ERA EMMA ALICE testing thread 9

[Gardenlady543]

@2021ivfagain @Enfys23 @clhiu @CailinInUK @Spin101 @Loz2467 @Mybabydream @Janefx40 @ChickenT2b @kerrym87 @Sar1010 @AM08 @thislittlebird @IVF22 @APSR
@Faithhopelove83 @KLM25 @VenusStarr
@BewilderedBee @Dochas12111 @seven201 @StillWishingHoping

We've maxed out the other one so here's thread 9 😊

@Sar1010 i had rather complex surgery to remove stage 4 endo with bowel involvement. I am debating starting this week (surgery was two weeks ago on Sat). We were planning to wait until Oct but I’m getting fertile signs and not in pain so….🤷🏻‍♀️

My recovery has been very good so far so can’t see why not. Though will need to be extra gentle!

@Sar1010 I also had the tests mentioned by garden lady. Mine was the RPL panel through fertilysis.

Ah yes @ChickenT2b i forgot that I’d read you’d recently had surgery. Sounds like you’ve recovered really well and I think perhaps you should go for it. I was just feeling cautious about infection… did they mention anything to you about that? So strange on Google it can say it’s takes up to 3 months after lap to try but I just don’t believe that.

it’s only been a few days and I already feel much better.

@Gardenlady543 and once you received the blood tests results is that when you knew you would steroids etc ? Sorry I’m not really in the know about the immune stuff

x

@Sar1010 so the results will give you an indication if something is wrong but you will need to see a specialist to advise on a protocol, Dr Gorgy is the one I'm under as he offers more immune treatment than anyone else in the UK. I had my initial tests through feritlysis as well and Dr Gorgy interpreted them and organised others he needed to see.

@Sar1010 i thought about that too but then… I didn’t have anything removed in my vagina or uterus. So I’m not sure why there would be increased risk of infection. I could be wrong. But we went for it this morning following positive ovulation test so 🤷🏻‍♀️

@thislittlebird all the best for transfer!

so DD tested positive for Covid last his week while I was abroad with work.. I’m due to start stims next week, probably Weds… precarious situation!

@Gardenlady543 hope you’re feeling ok. When you mentioned the ERA recommended 1.5 days extra progesterone but you ignored it, was the ERA test FET regime the same as your actual FET ? I’m just curious as considering modified natural FET but previously did an ERA with medicated FET and it recommended one extra day of progesterone. I have had implantation on all three euploid medicated FETs, one live birth.

Above should say DD tested positive this week!

@CailinInUK ERA was done in a medicated FET. I had asked to do a modified natural since my first medicated as the estradiol made me so ill, they said I couldn't because of thin lining but then after 2 years of unsuccessful mediated FETs they said my lining was patchy and not right on medicated and we should try the modified natural approach. So we just did that at the usual timing.

Thanks @Gardenlady543! So your ERA wasn’t really representative of the FET that worked in the end.
Im wondering whether to bother doing a modified natural ERA, and swaying towards not doing so due to the time it takes. Thinking I’ll just do an EMMA and ALICE as that doesn’t need a mock FET cycle. Though I might time it so it’s so many days after LH surge so I could get a natural ERA test, for what it’s worth. Price difference is not much. I’ll have to negotiate with clinic as medicated is their strong preference.

@CailinInUK I wouldn't bother with an era in a moxies natural FET, there will be between cycle variations and even if it said pre or post receptive it's hard to adjust timing. Why not do the fertilysis menstrual fluid microbiome testing?

@Gardenlady543 i know what you mean, it wouldn’t be every useful test except if it was to confirm I’m receptive. My consultant will definitely say don’t bother. He already prides himself in doing least testing/treatment possible.

OK this might seem daft but I wonder with the Fertilysis test whether the menstrual blood picks up microbiota from the vagina on the way out so how can we be sure it’s just representing the endometrium?! I know I have Strep B in vagina so if Fertilysis comes back as positive for Strep B, is it from my vag or from endometrium?! That’s my thinking at the mo!

@CailinInUK so they ask you to collect in the first few hours of full flow to try to prevent the fluid being in the vagina too long. I put a menstrual cup in so it dropped straight through the cervix into the cup. You will also do a mid cycle vaginal swab and they tell you the levels on both and mine differed between the two samples. Essentially you will get the most accurate reading with the endometrial sample, although that does come through the vagina to get out. It's also expensive and invasive.

Hello 👋

Good luck with your FET @thislittlebird

@Gardenlady543 I hope covid is subsiding and resting is helping.

Can I please ask if anyone on this thread has ever had success getting pregnant (either naturally or IVF) on Pred and if so, on what day did you start it in relation to ovulation please? Besides @Gardenlady543

Thank you x

Hi @clhiu I took prednisolone but from 5 days before embryo transfer so that is 2 days after trigger/surge. Continued until week 12 of pregnancy. X

Hi how are you all?
How are you feeling @Gardenlady543 ?
Been thinking of you @2021ivfagain
Hope you’re both recovering well @ChickenT2b @Sar1010
Onwards and upwards to a next stim then @CailinInUK ?
I’ve been really mixed recently as trying to feel positive about next steps but got hit by a family pregnancy announcement which I’ve found super hard. I know how you will all understand. But yeah moments and days where I’ve just wanted to stay in bed with the duvet over my head!
Really trying to keep healthy habits though and gear up for egg collection #4. We have our consultation with Dr Gudi who seems to be the guy for DOR patient mid October and I have endometrial biopsy for NK cells and some other bits on Friday, and MRI pelvis the week after.

@clhiu I'm pretty sure @Dochas12111 took prednisolone, @seven201 did you take prednisolone in your cycles?

@Enfys23 I'm sorry to hear about the announcement, these would completely floor me, I have so many people hidden on social media, I wouldn't have used FB at all if it wasn't for the helpful groups I was in. Sounds like you have some really useful tests and appointments coming up.

Covid symptoms still dragging on unfortunately this is day 11 now.

@thislittlebird how did the transfer go?

@clhiu sorry, I’ve not been on this thread at all so don’t know what treatments you’re doing. I’m assuming it’s an ivf round? I took 25/5 tablets from 5 days before transfer. That’s the protocol for CRP clinic and my ivf clinic were happy to follow that. I can’t remember exactly when I took it for a letrazole only (ovulation induction) round but if you are doing similar I can look it up.

@Gardenlady543 thank you. Oh that sounds so miserable. I really hope it lifts soon. Any appointments or scans coming up for you?
I know what you mean. I’ve come off FB entirely but then do feel I miss out on the useful bits.

@Enfys23 I had a scan yesterday which was fine. I had to go down to London for IvIg 2 weeks ago, I had a Doppler of my uterine arteries when I was there which was fine and so I had been told I could go back to intralipids and then Dr Gorgy recommended more IvIg that would be due in 2 weeks but I have decided to do the intralipids instead, it's a much shorter journey and I felt quite unwell on the IvIg and ended up getting Covid 2 days later.

Definitely best to give your immune system a chance to fight off the COVID. Glad scan was looking good @Gardenlady543

@Enfys23 I completely understand regarding the family pregnancy announcement as it happened to me earlier this year and whilst I was happy for them I couldn’t work out why it wasn’t happening for us. I hope the tests go well on Friday

@Gardenlady543 so sorry to hear you still have symptoms. I hope they subside very soon. Sounds like the long commute to London is not what you need right now.

Sorry I haven’t been on mumsnet much. I hope everyone else is doing well.

@Gardenlady543 it was ok, thanks, but I'm struggling to feel positive today. We had it at 12pm on Friday, was a 4AA euploid with large inner cell mass, all fine and they were happy with it. But I've had AAs before that haven't even implanted so it's difficult, and it feels like a lot of pressure if riding on this one.

They tested my progesterone on transfer day and it was 43, so needed to increase Lubion to every day because they wanted it to be 50. I really do wonder if maybe my progesterone was an issue before because it's always been low, but I wasn't even on Lubion until we went private, the first three transfers (including the chemical FET) were on Cyclogest only. I'm glad it's been increased, I suppose, but I don't feel reassured. Might do another test on Thursday.

We just got back from our beach trip, it was very nice and the water where we were was very shallow so i only very briefly "swam", and I'm using quote marks because it wasn't especially easy to swim in low tide. I mostly paddled and sat on the shore, but of course when I got home I panicked I shouldn't have submerged myself in water and decided I'd messed it up. I wish I could be confident my body was capable of this.

@Enfys23 Sorry you had to deal with that. I logged on today to a notification on another barely active thread of long-timers with a BFP photo and it upset me. Seeing those threads now makes me realise it's mostly just me and my dh who will fail at all this, we're in the shitty 5%.

So, for a recap:

1. 4AA FET at Guys - Cyclogest only BFN
2. 4AB FET at Guys - Cyclogest only (increased dose) BFN
3. 4BB FET at Guys - Cyclogest only - Chemical - self medicated with 10mg prednisolone for a few days
4. 2 x poor quality morulas fresh at Lister - Cyclogest and Lubion every other day, plus Arovi BFN
5. 5AA fresh at Lister - Lubion every other day, Cyclogest, Arovi BFN
6. 4AA euploid FET at Lister - Lubion every day, Cyclogest, Arovi, and 10mg prednisolone this time

I had to push them to check my progesterone at Guys and they did, but it bugs me that it’s not tested more. Think I’ll pay to test this week. I usually start bleeding or spotting by day 6-9, which is about right for my period, my luteal phase is 13 days.

Thank you @Janefx40 @Gardenlady543 and @seven201 🙏. I know steroids are supposed to help with implantation, not the other way around and that's the whole point in the first place. My mind's just playing tricks on me trying to find possible explanation as to why I'm no longer getting pregnant at all on this immune protocol when before I easily could. I keep thinking it may be messing with my ovulation, but I have to start it after ovulation following monitor cycle with trigger so that's extremely unlikely. I also think it may interfere with the fertilisation process or the sperm, but that surely is even more far fetched because I realise both sperm and an egg that's been released and ready to fertlise are not attached to the body in any way. Lastly I fear it may be preventing embryos from implanting, but that doesn't really make sense if I really think about it for the aforementioned reason that it helps people who cannot get pregnant to succeed. I think I just need to have a little more patience and faith in the science.

@thislittlebird glad to hear your transfer went well and the embryo thawed well and expanded as expected, but it's impossible not to feel apprehensive after going through so many attempts already so absolutely excuse yourself for feeling that way. I do hope this is the one for you.

@Gardenlady543 glad your last scan and doppler went well. I agree you may want to lay off the IVG with Covid etc...I do fear all these immunosuppressants and the effects they may have especially with covid back on the rise and other seasonal illnesses just around the corner. I did not realise that autoimmune issues could still represent a threat to pregnancy this far along, when will you be able to stop all immunosuppressants entirely? Glad your Covid symptoms are finally waning too.

@CailinInUK good luck with your next round of stims, I hope your DP gets over Covid quickly without feeling too poorly and doesn't pass it on.