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 😊

@Loz2467 I used cyclogest rectally. The nurse said they’ve seen better absorption rates using it that way, presumably because there is less leakage.

@Lauralozzle Thank you! I’ll do that too!

@Gardenlady543 Now do I have to commit to the x2 lubion a day?or could I of used it for a boost? The nurse did the transfer and I’m feeling really crampy :(

Also I think they only thaw the embryo quite late / on arrival so they don’t give it any more time to develop into a blast but she did say it had started to expand from the thaw nicely but obviously still only an early blast. She just means getting bigger.

@Enfys23 Yeah that makes sense. The lap will give you more answers and then you could always down Reg after the lap if they think it’s necessary. Do they think the NK cells is linked to the endo? Or adeno? Where did you go for that? I’m wondering if to use Dr Gorgy in the new year if it comes to that.

Sorry I mean re-expand. So just getting back to how it was. Just worried as I’ve only seen early blast success in fresh cycles not when they’ve been frozen and thawed.

@Loz2467 they wouldn't have frozen it if it didn't have a chance. If you have increased up the dose then you will need to stick with it. Was the clinic ok with the increase?

I’ve been to-ing and fro-ing and wondered if I could you ladies for your opinion.

we have 2 euploids in the freezer. And we were going to try naturally until the new year (I can’t really remember why) but I’m thinking we should do another transfer next cycle. I feel incredible pressure this time round- the other two I felt positive so I think I was delaying the FET to new year so I could work on my diet and stuff. But the dates are a clash in January with the work now.

Abit if history: 2 failed FETS and 2 CP in 3.5 years. Lap removed early endo in sept and I have early andenomysis too. Everything has come back normal inc Immunes (blood and biopsy), era ema and Alice.

I am tempted to ask for steroids eventhough everything has come back as normal. If this transfer fails then we would go ahead with dr gorgy in January.

I guess my question is would you go ahead with the FET knowing the 3 months leading up haven’t been the healthiest (alcohol, sugar etc) OR would you go for it whilst the time/dates are ok?

S x

@Sar1010 I wouldn't let your lifestyle prior to the FET influence what you do. Honestly I have had cycles where I went to a ridiculous level of health, I'm talking nothing but fruit, veg and green smoothies and every supplement going and nothing happened. The chemical and this cycle I lived on crisp sandwiches. So I would say go for it with a FET transfer, if your clinic is happy to add prednisolone then do that. If it doesn't work then seeing Dr Gorgy sounds like a plan.

Hello. Apologies for plowing back on here with a question that has nothing directly to do with fertility, but I’m struggling to get help and advice elsewhere and you’re all so kind, helpful and experienced on here I thought I’d give it a shot.
I have one hopefully simple question. If a person self-refers privately for medical testing (this instance is for an MRI scan for a suspected slipped disc) should they then be able to log the results and get treatment on the nhs? Or could the nhs refuse treatment and disregard the private test result and private specialist recommendations? DH’s been practically blocked in bed and unable to work for 6 weeks now with what a private physio is adamant it’a a slipped disc with possible lesion, but hasn’t been able to get anywhere with an MRI referral through our gp. We could barely afford a private MRI, but not private treatment off the back of it. Thank you and I hope your current cycles bring you what you’re longing for 🙏🙏🙏

@clhiu I'm a shitty coincidence my husband is also suffering from a prolapsed disc. He booked a private MRI to try and speed things up but his NHS physio had also referred him. He ended up getting the NHS appointment first so went for that. If your DH arranges a private MRI then you can give the report to your GP and seek a referral to a spinal surgeon for an assessment through them. One of the main issues will be whether the private facility shares the images from the MRI with the local NHS department. I know they can put them on a CD but it's easier if the NHS surgeon has direct access. You could call around a few local private places and enquire about that. Not sure how long your DH has had the issue, but generally investigations are avoided unless red flags are present as most cases response spontaneously, if there are red flags or it's prolonged then it's worth investigating further. My DH started to get symptoms at the beginning of the year and had mostly neurological leg symptoms.

Thank you so so much @Gardenlady543 and I’m really sorry to hear about you dh issues too. Mine had on and off back issues most of his life, but nothing too serious generally. Before I met him when he was much younger he was diagnosed with a slipped disc once, but that sorted itself out. A year ago he changed his line of work entirely from office work to a kitchen where he’s standing up and bending over for hours at time. He was working in this kitchen for 6 months and his back had been bothering him, but except for a couple of cancelled shifts he’d been able to keep going…until 6 weeks ago when his back went completely. Woke up the day after a shift in agony with lower back and pelvis pain, barely able to move, he’s not been able to work at all since. 3 days later we went to a local minor injury UTC And the doctor said straight away it was almost certainly a slipped disc and needed an MRI however since there was no loss of sensation or neurological symptoms he could not refer directly and had to go through his GP. The GP completely dismissed what the UTC doctor recommended and any concerns of slipped disc, he refused to prescribe an MRI or specialist care and just referred him for physio as told him it was just muscular. 6 weeks later he’s no better and last week he saw a private physio who immediately told him it’s definitely a slipped disc, with possible lesion and he will need an MRI before he can recommend the best treatment. He’s going to try the GP again, but I’m really skeptical at this point x

@clhiu I thought physios can directly refer for a MRI in most places, I take it that isn't an option? I would say try the GP again and if you have no luck then book the MRI privately, then take the report to discuss with the physio to discuss the next steps. I think a private MRI would be around £600. In general backs are pretty hard to treat, one of my friends in a neurosurgeon and I asked him for advice on DH. He said with surgery the best outcome is resolution of leg symptoms but it is unlikely to do much for the back pain. Surgeons mostly go down the conservative treatment options first so physio and pain relief, DH had an epidural in the first instance.

@Gardenlady543 they definitely can, however this particular NHS physio also dismissed any concerns around spine or possible slipped disc and refused to refer for an MRI despite he explicitly asking for one.
He will do another eConsult today and try again through the GP to see if that leads anywhere. Also wow! £600, that’s more than I expected to be honest so the better if he can have it on the NHS.
How is your dh now? Are his back problems getting in the way of work or normal activities? It sounds awful that’s been going on for this long x

@clhiu just asked DH and he said the private MRI was £300. DH seemed to respond well to the epidural and it helped his leg symptoms, he did the epidural privately for £750 on the advice of a private spinal surgeon and he's working with the NHS physio at the moment. The plan was for him to see how he gets on with a epidural and if he didn't respond to have surgery. We're working to a tight timeline as I have to have a c section which will likely be in around 8 weeks time. So we wouldn't have been going down the private route if it wasn't for my situation. But also because he got to the point where the pain was too much to deal with.

Thank you very much for checking on the costs, that’s definitely more affordable.
I can totally see why you wanted to speed things up and do whatever possible to improve his situation given the pain and your planned c section, with everything else you’ve been through already. Very interesting to hear about the epidural, I had no idea that was a possible treatment, so good to know, we’ll see where we get to. With my dh is very much the pain to the point that he’s basically incapacitated and hasn’t been able to leave the house for 6 weeks, tried a couple of times and his back immediately went again, or work. It’s also impacting our TTC journey as later this week would be time for timed intercourse (first cycle since the chemical), but I’m concerned with the pain he’s in today it’s unlikely to happen. He was already bad last month, but still managed through me doing all the work. I’m also concerned that the all the anti-inflammatories and painkillers paired with a sequence of hot baths he had when was mistakenly told heat was good for his problem, will have knackered his sperm, but unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it. Just more wood on to my miserable fertility pitfire!

@Enfys23 lovely to hear from you again, it sounds like you made a lot of progress and I hope that’ll make the difference you need x

@clhiu oh dear he sounds in a bad state. DH has been worsening over time, so he has been quite limited. He was advised by his physio to lie face down on the floor so that's where he is most of the time. This is quite annoying for me as he has cushions all around him and the dogs lie with him, creating an obstacle course for me! For timed intercourse in your situation, I would buy some sterile pots and 10ml syringes as a back up if I were you.

@clhiu has gp offered any pain relief options at all as pain can prevent movement which can then create a vicious cycle of not being able to do any physio to help. If he's so badly affected and pain is so bad he can't get to gp surgery ask for home visit (from a different one!). He could always ring 111, attend ucc again or a&e if really bad. Does he have any other symptoms apart from pain? My husband had reactive arthritis and horrendous back pain after e coli uti and pyelonephritis , another time was sacro-iliac area fascia irritation. Both eventually resolved. My mum however had a badly slipped disk that herniated and had numbness in legs and issues with bladder. Any altered sensation in limbs when moving or still is a concerning sign that you can push for a proper review and assessment x

Hi all @Gardenlady543
hope you are all well!
any advice on good prenatal vitamins . I’ve been taking pregnacare but I was told to take methylfolate rather then folic acid
also was asked to take calcium 500, any one has good brand recommendation?
finally has anyone had spotting with canesflor and belly/pelvic area pain?
thanks

@Mybabydream

I take this prenatal with methylfolate:

NATURELO Prenatal Multivitamin - Natural Vitamins & Minerals - Active Folate, Iron & Calcium - Essential Nutrients During Pregnancy & Conception - No GMOs - 180 Vegan Capsules | 2 Month Supply amzn.eu/d/jaxJGz7

I use this calcium supplement, it's a powder that I add to drinks:

Calcium Carbonate Powder | Pharmaceutical Grade Ingredient | 1 Pound - 454 g | Highest Purity Limestone | Heiltropfen® amzn.eu/d/cTCmMKG

While you can get spotting from cervix irritation when you insert medication in the vagina, you shouldn't be getting pain. You should discuss with your specialist/GP so they can look into this.

@Gardenlady543 About the backup option you mean… 😮🙊, not a bad idea and I might just, but I’m not sure how it would go down with DH if I asked for that the way he’s in, but def worth thinking about, especially if this carries on longer than a month.

@kerrym87 thank you. Luckily no other symptoms just pain which affects his ability to move around and completely basic daily tasks normally. The UTC doctor and the second GP he managed to speak to prescribed Naproxen, which they said should also ease the pain as it reduces inflammation, but it’s not done much. No other pain relief, just heat, which turned out to be the wrong advice. The private physio told him to put ice on it as much as possible and that’s helping a bit. I hope your treatment is progressing in the right direction x

@clhiu I mean IUI and IVF pregnancies involve a man on his own in a room with a cup! If he's in pain then there's probably not a way to have intercourse without it being painful, and you don't want to miss a cycle.

@kerrym87 also meant to say, I am really sorry to hear about your husband and mum. Glad to hear your DH issues were resolved, what about your mum? Is she still having issues and treatment?

@clhiu sorry to hear the added stress and woe. I work in health care and see a fair bit of this issue - I would be careful about doing a private MRI if your funds are right. You’d possibly be better off paying for an initial consult from a orthopaedic spinal consultant. My DH used to get terrible back and when he saw ortho they found a leg length discrepancy - a heel lift inside his shoe on one side and Pilates for all the long-standing muscle tension has quite literally cured his decades of issues - crazy simple. And something no physio has picked up (or embarrassingly me but then I don’t tend to spend ages examining DH with a professional eye haha). I’m not saying that’s your DHs issue but getting a specialist opinion, privately if your local NHS wait is long, I would say is more valuable than standalone MRI if he’s not got neurological signs. Back pain alone as others have said while highly disabling and distressing won’t be managed by disc surgery, so while maybe not communicating it terribly well, that may be why GP is dismissive of MRI mention. Really hope you get sorted out. As others have said good pain relief is key.

@clhiu on the subject of ice DH has two ice belts similar to this:

Ice Pack Gel Wrap for Hot & Cold Therapy Pain Relief with Straps - Fits Any Body Parts - Flexible After Frozen - Reusable - Back, Shoulders, Neck, Waist, Wrist, Arms, Ankle, Calves 14'' X 6'' (Blue) amzn.eu/d/1yKj9DY

He's always got one strapped on while the other is in the freezer.

@clhiu I think it was @2021ivfagain with those issues but u had ti read back 3 pages! I can never remember who said what 🤦‍♀️

Thank you @Enfys23 and yes he saw a private physio last week who gave a complete opposite diagnosis from the NHS one. He said he’s certain it’s a slipped, possibly herniated disc and there’s likely a lesion on it. Both this private physio and the first doctor he saw at the UTC recommended and MRI to confirm the diagnosis, but also to recommend the best course of treatment, with surgery being just a last resource, but indeed there are other less invasive options.

Thanks @Gardenlady543, we’ve ordered one of those, so far he’s been using frozen peas and and a support band.

I have a UTI and have been prescribed Nitrofurantoin, will it absolutely destroy my lactobacillus? Is it ok to take Canesfloor at the same time? And would Canesfloor make my PH too high to be sperm friendly? Shall I wait until past ovulation to use? So far it’s been mild and in the oast I’ve had success getting rid of it without antibiotics. What about saches like Canes Oasis? They’re not recommended in pregnancy, but do they cause issues with conception and more so than antibiotics?

@kerrym87 I meant to say about their back problems you were telling me about 🙂 x