ERA / EMMA / ALICE testing thread 5(!)

[VenusStarr]

Just setting up a new thread as we're coming to the end of thread 4.

@Janefx40 @birdbybird @seven201 @Gardenlady543 @patientpatient @MyEasterEggs @thislittlebird @Yuliaaa @Violette22

❤️

@VenusStarr thank you. I've gone with the 7.5 prescribed dose. That's weird it delayed your ovulation!

@Gardenlady543 yes, a trying naturally cycle. With letorozole, steroids, hydroxy and intralipids. Are you bored out of your mind yet or still too tired to have had the boredom set in?

@thislittlebird yes I have a scan end of next week. Hoping that the dose isn't too high. I am 40 though, so possibly need the higher dose. How old are/were you when you took it, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm sorry you've had those results. Sorry, I don't know anything helpful as not experienced that. Sounds like garden is again very helpful on that.

@seven201 I am definitely awake enough to be bored, but in pain when moving so can't do anything about it. Your plan sounds similar to my FET plan, but without the letrozole unless my specialist wants to do that rather than the medicated FET plan. Did they stop the tacrolimus?

@Gardenlady543 sorry you're still in pain. Slow and steady! Ah sorry my fault, this isn't a natural ivf cycle, just a natural trying through the CRP clinic. Going to do 3 letorozoles cycles then if that doesn't work use our last ivf embryo. It's someone else having the tacrolimus. I can barely keep up with my own treatments - it all gets very confusing!

@seven201
I thought you were started on it by Dr S, sounds like you're a hydroxychloroquine girl like I will be soon!

Hey all! Hope you are all well.

Feel quite emotional watching all the Queen updates bless her ♥️

@Janefx40 I hope you are OK and still enjoying your PUPO bubble. That is my favourite part of a cycle. Really hope the bubble continues.

@seven201 welcome to the 40s. I turned 40 in April too. Really struggled at the time but have made my peace (a little) with it now!

@Molls87 do you mind telling me what probiotics you have been taking?

I had the EndomeTrio last time and the only thing that came back off was the microbial imbalance. I have done a course of treatment but they don’t retest (which seems odd to me!) so wondered what I should take as an ongoing supplement to try and keep it level?!

I had my FU scan yesterday and all looks good so transfer is booked for next Friday. This is my last emby of this batch so hoping it decides to stick 🙏🏻

So last time I had 60% gardnerella and 0% lactobacillus. My doctor gave me 14 days metronidazole and then reading everything I decided to buy bio.me.femme which was ultimately what my consultant recommended which was fab. I had to take that for 30 days and then have a biopsy again. I had to do 2 courses of canseflor and I took the odd random optibax. So now I take bio me every day regardless and then every now and then I take canesflor and optibac. I’d always do a cycle of canesflor on my run up to a cycle.

I just can’t believe this could genuinely be the answer to my prayers but I hope so and I’ll update you all after my transfer. xx

Hello ladies. I have been reading but not commenting as not very knowledgable on the flora and fauna.

I've been feeling pretty hopeless about this cycle tho trying to enjoy moments when I can. But I've just gone to the loo and I'm bleeding. Quite a lot. How is this possible? I'm on 3 x Lubion and 3 x cyclogest? Has this happened to anyone else. Am assuming I'm not pregnant but still baffled by the bleed!

Oh dear @Janefx40 I bled in my fresh cycle when I was on progesterone, but I wasn't on that much progesterone. I haven't bled in my medicated FETS. I know others on here have bled from haematomas, I think these may come later though. Is the bleeding still there?

Oh @Janefx40 I'm so sorry. In my fresh transfer I bled heavily at 7dp5dt and then got a positive at 9dp. But I was on much lower amounts of progesterone. How are you doing the cyclogest, just wondering about irritation?
Are you on fragmin too? It might be advisable to stop that and aspirin (my ivf clinic told me to). I think crp is closed for training, not sure if they'll pick up emails.
Sending lots of love ❤️ ❤️

@Janefx40 oh I am so sorry

I don't have any answers I am afraid. I bled early on my first cycle but the additional lubion did hold if off for me after that (albeit that were negative rounds)

Definitely think you should get in touch with the clinical team to see what they say.

Thinking of you - I am sorry this journey is so tough :(

Thanks everyone.

In a strange twist I did a pregnancy test and it's positive. The FRER was a strong positive, CB says 1-2 weeks but the easy@home is just a squinter and I usually find them reliable.

People say FRERs aren't so good these days so not sure what that means. If I hadn't done the easy@home I'd feel it was quite a strong result but not so sure. Annoyingly I threw away the urine so can't check again.

Bleeding is light but still there and it feels like more is coming.

@VenusStarr thanks for letting me know about CRP being closed. I was waiting to hear from them.

I called CRGH to get my progesterone results from yesterday and my level is 145 so I shouldn't be bleeding even if not pregnant. They told me to stop Fragmin and aspirin but I was going to talk to CRP first x

@Janefx40 OMG! Really hope that line stays and the bleeding subsides and that this is your time! Literally everything is crossed for you. Please keep us updated when you feel able x

Oh wow that's some good news @Janefx40 can you try and have a sedentary day? Get some good rest?

Sounds like it could be an implantation bleed @Janefx40 🙏 they might pick up emails as I think its staff training. Imglad thebleedung has eased off and that you've had your progesterone tested ❤️
Tentative congratulations x

@Gardenlady543 @Hopeful199 yes currently sitting on sofa. Feeling really panicked and dizzy. Worrying about everything already.

Bit silly of CRP to do training on a Friday when they are closed at the weekend. Would make more sense to train mid week so they can respond to patients the next day if need be.

@VenusStarr thanks although I'm not sure I feel at the congrats stage.

@Gardenlady543 how are you feeling today? Did you order the belt?

@Janefx40 good that you're sitting/lying, ah bless you with the worry, well to take your mind off things, here is the summary from my appointment, as I just spoke to my fertility specialist:

• She is happy for me to do a transfer on the third bleed and says they don’t close until 23rd December so I should be fine to avoid the Xmas closure. I should start the FET towards the end of November.
• We will do a lining check scan mid cycle after the second bleed, if this shows a really amazing lining then we can change to letrozole and a modified natural cycle FET, but the plan is to do a medicated cycle like we’ve done in the past.
• She doesn't think I need a saline scan yet, but we may revisit this if this transfer doesn't work.
• She is ok to prescribe prednisone and clexane as per Gorgys plan. She said they normally do it differently but she is ok with following that plan.
• They do intralipids at the clinic and she said I can get them there as per Gorgys plan.
• She doesn’t know about hydroxychloroquine so doesn’t want to prescribe that so advised I keep getting that from Gorgy.
• She suggested I take the progesterone regime I’ve always taken but will prescribe me PIO in addition and told me to plan to take this every 3rd day, if I feel I can tolerate it I could try every 2 days and said we will check the level the day before the transfer.
• She said she doesn’t know much about the HLA match and doesn’t believe in LIT or any of the immune stuff, but has had patients do it before.

I asked whether she is optimistic and she is mostly focusing on the lining, she said if we can get a really good bed of lining she thinks that will give me the best chance.

@Gardenlady543 that's great that you can get the transfer in before Christmas. Good idea to check the lining too. Would you prefer to do natural then if poss? I'm pleased that you don't have too many extra delays. You have waited long enough x

Congratulations @Janefx40, I really hope this is it for you!

@Janefx40 I’m hoping this is it for you!!! 🤞🏼 Everything crossed. I’ve never done IVF but with my pregnancy my implantation bleeding was very red. It wasn’t “brown” like online implied.

Sounds like all you ladies are well on your way with some plans. I called my clinic to see if I should change anything in my last 2 Medicated cycles seen as the last 3 haven’t worked. He just said could remove the Estradiol from days 7-12 as he isn’t a big believer in it anyway but is this not what they give through IVF prior to transfer to help the lining?

im going to visit the clinic in December to get bloods done and then hopefully get the ball rolling for IVF in the new year. I don’t want to regret not trying it!

@Janefx40 the estradiol made me unwell so the plan was for me to do a unmedicated FET with letrozole, we put all the plans in place early this year, then I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism right after, then my periods became light again and my lining was very thin and the scan showed the fibroids :(

How are things for you this afternoon?

Oh @Janefx40 oh my goodness! What a twist. Had you tested out the trigger (did you have one)? I'm hoping for implantation bleeding! I had a reply to a CRP email (I sent yesterday) today, so they aren't fully closed.

@Gardenlady543 that all sounds very positive. I bet you're relieved you can get your cycle in this year!

@Gardenlady543 Glad you should be able to transfer in November. I'm taking clarithromycin and I'm taking vaginal probiotics every other day and taking optibac once a day at the moment. What anti fungal did you take/use? Glad you got it sorted after your last fertilysis. I came back negative for ureaplasma, and I also had swabs with the GP nurse yesterday, just to see if any thrush shows up.

Thanks for the probiotic recommendations, this is useful.

@seven201 I'm 39 now, but 38 when I was on Letrozole late last year. I have high AMH and seem to respond well to these meds.

@Hopeful199 I agree, the PUPO stage is the only time I ever get to pretend it could have worked :/

@Molls87 thanks for the tips on what you used.

@Janefx40 tentative congrats. Try not to worry about the easy@home, the others sound good.

@seven201 I don't know how I feel about it all, I'm finding the fibroid stuff tough, I just didn't expect the operation to be open and I'm worried about ending up post operative issues :( I was getting these stabbing pains yesterday and convinced myself it was abdominal adhesions. I have a few months to go before a transfer anyway, my therapist asked if I'd thought about what I could do in this time and I'm not sure, I'd like to workout etc but I won't be able to do that for a while. How are you feeling, did you say you had a scan booked in soon?

@thislittlebird ah well clarithromycin is broad spectrum, so maybe you could try and do that course rather than co-amoxiclav, then do the metronidazole after you've finished and reassess the microbiome.

You can get metronidazole online, you have to fill in the questionnaire like you have BV, which to be fair if you have gardnerella then you pretty much have it:
www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/bacterial-vaginosis-bv/metronidazole-400mg-tablets

You can also take vaginal clindamycin as well as or instead of the metronidazole, it's pretty much like the detol of vaginal probiotics, again you can get it online:
www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/bacterial-vaginosis-bv/dalacin

These are the antifungal I took prophylactically, they can be bought online too:
www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/thrush/canesten-pessary?default=canesten-100mg-pessary-clotrimazole