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

Oh wow @VenusStarr that's great news!

@VenusStarr ahh such happy news, i'm so pleased :-) I hope you recover quickly and get to enjoy the long weekend xxx
My FET scan went well this week so I'm due to have my transfer around 11 May to see if this Tacrolimus has done it's trick. I'm not feeling very optimistic and feel like this really is my final attempt before we have to quit, which just breaks my heart, but I do need to try to keep some hope. I've brought 60 pregnancy tests ready to fuel my crazy testing which I'm sure will commence from 2DPT ha! x

Thanks for sharing @Gardenlady543. It’s such a minefield, isn’t it? We have one top grade normal embryo to transfer, two of a lesser quality, so I’m concerned about doing a transfer until I’m negative for anything and everything. But I suppose I have to draw the line somewhere. Did your friend have symptoms of ureaplasma? I’m having a few issues with recurring UTIs and have another test on Tuesday so might chat to GP about testing for that if possible. My partner tested positive for gardnerella vaginalis so I’ve been prescribed with Clindamycin and may be offered Metronidazole if it shows in endometrio results.

Thank you @Gardenlady543 @Yuliaaa feels really surreal to have good news. Had a lovely long sleep when I got home too.

Thank you @StillTrying10000 I'm really pleased things are on track for you with your FET. Does Mr Jan do your scans? I really like him. I feel as things have got more complicated for me, the staff are more invested and caring (not that they normally don't care, but it feels different).
I really hope this new approach is what you needed. Did you decide on one or two embryos?

Hello 👋 @MyEasterEggs xx

@MyEasterEggs she didn't have any symptoms no. What type of clindamycin are you taking, vaginal? Personally I would just take the clindamycin and metronidazole together now and use the microbiome test to check if the treatment worked. You can get both from online pharmacies.

Yes vaginal @Gardenlady543 so I think I’ll take your advice and treat with both. I worry about affecting good bacteria but perhaps the Invivo treatment I’m taking will ensure that’s not a problem. Where do you get your antibiotics from?

@MyEasterEggs metronidazole tends not to affect the lactobacillus but clindamycin will wipe it out. You'll just need to recolonize. I personally would take both for at least 10 days, 14 days if you can. Alternate daily between a vaginal probiotic and anti fungal- either clotrimazole 100mg pessary or a cream while your on the antibiotic. Once you've finished the antibiotics take a daily vaginal probiotic and balance activ for at least 10 days. Then do the menstrual fluid microbiome test after.

@MyEasterEggs www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/bacterial-vaginosis-bv/metronidazole-400mg-tablets

You have to fill in the form like you have bacterial vaginosis which is what you're treating eg click that you have a fishy odour

That’s great, thanks @Gardenlady543, will let you know how I get on. Appreciate your support!

Happy that you got such great news😊@VenusStarr

A lot has happened here again...yesterday we had a call with an other Greek doctor from Life Clinic Athens. But the situation is tricky cause I got a bfp on Thursday, again!( I had a chemical in last cycle.) We got so much info from the call but it would have been better to get it before getting pregnant cause now we are torn between two doctors and dont know which way to go😕...

Usually Dr Dimitri from Life Clinic conducts a thorough investigation and treatment to get the body into a pregnancy state before the pregnancy starts.....but now that we just got the bfp, he offered to monitor the pregnancy by analysing some bloods I would get done here in Finland. But this would mean that he could also stop/make changes to the protocol I am on now (loads of different progesterone, blood thinners, intralipids and lactobacillus)

He didnt tell me what these blood tests would be, only that they are very Basic bloods you should be able to get in every country. I told him that we cant test any immunological stuff here and he said that the tests are not immunological but some Basic bloods that show how my body is reacting to the pregnancy. Does anyone have a clue what tests we could be talking about? I got the idea that he doesnt want to tell more abouy them before we decide to become his patients

After asking a lot of things about me and all the miscarriages he strongly thinks I dont have immunological problem in General but that it gets activated due to my partner and that my body then attavks the embryos...He would want to test the DQ Alpha things. @Gardenlady543 I remember you tested positive for this, how will they treat it?

We are now considering if we should continue this pregnancy with the Finnish protocol or ask him to start monitoring it, it is quite tricky😫

I am also feeling like my test lines may not have progressed enough, also have no symptoms what so ever.

@Violette22 from what I can see the treatment is neupogen (c-gsf), steroids and intralipids. I still haven't got the treatment plan from the consultation I had. The doctor had spoken about LIT before a pregnancy and then as soon as the positive test. But I asked a different doctor in a Reddit AMA, Dr Vidali and he said neupogen and steroids, and he strongly advised against LIT.

I really don't know what bloods he would check, maybe progesterone, clotting, full blood count, an inflammatory marker like CRP, aside from increasing up the dose of progesterone and heparin I'm not sure how he would use the blood tests to direct treatment from the immune perspective. There is FB group for reproductive immunology that @VenusStarr mentioned

Thanks for your thoughts @Gardenlady543! Yes I also dont understand what bloods we couöd be talking about to be honest. But he has got a lot of good reviews for this monitoring system. And eg progesterone levels Iam being monitored for already although they cant be increased that much cause I am injecting it, taking orally and vaginally.

By the way, he didnt seem to trust the Emma testing, he thought the result with 0% sounded weird and that the emma test is not very accurate in his opinion. He also commented that it should cause implantation failure if it was a problem and not miscarriages.

This is really hard because I dont know Who to taustalla and what to think of anything! And
thanks for thr tip but Im not on FB...

Where are you treated by the way @Gardenlady543 ?

@Violette22 there really isn't that much research this is the one I often cite:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.09.075 which separated women with more than 90% lactobacillus vs those with less than 90% lactobacillus, the outcomes were statistically significant:
Implantation 60.7% vs 23.1%
Pregnancy 70.6% vs 33.3%
Ongoing pregnancy 58.8% vs 13.3%
Live birth 58.8% vs 6.7%

So that would suggest that people can implant and miscarry. I've heard people get a normal EMMA but continue to be positive for CD 138 which is a marker for endometritis.

I'm not treated anywhere for immunology stuff at the moment, I had my tests through fertiliysis and will likely see Gorgy for advice but I need the fibroids out first.

Gentle congratulations @Violette22 ❤️ I will be taking the gcsf injections as part of my protocol. It's sometimes called neupogen / filgrastim. I hadn't realised it was supposed to help with DQ Alpha (we've not tested for that).
I'm unsure what tests he could be offering during pregnancy, particularly if it's not immune tests. I know in the uk, Dr Gorgy monitors nk cells and cytokines in pregnancy, but my doctor (Shehata) doesn't.

I haven't ovulated yet, which is very unusual for me. I'm cd14 today and I'm usually on cd10. I've been very anxious, so that may have affected things, but this is my first cycle on full dose metformin, so I am wondering if that's affected things. I asked at clinic yesterday and they said no 🤷🏻‍♀️
I am really tempted to ttc next cycle while planning our FET. Unsure whether to go the whole hog and do superovulation, or just give it a go on our own. I'm leaning to supero, need to talk with dh.

How are you getting on @Janefx40 @seven201
I jknow you're in your FET cycle @StillTrying10000 is it medicated? I asked at clinic yesterday if I should be concerned about my poor lining but they said as I'll be doing a FET, don't worry. Hooe you're feeling OK.

I've managed to catch up on sleep, but not dressed yet! Have a good day all xx

@Gardenlady543 Yes I have also read that low lactobacillus can cause miscarriages, I dont know why he seemed to not trust the emma 😵

Thanks ❤@VenusStarr but to be honest I am feeling quite pessimistic...this is my 7th pregnancy in less than 2 years and no living child😢

Cytokines and nk cells are immunological I think so I dont think he means those...maybe it is just some normal blood levels, Who knows 😌

@VenusStarr what are you getting the neupogen for if not DQ alpha stuff? And can you tell me what is super ovulation, it sounds amazing😍

@Violette22 our reproductive immunologist has put it in my protocol as the last baby was chromosomally normal and I was on the full complex immune meds in my last pregnancy. So trying the same again would likely be the same result. But he doesn't test DQ Alpha. On the leaflets about the meds, it just says 'anti-miscarriage'. It's really hard to know what to do and to have hope, isn't it? ❤️

Superovulation is using letrozole and being monitored and triggering with ovitrelle. You have timed sex and take all your immune meds as normal and hope for a positive result 🙂 I tried last year and got 3 follicles, but a bfn. Then we moved onto ivf.

Yes it is so heard, just like you said 😓

I am afraid no-one will ever find the real cause for my miscarriages and find it hard to know which doctor to trust and which not, espescially now that we need to seek help from abroad.

I really hope the neupogen works for you! And if you decide to ttc before the FET with superovulation or without, I hope it will work out 😍

@VenusStarr my cycle length increased a little when I went on Metformin. But as you say anxiety can also have an impact so it could have been stress levels. I’d think it would be normal to see some variation when you change up medication or supplements as surely our bodies have to adjust a little? So hard to know!

Wishing you all the best @Violette22 xx

Sorry to have missed so much.

@VenusStarr great news about the hysteroscopy. What a relief! Glad you had a good sleep after too! Can't believe you had to get up at 3am. That's almost as painful as the procedure!

@Violette22 It's so hard because we all desperately want to be pregnant but when we are, it's almost worse because of the chance of a loss. Really hope this is your time x

@StillTrying10000 11th May seems so soon. Love that you have stocked up on the tests already!!!

@Gardenlady543 how are you feeling about everything?

@MyEasterEggs @Violette22 @Yuliaaa @XjustagirlX👋🏻

So I'm having a bit of a hard time, I went to do a hairstyle yesterday and it looks like my hair is falling out, like a female receding hairline type pattern, I've read that starting levothyroxine makes it worse for the first few months :( I guess there is not much I can do except avoid tight hair styles.

I have booked a scan for today, its CD5 so it won't tell me anything about lining, but I've been getting ovarian pain so I'm worried in case I have cysts which I've never had before.

How is everyone else @Janefx40 have you got dates for a FET yet, sorry if you said already it's hard to keep up with everyone!

@Violette22 how are you getting on?

@Gardenlady543 I have female patten hair loss too. I have to say I was devastated at first. As with all these things, I have got used to it over time but still have my moments when I see a picture of myself with my hair in the wrong place and you can see the white of my scalp. If we have any money left, I am considering doing a hair transplant once we're out the other side of all of this treatment.

It's not what I would choose for myself but what I would say is that other people don't notice. Happy to talk about it more if you would like to.

Let us know how the scan goes x

Thank you for the empathy @Janefx40 @MyEasterEggs @Gardenlady543 💜

Yes with this many miscarriages it is full of fear to get a bfp. To be honest (shamed to day this) I was thinking "I hope it will be just a chemical" because I feel like the only other option is a miscarriage that goes further and causes so much more physical and mental suffering😭My lines were maybe a bit stronger today but I still feel like not enough, I have an intralipid infusion on Tuesday and if I want I can take hcg at that point....i f*cking hate HCG to be honest, they are so Black and White 😓

I am sorry to hear about your hair issues @Janefx40 and @Gardenlady543 . We all have to go through so much shit dont we...life isnt fair.

How was your scan @Gardenlady543 ?I hope everything went well❤

@Violette22 I am sending lots of hugs! I know how the negative thinking pattern takes over and controls everything!
@Janefx40 thanks for checking in and for the nice thoughts. Unfortunately my PMS symptoms have kicked in so no miracles happening here (I honestly think that getting pregnant naturally is impossibile for me since my lining is thin). I am so sorry about your and @Gardenlady543's hair issues. It is so frustrating.
@VenusStarr I have had some issues with the length of my cycle since I have started the fertility treatment. It used to be 28 days and now fluctuates between 26 to 30 and the ovulation pattern changes accordingly.
Hugs to everyone else!

My day has been rubbish, our dog ate some sand on the beach yesterday and he's been throwing out all day today so in the end we had to take him to the ER for some IVs and medications. He is better now. He's been part of my life for 11 years and what kept me going when things went rough.
I am also very anxious about the next transfer. I am scared it won't work and I honestly dread the thought of failure. We do HCG tests here, not sticks and I hate test day with all my heart.
Also the war thing is worrying ( I live in Romania, so quite close to the whole thing). I have seen so many war refugees these days and it really breaks my heart to see so many families broken apart.
Lots of love to each of you! 💜

@Yuliaaa I am sorry to hear about your dog❤I m happy his doing better already! Dogs truly are angels on earth🐶my dog has also helped me so much.

Which day do they advice to rake the hcg in Romania?

I can understand the anxiety with the war. Alot of people here in Finland are very afraid of an invasion, espescially now that we are applying for the Nato membership and have received all the threats because of that from Putin. When the war started I was really afraid for a day or two that my man would need to leave to the army and that it would also put a stop to our baby dream (here all men are part of the forces). But ofcourse my love and thoughts are with Ukraine now, it is so horrible💓

@Violette22 Thank you for your thoughts! Indeed they are angels. 💜
They do bloods 9dp5dt. We will be transferring a day 3 this month, so I am not sure about the test day. It should be a bit longer than 9 days.
I know about the threats to your country and the ones surrounding Finland. It is absolutely outrageous! War in Europe seemed impossible a few month ago, and now this! Also the thought of postponing any treatment/plans is unbearable indeed.
I really hope the future will be kinder to us all!