's down to immune response, then it's honestly not about your body's ability to carry a pregnancy successfully, it's all about suppressing your immune system from destroying a pregnancy before it can become established. Of course there might be additional issues presented along the way, caused by miscarriages - for example, the scarring that miscarriages and/or D&Cs can leave behind, which in turn can impede things like implantation. But that's still nothing to do with your body's own ability to successfully carry a pregnancy.

I sincerely hope (and trust!) that you get a chance to have this proven with your next cycle .. :)

belly I don't worry about my ability to carry a baby it's the multitude of other things passed the 12 week scan that can go wrong that scare me. I think it all depends on what experiences you have had as to how you worry. I'm guessing that ladies who have experienced a full term still birth will worry about that again and those who have terminated due to trisomies at 12 or 20 weeks will worry about that. Its natural to worry about not being able to carry if you havent experienced it yet but try to remember every pregnancy is different - I have different symptoms with this one compared to the other pregnancies. I am sure you will be fine with carrying once you get passed the awful first 12 weeks.

I have got my official 20 week scan on Monday at the Fmc so will spend this weekend worrying!

Hope everyone else is ok.

Forgot to say ari I have noticed a definite animosity towards me from so called specialised nhs medical staff when they realise I have had private immune treatment. At my last nhs scan with a foetal medicine specialist she first told me I had put on a lot of weight since the last time she had seen me (2 years ago) and then went on to rubbish immune treatments and had an argument with me about it. I was understandably nervous at this scan and she asked my DH if I needed to see a psychiatrist! She couldn't understand how I get worked up at every scan and thought it wasn't normal even though she was the one to perform the procedure on scarlet to stop the heartbeat!!! It was in the same room too so all the memories came flooding back. This was all before she started to do the scan!

I think nhs staff don't understand other treatments so can get very defensive about their position and beliefs even if they are proven to be wrong. Anyway, prove them all wrong ari as you don't need someone worrying you into a problem starting when all is fine! I thought they wanted to keep you calm when pregnant!

What an old boot, Sue! Dreadful treatment.
Belly, I feel personally it's the first 12 weeks that are the difficult part. After that I have faith that my body knows what to do. I think of it as an almost magical process that unfolds itself. Let's face it, a menopausal woman with a shrivelled-up womb can be made to have a baby with donor eggs. But as Sue says, the chromosomal and other problems are also quite terrifying.
Good luck for Monday, Sue.

Got a BFP this morning at 11dpo. I've decided internet cheapies are rubbish as it was negative on that; positive on Superdrug, First Response and Numark.

Brown
Sue that is horrible. Hope you don't have to see the same person on Monday.

Mmm, I'm a bit worried about these internet cheapies now. They're still negative although all other tests are positive. Clearly a dodgy batch - and I've been using them for months so maybe I've had other, brief, pregnancies I don't know about.
Anyway, last week a friend of mine was worried she was pregnant and came round and used one of the tests rather than shelling out on a First Response. It was negative. She has a coil so wouldn't be having periods anyway; her boobs had been tingly which always happens when she's pregnant.
But what is she really is pregnant? I don't know how to tell her without giving the game away about myself.

Brown, whispered congrats. Fingers tightly crossed. Have you decided what to do about your friend? Surely she will test herself again in a few days if there is no sign of AF (perhaps you should suggest that to her and hope she uses a different test this time?!)

Sue and Ari thanks for your words of wisdom and so sorry to hear your respective stories at the hands of the NHS. Sue, you are well within your rights to be nervous at this point, and until your baby arrives for that matter, after all you have been through. Good luck for your scan tomorrow x

Ari it seems everyone is conspiring to make life more difficult than it need be, especially as you seem to be doing so well. Your story about the bloods is unbelievable.

Although I am grateful to all those we have been to see who have done their very best to help us thus far, I am now of the opinion that however well intentioned, qualified and expert all these male specialists are, they really can have very little appreciation for the actual physical and emotional toll this takes on us all as they physiologically have never even experienced AF let alone a failed pregnancy. Is that a dreadful thing to say?

Not a dreadful thing to say at all, Belly. Just plain biological facts. Thanks for your congrats.
My friend has a coil so she wouldn't know. But I did casually mention that I happened to think the batch was faulty and she didn't enquire further. She said her boobs were no longer tingly. She's about to become a grandmother so really didn't want a fourth child of her own at this point!
Ari, I think part of the problem is that unfortunately/fortunately you are the best expert on your own health and fertility history now and it must be very frustrating waiting for everyone else to get up to speed. I don't know how you can keep track of all your knowledge. I was on top of mine but I've given up this year.

brown fantastic news! Keeping everything crossed for you. Will you be testing daily, or holding off for a bit? Or is that a wildly silly question?

belly thanks for your good wishes. I've just started another 2ww so we'll see... To answer your question, and to echo what other ladies have already said: I now have faith that my body can 'do' pregnancy as long as the immune treatment I need is in place. We're ttc number 3 and I feel that we have a chance if (a) I can get a healthy embryo on board and (b) if I can control those NK cells. At my age I actually feel that (a) is going to be the greater problem! Best of luck to you for FET!!

sue I really feel for you, dealing with such staggering insensitivity. Hope you can put it out of your mind and just focus on the next stage. Thinking of you for your scan!

ari it sounds as if you're doing amazingly well. Hope Tuesday is not too stressful!!

Waves to all.