Assisted conception after recurrent miscarriage part 6

[Arianrhod]

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

Thanks!

Belly my hcg went up very slowly with my last pregnancy and I was told it wasn't viable but then at my next blood test it shot up and we went on to see a heartbeat so you never can tell. Also hoping the weekend passes quickly for you.

Arrived in Greece late this afternoon and appointment is Monday. Feels weird being abroad for a medical reason!!

Exciting pebbles good luck! It is strange isn't it but at least you've time to get your bearings and it's all so straightforward over there!x

pebbles hope all goes brilliantly tomorrow. Keep us posted if you can. Hope you've had a chance to settle in and perhaps see some of the sights.

Pebbles hope all's going well in Athens, please let us know what advice they give you
Belly is it today you have another repeat blood test - hope the numbers are really high if yes
Mel think you mentioned that you are using the CB digital ovulation test with dual hormone indicator? If yes do you always have 2 days of high and 2 days of peak? I started to use it this cycle together with cheap internet tests and am on 3rd day of hight even though I had positive on internet tests sat evening and yesterday and negative today. Very confusing...

Hi ladies .. Just popping in briefly to wish pebbles lots of luck today, and also to belly too for a good increase!

Hi ladies, bad news our end I'm afraid - level dropped to 40 so it's all over for us. Wasn't holding out a great deal of hope, but just don't know what to try next. We have 4 frosties, so we will probably regroup and give them a go. Ari don't want to hassle you whilst you are having such a tough time, but what did you do differently second time round? Will fire off some questions to the clinic in Spain and see what they say. Still no closer to becoming a mummy.

Pebbles hope you have got on well today and all the procedures went as well as possible. Has Penny got a master plan for you?

So sorry to read your news Belly, good that you have some frosties and hope your clinic have some ideas for you.

Well firstly my hidden infections test all came back clear so that was good news. Dh had sperm tests and initial findings are good and just need to see what the dna fragmentation results say tomorrow.
As for me I had an Aquascan (ouch!!) and my ovaries were all good but in my uterus is some scar tissue or adhesions which seemed to fill the majority of my uterus in comparison to a normal scan. Penny also advised I have some endometriosis in my uterus and she feels this could be causing the inflammation leading to high nk's and tnf-alpha. My pcos seems to be good and only slight signs, she feels we don't need donor eggs and should use my own. She said I am a very simple/easy case which is lovely to hear but by now I am very cynical and know things are never straightforward!
I am having a hysto tomorrow and had all my pre op checks done today which were so thorough compared to uk, even saw a cardiologist! Appointment 8am tomorrow but have to be there at 6:30. Everything happened so quickly that I feel a bit dazed!
Which hospital did you go to Ari? I am going to the Mitera which is only 10mins in a cab from Serum.
Thought Penny was lovely and all the reception girls were really helpful. She wants me to do a month of steroids before starting on a simple protocol and then have clexane , something which sounded like Letrezole, something to help with the inflammation and intralipids.
We decided we will give it one more go with my eggs as she seems so convinced we don't need donor eggs. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks for all thinking of me and hope everyone is doing ok.

Aw belly sorry to hear this didn't work out for you.
Yes nanny I use them, this cycle I had 2 flashing then a solid on wed day 11, this has now matched with ff which said wed too. Prior to that though at times it went straight to solid!
Not taking chances though I'm still Dtd a few more times after last cycle!!Internet cheapie was positive on tues and the pink 2 day notice was positive on the Monday. Yes abit obsessive using 3! In fact I'm thinking of buying the new advanced cb moniter but then not sure if the advanced tests are just as good!
Good luck! Keep going, I never test again after first solid as it just remains the same x

Belly I am so sorry, hope Ari will see your post soon, think this time she had donor egg and donor sperm. Think last time it was her OH sperm. But maybe I got it all wrong...
Mel thank you, am glad it's not just me using more tests. I would temp as well but work 6 nights a week + some daytime so can't take the temperature at the same time .
Pebbles it all sounds really really good - great you don't need the antibiotics. Did Penny say what is the cause of the scar tissue? Best of the luck tomorrow

Pebbles did that aquascan check your tubes as well?

Pebbles that's very positive. I went to yaia hospital which was 10 min in a taxi. Fingers crossed.. You wait til you see the DVD ;)
I never temp at the same time just when I wake up hence me using 10 million different tests!!

belly so sorry it hasn't worked out for you, I was convinced it would be ok. Just shows us that even with donor eggs there is no guarantee. I am sure you said that they have a 75% success rate with 3 goes so try to focus on that. I would think with that success rate they will have another plan of action for you. When can you try again?

pebbles glad its all going well for you in Athens - good luck!

Belly I think this must be a failed IVF attempt. What is furthest you ever got? If it is further than this then the issue can't just be down to your uterine environment? I hope there is a tweak before FET thinking if you x
Pebbles is there a chance you could also have a back up donor with your cycle so if the embryos aren't up to scratch you ca jump to donor egg in same cycle?

What I meant to say belly is this must be down to failed IVF attempt ( I had 2 and a failed FET) from 19 an 16 eggs collected respectively.... Then conceived naturally a month later so although feels like there is no way forward a failed IVF doesn't mean much at all is pure luck. But donor eggs does still at least give best chance of quality embryo. X

belly So sorry to hear what's happens, big hugs. Do bear in mind that even with perfect donor eggs and a perfect environment sometimes it just takes a couple of goes or so before it works. nanny is quite right in that we did double donor this time, since my body just won't tolerate OH's DNA. Protocol-wise I had low-dose steroids from 2 months before ET, upped to the equivalent of 25mg pred for a month before, Celebrex (anti-inflammatory) for a month before, Clexane and neupogen for I think 3 weeks before, and ILs 10 days before and on the day of ET. Oh and the endometrial scratch the cycle before ET, and acupuncture pre- and post-ET. But with all of that, who's to say what worked? I also had a semi-medicated cycle this time which I honestly think helped my lining (no down reg) although it did stop ovulation so no natural progesterone, only the pessaries/capsules.

pebbles Great to hear how you're getting on .. like mel I had my hysto at the Yaia but that was a year ago and I know they use a couple of hospitals now, both of which I've heard are as good as each other. Hopefully you'll be as impressed with the Greek care as I was .. and lucky you, you get to watch the DVD of the op afterwards! :) Fab to hear that Penny doesn't think you need donor eggs, and let's hope she's right about you being an 'easy' case! Has anyone ever said before that you have endo? Bit of advice if no-one's mentioned it, take something to eat and drink after the op with you, they don't give you anything (well they didn't when I had it done). Lots of luck!

belly I'm very sorry. The hope, then the disappointment - it's such a rough thing to have to go through.

Pebbles so glad you've got an action plan - it all sounds very forward-looking and positive!

Just got the results from Athens. Looks like I'll spend most of May taking antibiotics
At least one think off the list...

Watch out for the 'gotchas' with those anti-bs nanny ... ie, no dairy within 2 hours either side of taking doxy (assuming you are on doxy) and don't lie down within I think it's at least half an hour of taking doxy - so don't take it just before bed. Oh, and no alcohol, or at least very minimal (I couldn't get my OH to completely stay off it since we were on holiday when we were both doing the 25 day course!).

Well it turns out I am not as straight forward as Penny thought but seems we have an answer to my issues! Dna fragmentation on dh all perfect and healthy. Just watched the DVD with Penny and the surgeon, my uterus is in a dreadful state and amazing I have been pregnant at all. I have adhesions and scar tissue everywhere and a septum. He spent 45 mins trying to remove all the tissue but couldn't get it all so I will need another one. He will then spend an hour removing the rest and removing the septum then I have ivf cycle straight afterwards. Was v painful when I woke up so not looking forward to another but fab to get to the bottom of the miscarriage and immune issue. My ovaries are healthy and she said we must have strong embryos to have got pregnant with the state of my womb. V, v annoyed at nhs and new life for not picking this up!! I felt terrible afterwards, they have also put a ballon inside me until tomorrow to stop things sticking back together which I have to deflate by stringing the fluid out and then pull out, what fun!! I am very pleased to have a reason for everything and feel positive I have a chance of maybe getting a baby, well Penny said I will.

Nanny the Aquascan seems to just look at tho varies and uterus. Sorry about the anti b's, I also have to take doxy for two weeks.

Thanks for the tips Ar, also I have to take my hat off to you going to the Acropolis after hysto. I felt awful and had to have a sleep on park bench while waiting to see Penny. Have only just managed to eat some good just now.

Apologies for the me, me post!!

Oh pebbles poor you. But at least it looks like you found what the problem is, and that is really good. What was the furtherest you ever got when pregnant? Really shocked that you have a septum and noone noticed so far!
Actually just at my appointment as St. Mary's fertility clinic (which was supposed to be recurrent miscarriage clinic but GP somehow managed to refer me to the wrong one!!!) - and if I am to judge the whole hospital by the state this clinic is in I don't understand how they are ever able to treat anyone here. They can't find the appointment on their system!
Anyway, will stop complaining and look forward to some answers in Athens in June ( earliest I can go because of work)
Ari thank you for the tips, I generally vomit all the antibiotics I have to take so will see how I get on with it

Oh wow pebbles, you've been through the mill! Perhaps I didn't have anywhere near as much done as you did, which is probably why you feel so much worse? I did have a whole lot of scar tissue that they cut away, but they did get all mine in the one session so I'm guessing yours must be a whole lot worse. I've heard of those balloon thingies, apparently they work very well. So do you have to go back for a second one tomorrow? And is that going to cost you another €1500?? God I hope not! I know exactly how you feel about being annoyed that New Life didn't pick up the extent of the mess inside - that's exactly what I said when I had mine done, given that I had requested a hysteroscopy at NL (which Mr S incidentally said he didn't think I needed), they did one and said that my uterus was clear. Which was found not to be the case when I then had one done at Athens. It put you through a GA for no good reason, and how the heck do they miss all that scar tissue (and a septum?!)?

I guess you've still got the implantation cuts to be done once all the scar tissue is removed too - wonder if you get to watch a second DVD? It's freaky seeing scissors snipping away at your insides! :)

I'm sorry it made you feel awful, but so relieved not only that they've found what looks like the answer as to your problems, but that Penny thinks you must create v strong embryos - that's very positive for the next pregnancy! :)

nanny I know they usually say to take doxy on an empty stomach but I found that made me feel really sick so I always had mine with food (just not dairy). Would that help you, do you think?

Thank you Ari I don't do dairy anyway so all good there and take all my medication after meals ( was recomended that by my endocrinologist when I started to vomit thyroxine!!!)
Well shortest appointment in history is over, saw a lovely fertility doctor who rereferred me to the recurrent miscarriage clinic! As they always take forever it will definitely be after Athens.

It's incredible isn't it Ari, have list all faith in uk infertility clinics!!
I would need to come back for another hysto after my next period so next month but yes looks like another 1500 euros. Mind you is probably the best money I have doesn't on any infertility stuff so far!!
How are you doing and when is your next scan? Also how is your fil?

nanny the furthest I got was seven weeks so weeks in bit he my miscarriages. After seeing the dvd I am not surprised as room in there at all!
Sorry your appointment was a waste of time today, are you going for a hysto in June?

Aw pebbles, I too had a lot of tissue that was cut (something odd about watching scissors on the DVD!) but I didn't need 2 or the balloon, so pleased you've found your answer and here's to a positive outcome ;)
I'm def going to mention serum to oh when we go harry potter at the weekend for my bday treat ;)
He's In London today trying to deliver with a tube strike on!!
Apparently dr g only prescribes 3 months of treatment which I think is not fair really :/
Taking mum to first radiotherapy session tomorrow.
Thinking of you all x