ERA/EMMA/ALICE Testing Thread 3

[Janefx40]

Hello all,

This is a continuation of the ERA/EMMA/ALICE Testing thread.

New posters are welcome. On here you will find a group of women who are either doing these tests or have done them already and are further on the journey

This is the friendliest and most supportive group so feel free to join and post

Xxx

@Janefx40 I guess we have so many waits we can't control that we want to do whatever we can to speed up the ones we can!

Thank you @Janefx40 and @Gardenlady543 Yes they are all eupoid now. Thanks for reassuring me I'm not mad to want to bank a couple more. @Janefx40 good point regarding spares, I think I'm secretly thinking if I'm lucky enough to have 2 babies and a couple in the freezer I might just be cheeky and transfer them just to see what happens :-) Who knows what I'd feel at the time though or if I'd ever get to that place.
I'm still going stir crazy, 9DP5DT testing negative but temperature has increased! It's a temp chart of a pregnant women for sure but why can't I get that positive?! Starting to worry I should go and do a LT encase I have covid!

@StillTrying10000 I'm sorry you're still testing negative. I'm glad you're seeing the clinic soon - is it Mr Jan? I would see what Dr S suggested but possibly transfer one embryo and if that didn't work, maybe look at banking?

I hope everyone is ok today! Gosh I'm feeling exhausted after all the fun of waiting for the centrifuge, I was chatting with someone that works in a lab who suggests I should centrifuge the sample. I'm so bloody done with this centrifuged sample. It's just for the LAD test which they told me is abnormal 3 out of 4 times so it doesn't sound like it matters much anyway!

@StillTrying10000 I hope the temping isn't stressing you out, are you taking progesterone? I thought it's the progesterone that raises the temp after ovulation.

@Gardenlady543 it will be so interesting though when you are able to use it on Monday. What's the next step after you use it? Do you then send it off?
I've been on the same level progesterone this time as my previous few cycles and those I still had temp drop and bleed before I stopped the injections and pessaries.

@VenusStarr yes Dr Jan and trying to see if DrS can speak to me as well.
I know I'm losing my mind but I feel like I might be able to see a shadow line again now on these tests. God the nurses won't be impressed with me stressing them out about these appointments if they aren't needed. God if only! x

I can relate to that feeling @StillTrying10000 it's a positive sign that your temps are higher. This is the worst limbo to be in. When is your official test day?

I've heard that if you've never carried to term @Gardenlady543 then LADS are expected to be low. But I don't know too much about the LADS, dq alpha, LIT etc. What a faff for you.

How are you @Janefx40 @seven201? ❤️

Hi everyone

@StillTrying10000 sorry you're still stuck in limbo. Are you getting bloods done soon?

@VenusStarr how are you? Did your period come yet?

@Gardenlady543 I'm not surprised you're exhausted! So much adrenalin about this centrifuge! You may as well use it now you have the machine I suppose!

I'm ok. Had counselling today which was quite good. Finding it hard to focus on work. Have my follow up with Mr S next Wednesday and fully expecting to need Humira since my cytokines have always been high in the past.

Also really drained because I've given up sugar. I really had got out of control with how much crap I was eating after I stopped the strict diet back in September/October. Having proper withdrawals but glad I have made the leap. I just can't seem to eat sugar in moderation like other people!

@seven201 good luck tomorrow with Mr S! Hope it goes well. Be prepared for him to just order loads of tests and say he can't really comment until he has the results!!! And don't do an impulse purchase of a coat from Next afterwards as you'll end up having to return it (based on my experience last week!) 😆

@StillTrying10000 everything crossed for you! Sorry, don't think I have any wisdom to offer about whether to bank more embryos or carry on. You are still quite young though. I guess it depends on if you'd be willing to crack on with more ivf when your potential child is still little(can't do ivf and breast feed I believe). I have a friend who's daughter is 1 1/2 ish and she wants another child but has been putting off starting ivf again as she wants to enjoy her child, not be consumed by all things ivf. It's a very personal thing.

@Gardenlady543 sorry you've been exhausted by it all. I am going to miss getting centrifuge updates once your blood has been sent off. I picture it being about 60cm wide and 40cm tall and just looking really old fashioned and spinning round, but I'm sure it's actually small and looks like an ice cream maker or something!

@Janefx40 thanks for the tips! I'm not going to want to wait until my follow up late March! I hope he lets us try naturally in the interim (probably not). I promise not to go into a next if I see one! I really should try and be like you and quit the sugar. I had about a zillion custard creams today at work.

Now I'm picturing a centrifuge being stored in a kitchen cupboard

I didn't even know what a centrifuge was until we started this conversation. I have done some Googling since!

@seven201 you park in a shopping centre - not a very glamorous one but enough to distract me anyway! Good luck x

@Janefx40

I didn't even know what a centrifuge was until we started this conversation. I have done some Googling since!

@seven201 you park in a shopping centre - not a very glamorous one but enough to distract me anyway! Good luck x

My grandparents lived in epsom. I hope the big clock is still there!

I haven't googled centrifuge as I'm enjoying picturing it

Sorry I did a typo the person online said NOT to bother centrifuging it! I don't care anymore lol, I am shoving it in the centrifuge and sending it off on Monday hopefully!

@seven201 This is the centrifuge I got:

@Janefx40 erg no sugar :( what about medjool dates, I sweeten everything with them.

@Gardenlady543 what a lovely centrifuge! You'll have to display it somewhere in your home 😂

It's not that I need to be sugar free but I just need to break the cycle. Honestly the amount of biscuits, cakes, chocolate and crisps I've been eating is sickening. So we'll see how I get on!

Wow so 10DP5DT and there certainly something there. I'm so relieved that it's finally worked again but I'm so nervous such a feint line so late in the day could be a bad sign it will all go wrong again. I'm feeling very lucky to have got back to step 1 at least for now. Thank you to everyone for getting me through the madness days xxx

@StillTrying10000 there's definitely something there. Might be worth doing a blood test? It's possible you've implanted late which can happen in FETs. I've got everything crossed for you 🤞 are you still going to see Mr Jan tomorrow? Xx

@Janefx40 only 10dpo, but feeling some cramps so maybe she'll be early 🤞 I had a temp rise on cd10 (my usual ovulation) but it dropped and then properly went up on cd12. But definitely will be here before Monday I think. Its ridiculous to be excited about taking a pill! But it's one step closer.
I've been really craving something sweet this week, guess it's to do with my period. But trying to be good. I one didn't eat chocolate for a whole year but just ate more sweets, not sure I could cut them out entirely at the moment.

Beautiful centrifuge @Gardenlady543 :)

Hope you get on OK today @seven201 let us know. I don't think he'll want you try try naturally. Maybe see if they can bring your results appointment forward? (what day is it in March, I'm there on 21st).

Kind of fell off the exercise wagon last week, still doing yoga daily but nothing to get my heart rate up. I did a workout after work yesterday and my heart rate went up to 175 at one point 🥺 just for a minute or two. Had to really push myself to do it though.

Lots of love ❤️

@StillTrying10000

Wow so 10DP5DT and there certainly something there. I'm so relieved that it's finally worked again but I'm so nervous such a feint line so late in the day could be a bad sign it will all go wrong again. I'm feeling very lucky to have got back to step 1 at least for now. Thank you to everyone for getting me through the madness days xxx

Wow! That line is definitely there. Everything it's just been a later implantation. What a rollercoaster!

@StillTrying10000 that is definitely a line so something is going on in there! What's next? Does your clinic do blood tests?

@VenusStarr funny how excited we can get about starting new meds!!! Hope that period comes soon!

Don't worry about the exercise. We can't be perfect all the time (or any of the time!). I generally run but it doesn't take much to put me off...

@seven201 hope today was good.

Xxx

So, I've seen Mr S. I like him. I mean, I didn't ask him much, just told him we'll do what he tells us to. I had lots of blood tests but nothing else. Dh did the sperm extra test thing. He said no trying while we're waiting (expected but annoying, apart from not having to have ttc sex!). He thinks we probably don't need ivf but was on board with natural trying and using the 2 embryos when the clinic can fit us in. So, just need to wait.

@VenusStarr I'm there on 21st too! What time are you? I'm 12 I think.

The shopping centre isn't as good as it used to be. No big clock anymore! I hadn't had lunch and saw and smelt the soulvaki van as I went in but it was closed when I came out. Now eating a rubbish muffin in Starbucks.

The nurse who took my blood says she reckons around 50% of the women in the clinic are teachers! She thinks stressful jobs are just crap basically. I doubt it is as high as 50%!

Thanks everyone. I was honestly completely losing hope in it all so it's really reassuring to know all the drugs Dr S has me on hasn't stopped this stage working as I was starting to wonder. CRP don't do blood tests as standard as they say there's nothing in them that a test can't tell you but I might ask again anyway as if it doesn't work I want the evidence that I did implant for sure.

@seven201 how did your appointment go today?

@Gardenlady543 that's great! You'll be setting up your own clinic soon! I'd be first in line :-)

@VenusStarr no they won't let me see Jan if I'm positive but will be in for intralipds. Yoga's the best so good on you for keeping that up. I'm now wearing my OH's iwatch to track my heart rate after you mentioned that goes up in pregnancy and going back into the office got mine up to 175 ha!

@Janefx40 glad your counselling went well and not long until your next appointment. Well done on cutting out sugar! I don't know how you do it.

Hello dear ladies :)

I need some advice in my ivf journey.

I had to go through 6 fresh cycle and had 8 ET before i got my first BFP with my first child. It was a fresh cycle. I was 33 year old when i got pregnant. Back in 2017.

I did the greek test and took the Ab before the 8th ET. Did also hcg trigger after ET, fragmin, double cyclogest.

We are now trying again. I have had 4 fresh ICSI cycles. Total of 8 ET. I have tried to replicate the cycle when i got pregnant but no luck so far.

I did the greek test once more now. Got new AB I did take. But did not get pregnant.

I have had 5 good quality blastocyst transfers and 3 day 3 good quality ET.

I have been to another clinic for 2nd opinion and they recommended emma-Alice-era test.

Im a bit sceptical after Reading on a lot of forums.

I had FET transfer last friday of a good quality blastocyst.

Havent tested yet.

If this one dosent take i want to go on to a new fresh cycle with the new clinic. Before this ET I did the doxi cure once more.

So it would be waste of money to do a triotest now. I should wait for some months?

They also recommended hysteroskopi, but im not sure if i wanna go for it.

In my country they dont do immune testing.

But I do use immunesupressing meds coz of chronic disease.

Im 38. Still have one blastocyst in the freezer, but there is waiting time for next fet.

So what are your good advice for me ?

@Gardenlady543

Sorry I did a typo the person online said NOT to bother centrifuging it! I don't care anymore lol, I am shoving it in the centrifuge and sending it off on Monday hopefully!

@seven201 This is the centrifuge I got:

@Janefx40 erg no sugar :( what about medjool dates, I sweeten everything with them.

It does look like an ice cream maker (sort of). How disappointing

@Mia2022 I'm sorry you're having such a rough journey. You could do the alternative one where you send off a sample of your period blood - @Gardenlady543 is the expert on that. It's cheaper but doesn't help for working out exact transfer timings. If you don't do the tests you should at least do probiotics for women - I use canesflor suppositories and some oral tablets (name escaping me at the moment).

@StillTrying10000 fingers crossed the line keeps getting darker.

@seven201 lol it is the Ryanair of centrifuges 😂

@Mia2022 hello, wow you've had a journey! The Greek test sounds like the fertilysis test that I did, the Emma Alice will tell you if the treatment worked, but so would doing the fertilysis test again. The ERA is quite debatable for if it helps, I know a lot of specialists don't believe in it, it hasn't helped me, I was prereceptive the first time and at the new time still only early receptive. I do think some form of imaging will be useful: a saline scan, hsg or hysteroscopy

@Gardenlady543 you should have taken your little vials to a paint mixer thingy in b&q for a good shake up!

I hope you are all doing okay.
My test was blank again today. They scanned me and it doesn’t look viable sadly but it is very early. I'm stupidly still being hopeful but they were all clear it hasn't worked as it should.
My IVF consultant concluded I have a hysteroscopy when I start my period Monday or Wednesday. It’s very unlikely I have an issue internally but it’s the only last thing to try so they think worthwhile. As my ovarian reserve is super low they recommended I bank whists I can and may as well do a fresh transfer in my next cycle and PGT test the rest. Also seeing Dr S on Wednesday to talk about my immune protocol encase I should change any of that. Sounds like lots of us will be seeing him then! Eh the journey continues.