Faint positive 11dp5dt, faint again OTD. Help is it over?

[Lullabywish]

Hi Everyone, I feel at a total loss and I really need help. This is our fourth cycle, 3rd FET. 2 grade A embryos transfered I'm on Clexane, pred, prontogest, prog and cyclogest. I tested 11dp5dt and there was a faint positive. I've just tested again this morning as it's our OTD and it looks positive to me but still very faint, not darker at all, if anything possibly a little lighter than the first. Has anyone had this and then still had a positive outcome? Would any of the drugs I'm on effect a result. I'm at the end of my rope with all this any success stories or advice really welcome.
Thanks in advance

@Lullabywish Obviously make sure you're comparing the same tests.

If you're positive is v faint you might be having a chemical pregnancy. I had faint positives from 6dp5dt until OTD that weren't getting darker. Clinic confirmed through beta hcg my HCG was low. Follow-up beta showed dropping levels and confirmed chemical. Good luck

If you're worried I'd request a beta test

I'm sorry @Lullabywish. In my fresh cycle I had similar from 9dp5dt with a week of faint positives. My clinic did do my beta hcg a couple of times but it was a chemical pregnancy. Sending love xx

@2mumlife and @VenusStarr chemical pregnancy is my concern too. 😭

@Lullabywish Speak to your clinic. I'd never had a BFP before, but I went into blood test crying because in my gut I just knew it wasn't right. Clinic were sympathetic but very pragmatic about it all. Having a clear drop in my second hcg level meant we had our answer quickly, we stopped all luteal phase support and I bled a few days later. Its incredibly common, and clinic emphasised a lot that it was the first optimistic sign we'd had that I could actually get pregnant, and that now we need a healthy embryo. Fingers crossed for you this is a viable pregnancy, but if its not, it will be ok. Just be kind to yourself x

@2mumlife this would be my third pregnancy. First two ended in early MMC at around 8/9 weeks. We have embryos in the freezer but I'm not sure how much more of this I can take emotionally or financially. We need to have our frozen embryos tested for abnormalities but that's yet more money with no clear way through. I just feel so hopeless

@Lullabywish I have recurrent miscarriages, have you had any testing?

I feel like ivf clinics try to push pgt-a testing but I don't necessarily think that it is an embryo issue. For recurrent losses, its under 5% related to the embryo / chromosome issues. I'd suggest being tested for lupus anticoagulant, thyroid, vitamin D and antiphospholipid syndrome if you haven't already.

Did you have your MMC baby tested? We had one of ours tested and he was chromosomally normal, so we knew something else was going on.

I've got an overactive immune system, so on an immune protocol now. But I also have done the era, emma and alice tests that look for infection and inflammation. Chronic endomitritis is a common cause of recurrent losses. Xx

@Lullabywish I'm so sorry to hear of your previous losess. Given your history I'd defintiely try to push for your hcg being checked and additional monitoring for more reassurance / identifying why you've experienced recurrent losses. Best of luck

@VenusStarr I haven't had any testing of the embryos but I have had blood tests for clotting conditions, Lupus and all the others you've listed. We've never had the baby's tested. The first MMC I had a D&C as it was a twin pregnancy so I couldn't have the tablets and I didn't want to wait for it to happen naturally. The second time was a single baby and we were told they don't test tissue until three miscarriages.

This time as a precaution I am on prednisolone steroids from a few days before transfer up to 12 weeks, clexane daily, prontogest daily, cyclogest and progynova. We also had two put back (grade A) and my lining was really good. I just don't understand what's happened and where we go now.

My clinic have said it could be that the embryo(s) have implanted late but I just think it's failed.

Hi @Lullabywish - I recognize you from another thread. So sorry you're going through more uncertainty. Like the others say, a beta blood test might be the only way to know for sure. I'd also say though, that HCG only really changes positive lines over a 48 hour period, so it would be better to compare yesterday's test with a test from tomorrow really. I know that's not much comfort right now! Also I'm sure you're doing this but obviously urine from the first wee when you wake up will be the most concentrated. Keep us posted x

Hi @loulamay I recognise you too. I'm keeping optimistic until I get a negative so hopefully Saturday gives us some clarity either way. I always wake up about 3am desperate for the loo so usually use that as it should be concentrated enough but we will see what the next few days holds. I hope everything is good with you. Xx

Also just incase anyone else has experienced this. Our FET in August was a really difficult one. To the point where I thought they were going to say we cant do it. They really struggled to get the catheter through the neck of my womb. The consultant had noted that it was tricky on previous transfers too but had never really been brought to our attention before. Has anyone else had this and equally could that be a reason I don't get pregnant naturally, could sperm struggle to get through? This is way tmi but I always find after sex there seems to be a lot that comes out again (sorry)
When I went for my down regulation scan as well the nurse said I had an endemetriama (think that's what she called it) on my ovary, I said I had had a bleeding one in an ovary before and could this mean I have endometriosis to which she said yes but its so hard to diagnose.... There's a reason for all this and I'm desperate to get to the bottom of it xx

My OTD was 9 dp5dt mine was also very faint this was my second icsi first one failed . I rang my results in and said it really faint. Nurse said congratulations it will be faint as it so early I tested the second day and it was tiny bit stronger then next day I tested with a digital and the words come up . We never ever had a positive in the 4 years of tryong was so hard to believe it. I am now going in for a scan next Friday everything so far is going good. Our line didn't getter really strong till a week later xxx

@hoping1 I'm so happy for you, congratulations. I really hope the same happens for me. Thanks for your reply. Xx

@Lullabywish sorry to hear you’re going through this. I hope it all works out ok. If you suspect you have endometriosis you could pay for a private MRI pelvis scan or get your GP to refer you to the NHS endo clinic. If you have it they would put you on Prostrap injections for 3 months before doing transfers. Take care x

I did another test this morning and it was negative, couldn't even see the faintest of lines. I'm so frustrated with all of this. I want to have our embryos tested but I'm scared of how much that will cost and then what if we find out they are all abnormal? I'm not ready to give up on us being parents but when do you say enough is enough.

I am so sorry @Lullabywish ❤️
That is my fear with pgt-a testing, that and the worry that I've read about flaws with the testing. It's so hard to know what to do. It's not just the financial costs, it's the toll it takes on you. Sending love x

@Lullabywish Sorry to hear your news. I hope you find a way forward that's right for you X

Thank you everyone. I don't know much about you stories but have any of you changed clinics for a fresh perspective? Try a new way of approaching treatment? I feel like our clinic have lost the care factor and just see us as cash cows at the moment. I know they are all businesses so there will be an element of that but we are seriously considering moving somewhere new. Anyone? @loulamay @VenusStarr @2mumlife @Everhopeful41 @hoping1

@Lullabywish I'm so sorry. I know it doesn't help much but it sounds like you might have had a chemical pregnancy, which my Dr viewed as a positive thing because it meant that implantation had happened, albeit not with the pregnancy following it that we wanted.

I never felt like my clinic had stopped caring, but if I had then I would definitely be considering a move. For me, the PGS testing was a no brainer - we spoke to the embryologist and they hadn't lost an embryo to testing in over 18 months, even with a thaw first. We sent off 6 embryos and found out that 3 were normal. I must admit the waiting for those results was worse than any other waiting period we had through this whole thing, but in the end, I was so glad that we avoided another potential 3 losses and it also made the scans a lot easier from then on, knowing that some of the chromosomal issues that they would be looking for had already been ruled out.

It's really hard to keep the faith during this process! after the last miscarriage, which was October last year, I decided to take a 3 month break and just enjoy Christmas and eating and drinking normally and that helped loads.

One last thing - we did an endometrial scratch the month before our FET - no idea really if it helped or not, but I was happy to try anything!

@loulamay I have read they see chemical as a positive because implantation has started but I just don't understand how both could fail. Something must be going on. Do you mind me asking did you test all your embryos or just a selection as a start? Was it expensive? I've got a price list for my clinic but it's not clear what the price is really. It says £305 per embryo on one section but then over £1000 on another section over 5 embryos...

I don't know if you've mentioned your age anywhere - I was 40 at the last FET and so I would have guessed that my issue was an abnormal embryo that just didn't implant properly but we obviously didn't have anything we could test.

This is something that you could bring up with a new clinic for sure!

We tested all of our embryos at a per-embryo cost. I'm afraid it was in South Africa though (we relocated back here earlier this year) and so I'm not sure that the prices are going to be relevant - but we paid about £2.5k for 6 embryos including the thaw, biopsy and re-freeze. I think, from reading posts on here, that some clinics charge the same amount for testing a batch of embryos as they do for testing one, so it's worth 'banking' embryos until you have the maximum for testing, if that makes sense. There are some threads on embryo banking and testing on MN that might help more.

@loulamay I've just been on the HFEA website and it's marked as red on the traffic light system saying it has no evidence, some normal embryos could show up as abnormal and if embryos show as normal there's still no evidence to show it helps live births. I feel at a total loss of what to do next.

@Lullabywish I've not changed clinic but considered it. We're on an Access Fertility package, on our last egg collection now, so we'll finish up any transfers. If no success after that, I think we'll take a break and reconsider things, including clinic change (though we'll be eligible for NHS funding now, so there is option of joining waiting list which I think is what we will probably do). No advice on embryo testing here as not been recommend for us at this stage

@Lullabywish hi there, just wondering how you are getting on now? I’m going through the same thing currently xx