Hello,
This is my first post on Mumsnet. I came across it when I googled Emma/Alice test. Despite being my first post, I’m unfortunately quite the veteran in this game.
I’ve been active on other websites such as Fertility Friends and rollercoaster.ie. I’ve read various posts in these threads and am so impressed with the knowledge, determination and support. I hope I can contribute/help too. Here’s a summary of my long, complicated story.
Get this - I’ve never tried to conceive naturally! Soon after I got married in 2014, we found out any children we have would be at risk of a nasty autosomal neurodegenerative condition on a 50:50 basis, from my husband’s side. So we started PGD in 2016 to avoid passing anything on (after over an infuriating year wait on NHS).
Wasted another year with treatment at Sheffield and St Guys as they didn’t do PGS alongside PGD so had two FETs that failed ( presumably aneuploid). Transferred to Care Nottingham for the next two funded cycles. It showed I had a high rate of aneuploid blastocysts. Decided to bank to build up euploid and PGD passed embryos. Collected seven euploids over numerous cycles in 2017/2018 but sadly and unluckily five of these were at risk of the 50:50 condition so we had two to transfer. First transfer in 2019 worked and we have a darling daughter. I proactively did the ERA test which showed I needed one more day of progesterone.
Tried for a sibling in early 2021 but the last frozen blastocyst failed the thaw. Back on the stim bandwagon, aged 42. Managed to get a euploid, risk free blastocyst on my first cycle in April 21 but sadly had an early miscarriage at 6.5 weeks. It was a Day 6 5BC so not the best quality.
Four more stim cycles in 2021/22 and we got another euploid, risk free embryo to transfer in July this year, miraculously, at age 43. I needed this to work so elected to do immunes tests (Chicago) and thrombophillia. Consultant talked me out of Emma/Alice and suggested I just take some vaginal probiotics. I’ll forever regret not doing so but I didn’t want to take them without knowing what my microbiome was like in the first place. I tested for high NK and slightly higher risk of clotting so was put on steroids, intralipids and blood thinners for the FET. Delighted when we got an early positive test, a strong heartbeat at seven weeks, a 12 week scan and a reassurance scan at 15 weeks showed all was ok and we were having a boy. It all got taken away so suddenly at 19.5 weeks when I had some bleeding and a scan showed baby had recently died. This was early November and I’m heartbroken. I’m still awaiting post mortem results but it may have been caused by infection. My swabs tested positive for BV and Group B strep. Since then I’ve taken a microbiome test from Juno (USA) and waiting the results; I’m expecting low lacto. I’ve started taking Zita West Femceive (good bacteria) too, on top of various other supplements for egg quality. As crazy as it sounds at my age, I’m going to do more stim cycles with PGT-A and PGT-M ( was PGD) in the new year asap, it’ll be stim cycle number 13! I’m desperate for a sibling for my daughter and to try to fill some of the void caused by our loss. If we do get another embryo to transfer (big if), I’m considering not doing the immune meds. I think they reduced my immune system so much that I wonder if that increased the risk of infection. I reported a very high resting heart rate at 14 weeks, which in hindsight is a symptom of infection. Sadly the GP didn’t consider this.
If you managed to get to the end of this ramble, thanks for reading!