Prednisolone and covid 19

[Lisboa21]

Hi, any advice appreciated.

We're very lucky to have a 2 year old DD from 4th cycle of IVF. As our first 3 cycles failed despite transfer of good quality 5 day blasts, prior to our 4th cycle had full immune testing (one of the Care clinics) resulting in use of prednisolone, intralipids and clexane on our successful cycle. Sure enough that cycle worked, will never know if immune treatment made the difference or just a change in our luck.

Now going back to clinic for FET as we had 2 frozen embryos from last cycle, but been told HFEA have advised against use of prednisolone during coronavirus pandemic due to risk of lowering my immune system.

Anyone else in a similar boat? Just wondered what other clinics are advising on this at the moment? Can see the reasoning but feel frustrated because no idea when rules will change!

Thanks

Yes there is pretty much a blanket ban on the use of prednisolone due to covid because it lowers your immune system - I was told if I wanted to take it then I'd have to Wait a year or maybe more to do my FET. I used it for my previous 3 transfers (2 BFN and 1 ectopic). I decided to go ahead without it and am now 12 weeks with twins so clearly didn't make a difference to my cycle!

Some clinics will let you take it but from what I've heard there isn't many x

@ivfdreaming Huge congratulations on your pregnancy, that is wonderful! Hope everything goes smoothly for you from here.

Thanks for info. Wow, a year before I can take prednisolone doesn't sound good but as coronavirus isn't going anywhere fast then I can see why your clinic warned you that might be the case.

The other option I've chatted to my consultant about is do another fresh cycle and to hopefully bank another couple of embryos then do the FETs when things better with covid. I'm nearly 39 so time not at my side to do more fresh cycles in future if needed.

It's a dilemma , just don't want to change the formula that finally worked for us. Nothing is ever simple in IVF is it?!

Is anyone at the clinics that use a lots of immune treatment eg ARGC or CRGH? Just wondered what they are doing at the moment?

Someone in the IVF thread I was in for May/June I'm sure was at ARGC and they were having intralipids (I think they may also have been able to take prednisolone)

I know someone who is starting her FET soon and is on steroids to prepare for transfer in a couple of weeks. She's at Create. So I think clinics can do it still.

@VenusStarr

I know someone who is starting her FET soon and is on steroids to prepare for transfer in a couple of weeks. She's at Create. So I think clinics can do it still.

I was with Create and it was a flat out no to using prednisolone.

It may be different however if you have a confirmed auto immune disorder rather than just taking them speculatively as part of treatment (which was my case)

I have a confirmed auto immune condition and my nhs clinic have flat out refused pred for my single ivf round until I've had multiple miscarriages (and given how I've not been able to get pregnant for four years that's not likely to happen!).

I think that's policy rather than corona though.

If I go private after this I'll insist on pred.

@ivfdreaming she does have raised thyroid TPO antibodies. I've just remembered there's another person I've been chatting to and she's doing a FET later in the year and will also be on steroids, recurrent mc but no autoimmune issues - same clinic.

@79andnotout same for me, my nhs funding won't cover it, but if we aren't successful first time round, we'll go private and I would like to add in steroids (I do have a recurrent mc history but no confirmed answers).

Yeah same here @VenusStarr. Hopefully this cycle gives some answers for both of us, and if it doesn't work we can take our results to the next clinic and get a more tailored approach.

Interesting to hear these replies. Sounds like most clinics aren't prescribing at the moment. We're seriously considering going ahead with a FET without the steroids. The evidence for their use is very sketchy anyway!

Good luck with your treatment @79andnotout and @VenusStarr.

Hi all I read your posts and wondered if I could ask how high your killer cells were? I'm on my fourth FET cycle now after 1FET ended in MC and two failed FETs. My NK count is 1.7m (apparently up to 1m is normal) - and I don't really want to take steroids because of Covid risk so am looking for people who had high killer cells but still got pregnant without steroids. Any info at all would be much appreciated.

Hi I did take steroids in the last year and I know lots of people who have even with covid about. I didn’t notice any lowered immunity ( my ds was ill a lot and I never caught anything) I was on a fairly high dose as well of 25mg. My other clinic would only go up to 10mg. I was told that I needed to be careful and not socialise loads etc

Hi, I'm the OP but have name changed since I started this thread. I'm afraid I can't remember how high my NK cell count was. But we actually decided to go ahead and do a transfer without steroids. It was successful and I now have a second baby, we have been so lucky.

So I guess it wasn't steroids that worked for us in the end!

Oh wow congratulations op!!! X

@Smiler79 Thank you!