Assisted conception after recurrent miscarriage part 6

[Arianrhod]

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

No I don't brown .. but I always assumed (stupidly no doubt) that OH would be there helping out. Well how's that going to happen if he has absolutely no clue what to do? Sigh. Presumably then he's planning to leave it all to me. Shades of my ex-husband, unfortunately.

village I had two ERPCs and 6 miscarriages in total before my hysto; I even had an investigative hysto under Mr S at which I was pronounced with a perfectly clear uterus. However, when I got out to Serum and was shown the DVD (yuck!) you could clearly see masses of scar tissue - it was a wonder anything even started to implant in there. Penny said nothing could ever grow properly in so much scarring.

I would strongly suggest you have a read of the wonderful Agate's Serum FAQ on the Fertility Friends forum www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=274114.0 (sect 8 specifically deals with hystos), and also of the 'Hysteroscopy - Athens Part 2' thread www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=317329.0 ... that's full of ladies who have had, or are in the process of being about to have a hysto through Serum. I would say relax, you'll be in excellent hands - I have never recovered anywhere near so well from a GA here in the UK as I did from that one in Serum, and don't worry about the language barrier, they're excellent in Greek hospitals (and the care is fantastic too). I would say take something to eat/drink with you when you go in, as they don't provide anything at the hospital (but bottles of water are dead cheap, at the hospital and elsewhere - cost me 50 cents for something that would usually cost a couple of pounds here!).

Ari thank you so much for these links - I will read them all assiduously. I want ALL the info I can get. So thank you, thank you! And I'm so sorry I didn't see your post about your DH before I posted - for some reason my MN page doesn't always refresh when I press the refresh button!! I'm amazed at his reaction. You must be a very patient woman! Perhaps, though, he feels he's had some practice in parenting already with your DD?

Ari I've been looking at Agate's hysteroscopy info on the first link and have a question. She writes:"Penny will usually prescribe some cyclacur (HRT) and antibiotics after the hysteroscopy and will discuss with you whether you need to take just the white tablets or the white tablets and then the brown tablets (usually you take the white tablets then the brown tablets but stop the tablets if your period arrives whilst you are taking the brown ones. If your period arrives when you are taking the white tablets, you normally stop the tablets for 4 days and then resume them) and whether you need any ‘resting’ cycles on cyclacur before you can do your next fertility treatment (depending on the findings from hysteroscopy)."

What on earth are these white tablets and brown tablets? Why would Penny routinely prescribe HRT after a hysteroscopy? Or does this only apply to women who are going on to have an IVF cycle? If you could shed some light I'd be very, very grateful!

Hi ladies I hope you don't mind me joining your group? I was just reading some extracts of your stories so far and I can't believe how strong you all are. You are a real inspiration!I've recently been to see dr and have been diagnosed with high nk cells. He has prescribed me with f/n injections of humira.... So my journey starts. Now that I have been diagnosed with these high nk cells I feel that the reality of this long process has finally hit me! I've had 4 previous mc and put the 1st 3 down to bad luck. I was just wondering if there is any advice you can give me or point me in the right direction of a reliable website that I could go on? I did do a google search and got overwhelmed and gave up. X

Brown only 2 days now till your scan, everything crossed for you for good result. I know logically with your levels you would have ideally saw more but logic doesn't apply in anything which involves pregnancy.
Village wow for booking the appointment with Serum and hysteroscopy. Must feel good to be proactive. I have no idea about pills but from what I read every clinic is using some sort of HRT to help with healing??? That is just my interpretation though. Have you ever had hidden C and other infections test done (from your period blood?)

Ladies, I just don't know what to think now. Although I stopped cyclogest (and pred) on Tuesday after getting a negative on the CB Digi, and increasingly faint lines on all other tests, I'm still not bleeding. Did another FRER, IC and Sainsbury's HPT this morning just to reassure myself that all were fully negative now, and was horrified to see that the lines were not just still there but if anything slightly stronger. Did a CB Digi and it now says "pregnant 1-2 weeks" again. Think this isn't a chemical after all. I can't believe it's a viable pregnancy, but there's a chance that it's implanting and will struggle on for a bit. But I can't know for certain that it's not viable. This is just so grim. I'm back on the meds again - seems the only responsible thing to do.

Village it is so confusing isn't it? Did you end up having your repeat test on wed? Did you get your results? Really hope it is a viable one , fingers crossed

nanny no, stupidly I didn't go back for the second blood test as I was so sure that this was a chemical and that HCG levels were falling once I'd got the negative on the Digi. I'm kicking myself now.

Right, I've booked a scan for next Saturday, when I should be 5+4, with the local consultant who used to do early scans on me. We'll see what we will see. If it was a chemical then presumably we'll see nothing. If something implanted and developed for a bit, then there should be a gestational sac.

Village just my thought but could you still go have that blood test done on monday? And get a result from last monday? This way you would know by Wed what to expect...

That's amazing, Village! How long ago is it since you tested last (before today)? Do you think you released two eggs maybe and one implanted later? This was letrozole, wasn't it? How many follies did you have?
Welcome tmgs2005 and sorry to hear of your losses. Hopefully this treatment will be what you need. You've started with the Miscarriage Clinic's website presumably? What kind of information are you after? I don't think it necessarily is a long process. I had my DS on treatment very quickly (I was pregnant when I first went to see Mr S) so it can happen. I think a lot of us old-timers on here have multiple issues (old age in my case) so it really depends on what your problems are. You may be lucky straight away.

Are you getting positives on 'normal' 25miu tests now, Village?
The uncertainty is so dreadful, isn't it? I feel so guilty all day that I'm not really paying attention to what my actual living child is saying to me because I'm thinking about an unborn child who will probably never exist.

nanny you and I are having the same thought re blood tests! The tests need to be 48 hours apart, though - in a viable pregnancy there will be doubling over that period. I'm going to ring them up on Monday and see if I can't have the tests done this week after all, on Monday and Wednesday. Then I should have some info to take to the scan on Saturday. Thanks for that thought.

brown I feel so stupid, stupid!! I last tested on Tuesday, which was the day AF was due. The lines on my FRERs, IC cheapies, Superdrug HTP and Sainsbury's HTP were all fainter by then. CB digi had given me "pregnant 1-2 weeks" on Monday, and "not pregnant" on Tuesday. So I thought: that's it, no need to test again, there's a definite decline going on here.

But today the FRER line is actually quite respectable, the IC is darker than ever before, and same with the Sainsbury's one (which is 25miu - this line isn't a dark line, but you can see it, compared to the ghost that was there before). And the CB Digi of course measures 25miu and up too. So there's been some HCG progression; question is, did it surge a bit and then stop, or is it still happening? I feel guilty both because I didn't take cyclogest or pred for four days (though immune-wise I suppose I'd be covered by the hydroxy) and because I've been breathing in paint fumes all week while our outside window frames are getting redone. The pred is really my main worry - I'm just hoping I have enough stored up in my system by now to cover the break.

More than one Letrozole egg getting fertilised and implanting - is this even possible, at my age? I had three follies, but I've read that Letrozole doesn't produce multiples at the best of times. I suspect it's just the one embryo, struggling on. I still don't think that this is a viable pregnancy, but it does now look like an implanted and not properly developing one rather than a chemical. But still, I feel such an irresponsible fool! What if it had been viable, or even remotely still is!

I'm still holding out hope for your scan, big time. xx

tmgs2005 welcome, and sorry for the long rant above. You will find wonderful advice and support from the ladies on this thread. I certainly have!

You're not at all stupid. Who wouldn't have done the same, with a positive to a negative test? To be honest, only someone in total denial would have continued with the treatment in the face of that evidence - and you were also advised to do stop it. You did everything a sensible person would have done. What's happened is unusual to say the least.
Remember the pred stays in the system for a few days. Also, with my DS I even didn't start pred after I'd known I was pregnant for a few days and that was fine. I think I remember you saying your NK cells aren't particularly high and neither were mine (258, 6 years ago).
You say letrozole doesn't produce multiples, but then if this is still a viable pregnancy and one has already failed early on, neither would this be multiple pregnancy. You might have been none the wiser of anything unusual going on. But yes, I admit, it does sound unlikely. What other explanations could there be? Very dilute urine on the days with fading tests?
As Nanny so rightly said earlier, nothing is logical when it comes to pregnancy!
So what dpo are you now?
I would definitely go for the blood test. It will break up an otherwise interminable week of what ifs with a few hard facts.

Brown thank you. I'm 20DPO. If (when) this doesn't work out, I'll be all the keener to get to Serum and discuss our options for the future...

Just an update from me. Bleeding started today - so it's all over. No scans or blood tests needed this coming week. I'm just relieved to know where I am! Thanks ladies for all your kindness xx

I'm so sorry, Village. As you say, you know where you are now - uncertainty is a killer, but it's so nice to dream! All a very strange, saddening and exhausting experience.
I've been enjoying my last day of dreaming I'm pregnant and that it's all okay. Normally I'm desperate to know the bad news but this time I've not been wishing time away. It's so difficult to keep hope at bay, but I must remind myself that, despite the positive pregnancy tests, the sore boobs, lack of bleeding or pain, I'm 43 with a history of recurrent miscarriage and last week this pregnancy was measuring 4 days behind. Back to reality tomorrow!

Village so sorry. Loads of hugs.
Brown will be thinking about you tomorrow am
Pebbles how are you doing? Fingers crossed for positive result when you test

It's odd really, but I think I've learned in this last week to enjoy pregnancy and to live with uncertainty. I've never been able to do this before. Maybe it's because this might be my very last time?

Thanks, Nanny. Where are you in your cycle now?

2DPO, ovulated on CD13! Think it is the work of Inositol. Decided to do FRER in 8 days...

Wow! I've just ordered some more. The first ones I ordered from Amazon were called vegetarian capsules in the title. When they arrived they had a label saying the same but I peeled it off and it said gelatine under that label! So they're going back and I've ordered some vegan powder. I'll probably peel off a label and find they're ground-down cows' bones.

Brown in all fairness I think it is a combination of things. Think it is the dose of thyroxine I am on as well. Also I read that sometims the intralipids can bring ovulation forward a bit....
But will carry on with inositol as it can't do any harm and is meant to help with egg quality and insulin resistance

brown I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. I so hope it's good news. xx