ERA EMMA ALICE testing thread 7

[VenusStarr]

Hi all. We're on our 7th thread! Really hoping for some more positive news in the coming months.

Hopefully the GP will agree to it, or I'll just have to buy it through the clinic 🙄 @Gardenlady543

Forgot to say ive had more ewcm today... hopefully my temp goes up properly tomorrow. Am pretty tired now xx

I’m sorry @VenusStarr you are right, I forgot. It must be so stressful and worrying, hopefully you can manage the levels and bring them back in check.

@Gardenlady543 thanks for the precious professional advice, so lucky to have you on this thread. Having read that I wonder if I should be taking the aspirin at all before a positive pregnancy test. The thing is afterall, if natural implantation seemingly happened easily for me, would I not be hampering my chances by adding medication I haven’t needed before rather than improving them. I even have concerns about all that extra progesterone, is there such thing as too much activity antagonising implantation rather than helping it?

@Gardenlady543 Good luck tomorrow. Hopefully, scan will be good and you can start.

I will not be having oestrogen after ovulation. I’m doing same protocol as you. My frozen transfer cycle is natural modified with stims every other day. I will be on progesterone support in luteal phase, but not oestrogen. I will ask about my oestrogen levels.

@clhiu the Progesteone one is a tricky one, there are loads of studies that say 30-50 is ideal and more is bad. However all the specialist clinics in London like it over 100, my reproductive immunologist wants it over 80 and was happy with my level of 160. I stick to heparin and no aspirin.

@2021ivfagain just ask them to check estradiol on trigger day and they can add it if needed.

@clhiu I was told that steroids help the high nk cells in blood to lower to prevent miscarriages. Steroids can lower inflammation but I have not heard that they help implantation. It’s the nk cells in endometrium which affect implantation and yours are normal. Neupogen and hcg infusions aid implantation. Also a good progesterone level aids implantation.

I’m having treatment to raise nk cells in endometrium. I was told today that if I want to take steroids I would need to repeat all my blood tests for liver function which last time was nearly £1000 which I cannot afford. My nurse told me if I cannot have these liver function tests I will not be allowed to take steroids. I was debating whether to take them as I only have slightly raised nk cells in blood. My issue is more my low nk cells in endometrium and recurring infections.

@2021ivfagain liver function tests are £39 at medichecks, are you sure they aren't charging for a load of immune tests there?

Hope you’re doing okay @thislittlebird glad the news so far is encouraging.

Good luck with scan tomorrow @Gardenlady543.

@Faithhopelove83 so glad to hear things are looking positive.

@IVF22 thank you for your help. I managed to source it from UK company in the end and it’s due to arrive tomorrow - yay! Given the Biovea one hasn’t shifted from “label created” on the fedex tracking I’m relieved. Even more when I get it tomorrow though.

@CailinInUK I am so sorry, how awfully devastating. I really hope you have better luck next time and definitely good sign you made euploid!

@VenusStarr keep going! You’re nearly there!

@Enfys23 We did it! 🫠 and ovulation is confirmed so now we wait.

I found an old sleeve of 25mcg levothyroxine (was my original dose) it went out of date in March but I've taken 75mcg this morning. Hopefully I'll hear from the GP today.

Good luck today @Gardenlady543 is af in full flow now? Hoping that all is well and you're finally on track for a transfer cycle 🙏

@2021ivfagain can you see if your GP will do your bloods? Mine won't prescribe any of my immune meds but are happy to monitor my bloods every 3 months, so check my liver & kidney function, full bloods, clotting and something else that I forgot (they will only do my thyroid annually though).

With nk cells and steroids, Dr S explained it to me that although my nk cell count is normal I've got exceptionally high activation so that is impacting on implantation for me. So might be a factor in our infertility too.

@2021ivfagain - steroids are given to lots of people, including for asthma and ive never known any of them personally have lfts checked 🤔 I have also had raised lfts in the past and they haven't said anything about bloods despite knowing about it. I'd be suspicious they are trying to get you to have stuff you may not actually need....
@VenusStarr that's an amazing chart! With pcos mines never been that clear 😂 fingers crossed x

Thanks everyone, had the scan, the corpus luteum was there but the nurse said it can be CD1, everything else looks good. So I should get the all clear to start.

Great news! @Gardenlady543 🙌

I’m taking steroids for asthma right now (because sedation triggers bromchospasm in me for some reason) and I just get them from my GP over email, because I’m asthmatic they don’t argue. But I’m only taking for a few days, GP has definitely done liver function test before.

I feel like this is the worst egg collection so far, body feels more battered and bloated. Did anyone else notice it felt worse as you did more?

Also, I’d forgotten how horrible Lubion and Clexane are. The clexane needle is big so that hurt when it was going in, and the Lubion has caused a painful injection site. Don’t fancy doing them again tonight and every/every other night.

@Enfys23 yhanks!

@Gardenlady543 glad your baseline scan went well!

@thislittlebird get yourself some emla cream, do you think you might have some OHSS?

@Gardenlady543 I don't think so, it's not too bad, it just all feels a bit more sore than I remember it being ok after the first one, in ovary area at least. I thought I might after cycle 1 and it turned out I get this sedation reaction each time, or so various doctors say.

I had OHSS @thislittlebird and it can really vary, if you feel a bit bloated and rough then it could be that, it's self limiting, all you can do is try and rest, keep a hot water bottle around. EC is a surgical procedure so I think feeling rough after is to be expected, hopefully you feel better soon.

@Gardenlady543 i could have had it I suppose, but no fresh transfer has ever worked so impossible to say. Going to eat lots of protein and drinking lots of water to fend it off, hopefully.

Transfer is booked for Monday at 9.30am, if there’s anything to transfer.

@VenusStarr yay! Everything looks great and happy to see things are proceeding and you were able to get hold of more meds to keep the thyroid levels in check. I hope your GP can sort you out for more quickly

@Gardenlady543 good news about the scan, bet you’re itching to finally get going and sounds like this is the time finally

Ugh. I've just got a letter from the clinic, they don't think it's a dermoid cyst, they think it's an endometrioma.... so guessing that means endometriosis 😪😪 I've just googled it and its not great. Ffs.

@VenusStarr have you been checked for endometriosis before, it is definitely a useful thing to check for. This is why I had them check during my fibroid surgery. I'm not sure anything can be concluded from an ultrasound especially if they have already said it could be two things.

Never had a lap. I asked about it during our fertility checks back in 2019 but they said it wasn't indicated as I had no symptoms.

No ones mentioned endo at all. Even when I was diagnosed with adenomyosis.

@VenusStarr god, this is such a joke that it’s only come up now. I’m so sick of everything being found so late in the game for us all!!!!! Did they make any recommendations?

@VenusStarr Urgh 😩. Have the explained next steps or just wait and see for now? Can they do anything to confirm or have to wait to confirm possible pregnancy first?

@Gardenlady543 yeah, I just remember not feeling quite like this before, so it could be a bit of ohss. Anyway, I’m relaxing at home this weekend and hoping to return to work Monday after a possible transfer.