Assisted conception after recurrent miscarriage part 6

[Arianrhod]

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

I forgot to say re the pred village, I was recently taking 25mg for nearly three wks during ivf and was told by Mr Gafar to just stop taking it and no need to wean.

Pebbles I was wondering the same. I sent mine on monday, was showing it was in greece to be delivered on wednesday and nothing changed since then...
Which one are you having done? Or did you ask for both?

village sorry to hear you are in limbo. I also have had 2 chemicals, both on the SO programme. Both of them were the same as you - faint line on FRER that didn't get darker and a not pregnant on clear blue. It drove me mad not knowing, so yours is no doubt doing the same. If it's failed you would rather know and get over it to move onto next month. Louise told me that you have to taper down if you are on 40mg for more than 14 days. Seems a pain but I would continue on all meds for a few more days and do another test just incase it is a slow riser. Generally for me, slow rising pregnancies have always failed but I know other women where it has been ok. Only time will tell.
Louise also told me the frer tests should get darker every couple of days in a normal pregnancy.

Weird how mr gafar and Louise tell people different things on tapering pred!

Thank you so much ladies for all this information and for your support.

Duggs I tend to agree with you that anything under 25miu at 16DPO isn't viable and that this isn't going to go anywhere - in all my past 6 pregnancies I've had a strong positive at 12 DPO on a 25miu test which then got stronger and stronger every 48 hours or so. This very faint line on a FRER which just goes nowhere after a week simply does not look right.

Pebbles, Sue, thanks so much for the pred weaning info. I think by the sound of it Mr G's advice is consistent with Louise's. The picture I'm getting is that if you're on 25mg pred for up to about 3 weeks, you can just stop dead, but that you need to wean after anything longer than a fortnight on the higher 40mg dose. I've been on the 25mg for 16 days... So could possibly just stop. The trouble with reducing by 5mg per day is that I have the single 25mg tablets. How do you reduce by 5mg, ladies, do you break them into quarters? I wonder if reducing by half a tablet at a time is an alternative?

I really do appreciate all your support. You ladies have been a godsend. I've never had a chemical before (I always miscarry silently at around 7/8 weeks and then find it out on a 9-week scan) and I'm not sure if this is better, or worse. On the plus side, it's very early and I hope my body will deal with it and get back to normal in the next week or so. On the down side, I now wonder if this indicates that I have egg quality issues (possibly age related) and if it's the beginning of the downward slope. I guess there's just no way of knowing whether or not this is a rogue chemical, or the beginning of a pattern, other than by trying again. Duggs I'm so incredibly pleased for you that you've had success after so many chemicals and other mcs, it does show that it can happen (even if it doesn't eventually work out for me). Reading your news over the last few weeks has always made me smile; it's just bloody brilliant.

Sue I wonder if chemicals are more common on SO? Or if the fact that it's older ladies rather than younger ones who tend to have SO might contribute to that?

Thanks again everyone.

I have often wondered if SO produces more chemicals as it certainly did with me. Nlc don't seem to think so though. You do get more chemicals at an older age but you will have no way of telling if its an egg quality issue.

Sue and any other ladies who got a chemical while doing SO - did you just treat the bleed as the start of your next cycle, and carry on with letrozole straight away, or did Mr S ask you to take a break for a cycle?

Just tested with another FRER and the line is gone now, so hcg must be well below 12.5miu. No doubt whatsoever that this is a chemical. I am going to stop the meds. I'm guessing I could expect a bleed in 2-3 days?

Ladies I'm now wondering what to do if AF arrives tomorrow (unlikely but just about possible). In that case, should I start letrozole on Monday (which would be CD2), just as if I'd never been pregnant and this last cycle with the chemical was just another unsuccessful SO cycle? I'll phone in to Mr S on Tuesday but just need to know what to do on my own steam before then, if it comes to it! Any advice much appreciated!

I had two chemicals in a row on SO so was told to take a break for three cycles after the 2nd one. Seemed like such a waste of time but I then conceived the first month back of trying. Both of the chemicals only lasted about a week so very short lived. I would be tempted to do another SO round straight away.

I didn't do SO to get my bfp btw, that one was a natural one. I am not sure if SO just pushes out eggs even if they are crappy and the body would normally naturally reject them. Mr s doesn't seem to think so but there seems to be quite a few chemicals whilst on it.

Thanks so much Sue - so I take it, when you say you had two chemicals in a row on SO, that you went straight ahead with another SO cycle after the first chemical? I'm tempted just to go ahead and do another SO cycle straight off. Really hope AF won't arrive before Mr S is back on Tuesday and can tell me what to do.

Yes Louise told me to go ahead and do a 2nd SO round after my first chemical. I think the problem is more with the continued steroids use than the back to back letrozole. I doubt your af will arrive that quickly as you will still have small amounts of hcg in your body.

I really appreciate all this info, Sue - it really helps to know what to expect. Thank you. Hope you are doing ok.

I am having both done nanny are you? Is very frustrating that it's not been delivered yet!!

Hope you are doing ok village.

Yes Pebbles both of them. 2 of the tests they do I have issues with ( those which are causing bacterial vaginosis) but I was always told by all the doctors that that can only cause problems late in pregnancy. Now Katie said that it can actually cause early miscarriages!!! To say I am not happy with the advice doctors gave me so far is putting it too politely.
Curious to see if they find anything else.
It is strange your's hasn't arrived yet. I kind of expected mine would only get there after easter but you sent yours much earlier.
Hopefully we won't have to resent it again

Thanks Pebbles. I'm trying to rally! When do you go to Serum? Am I right in thinking you're having DE IVF, like Ari? Sorry if you only posted about this recently, my head is a bit of a fog right now.

Village sorry for your loss, however early it is, it is still a loss.
I spent most of yesterday reading / googling about chemical pregnancies. There doesn't seem to be any answer to what is causing them.
Some seem to think it is chromosomal but other say the reasons are exactly the same as with other recurrent miscarriages.
I am very interested in this for personal reasons as I never got past just over 5 weeks in any of my pregnancies ( and was pregnant 10 times in 3 and half years we TTC).
Statistically ( according to Susan Rousselot in her book Avoiding miscarriage) 'only' 20-25% of recurrent miscarriages are caused by chromosomal problems ( as opposite to 50% or random miscarriages). It is a great book to read as every chapter about different reasons has a short self assessment form which I found really helpful.
Also according to her book most ( over 30%) of recurrent miscarriages are caused by immunological disorders.
I never had SO so that is clearly not a cause for me.
Sorry for this post about me me me, just wanted to say that it is really sad when this happens and it is normal to be upset afterwards so please take your time to deal with it emotionally. Physically there is no pattern, really. Sometimes my bleeding was very light and short, a few time very heavy and lasted for 10 days ( normally my periods are 5 days). A year ago I actually ended up very anemic and had to take iron supplements for 3 months to get back to normal. Sometimes I had positive test during the bleed but never once it stopped.
Big hug and
and Happy Easter to everyone

nanny thanks so much for posting this; I didn't know these statistics. This was my first ever chemical (I usually miscarry around 8 weeks). I'm so sorry you've been through such early losses so many times now. Are you going to try IVF with Serum next, or will you try unassisted again? There seems to be such a lot of good feedback about the clinic on the fertility boards.

Thank you Village. We plan to have done any tests we haven't done yet at Serum and take it from there. If nothing works I am quite keen on DE IVF - but as I said it depends on the results.

Belly thinking of you today if you test and hope it's good news! X

Oh belly yes thinking of you Ari how are you doing honey, you've been quiet lately. And need from DH on the twins? I hope his dad ok..

And need = any news

nanny Serum sound very thorough - I'm sure you'll be in good hands there and that they'll find a way forwards for you!

belly thinking of you for the testing!

AF started today, so my chemical is officially over. Question now is whether to start letrozole again tomorrow and do another SO cycle, or try unassisted. Hope to get some advice from Mr S and his team tomorrow once the office reopens.

Hi ladies. Hope you are doing ok Village. Also wondering how Ari and the twins are getting on, plus OH-in-law.

So here's the thing. Tested this am which was 10pt 4dt on a clearblue digital and got a not pregnant. Gutted. Bought some frer this pm and tested and there is a feint second line but def a line. Now not sure what to think, so am going to try and stay calm...and test again first thing in the am. It's a month since I had IVIG today so need to sort out another if this is a proper bfp. Am going to book blood test with ZW regardless for Weds which is Otd to get an idea of what is going/has gone on if it turns out to be a chemical. No real symptoms today apart from boobs getting a bit tender. Will keep you posted and thanks for asking after me. Hope you all had a good choccy filled Easter. X

P.s. was so pissed off with clearblue digi I had prawns for lunch - arghhhhh!