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 😊

@Gardenlady543 thank you. I don’t have any symptoms re the candida so I guess I will just do the canestan and hope for the best.
@CailinInUK thank you. Fingers crossed for your microbiome results.
@Enfys23 fingers crossed for you that this one sticks. I’ve had two chemicals since my endo surgery in august but they lasted only a day! I’m still taking it as a good sign that the excision worked and probably its something else at play preventing success. Did Brosens prescribe hydroxychloroquine too?

thank you @Gardenlady543 you’re completely right. All logic goes out the window. I’ll try and see if I can get in any sooner with them 🤞🏼
@ChickenT2b thank you ❤️ How are you getting on? He only advised prednisolone.

Hi there. Wanted some advice on how to manage the gap between the balance activ pessary/vaginal probiotics and Cyclogest. Need to take Cyclogest am and pm. Just don’t want the probiotics or the balance activ pessary to interfere with the progesterone in any way. Also any experience of prontogest? Really scared of the intramuscular shot.

@ChickenT2b I would just do the gel pessary and use the cream then. If you're worried you could see your gp and explain and ask to do a swab to check it's resolved from a vagina swab.

@Enfys23 how are you getting on?

@APSR do you need to do balance activ when on progesterone, I would only use it at the start of a cycle, if pH has gone up or if you have symptoms of BV. Can you use the cyclogest PR, that's what I did so I would put the vaginal probiotic in and then use cyclogest rectally. For prontogest, my tips are-

1. Get emla cream you can buy it over the counter from the pharmacy, I got a big tube of it from boots pharmacy. Apply this in advance.
2. Get an autoinjector, I used this one unionmedico.com/product/super-grip/ there's a video on YouTube of how to use it
3. After the injection massage the area for 10 mins, I used a neck massager similar to this, amzn.eu/d/dYXD5JW

@Gardenlady543 thanks for thinking of me. I don’t think my lines are getting any darker. My HCG result has come through for Friday (12dpo) as 12.4. Progesterone 45.4 which seems a bit low given I’m doing pessaries twice a day and ovulated naturally too. I know the HCG doesn’t mean much on its own really. I can’t get anywhere to do my bloods sooner so will just have to wait for the weekend 😖

Thanks @Gardenlady543 for the tips on pio shots. Can we use the Emla numbing cream long term, as in I’ll be asked to continue the shots for quiet sometime once I have a positive test. Will have a look at the links you have sent. Going for my first pio today. Have been asked to take Cyclogest vaginally. For now I’m taking Cyclogest 9.30 am and 9.30pm (just before going to bed) and probiotics midway 3.30pm. I have been asked to take Balance activ as well though not daily.

Hi everyone.

You’ll soon be starting a new thread as this one is nearly full and I think this might be time for me to say goodbye. Some of you will know me and others not.

i’ve been on these threads a long time…I did my ERA in Sept 2021. We all went through a lot together and I was lucky enough to have my baby last May.

My useful knowledge of Era, Emma, Alice etc is fairly minimal but if anyone does ever want to ask me anything about IVF, PGTA, immunology etc then PM me. I’ll always be happy to hear from you.

I wish you all so much luck on this tough journey and hope you get there soon.

lots of love xxx

Awh lovely to hear from you @Janefx40 i hope you are enjoying your little ones and I agree it’s a good time to step away from the mire!!! Thanks for the offer of help if needed. Xx

@Dochas12111 best of luck with number 2! You were one of our first success stories! Hope things go well this time when you can finally start x

Hi All. Sorry I’ve not been in touch. I’ve really been finding things difficult. My son is in nursery 3 times a week now but he has brought home viruses so I might have to delay my transfer to next month. I think my immune system is low due to worrying a lot about my mum who was in intensive care last week. I had a call to say she might not survive her hospital admission and she was in a bad way. Luckily she pulled through but is now left weak from surgery and trying to recover in a rehabilitation centre to help her mobility.

My relationship has been better but I feel that with the norethesterone to control my cycle which I need my anxiety levels are not good. I don’t feel in a good place to do transfer but also worried about running out of time. Sorry for the moan. I’m losing hope about having another child.

I’m also worried about being overdue a smear test if I don’t do the transfer soon as well as fsh levels.

Does anyone know how long nk cells are raised after bad cold?

@Janefx40 We started our journey almost same time for number 2. You’ve done so well.

@Enfys23 How are you getting on?

@Gardenlady543 How are you getting on?

@Janefx40 Completely understand! :) if you have a tips for immunes before you leave it would be greatly appreciated. That’s my issue along with my adenomyosis. Pretty sure nothing will work unless I try hydroxycloriquine but I’m struggling to find the strength and courage to keep going! Also worried if it’s just my adeno there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. X

Hi @Loz2467 I’m not really that knowledgeable about immunes. My approach has generally been to go to the best professionals in the business and trust them. I went to Mr Shehata for immunes and just trusted him. I preferred him to Gorgy because he seemed slightly less extreme. If you want to delve into the detail you could read Is Your Body Baby Friendly if you haven’t already. And there is also a FB site called UK Reproductive Immunology Support and the women on there really know their stuff. Most are with Gorgy. Sorry if that isn’t much help. For me the difference I think was Humira x

How are things @Enfys23 ?

@APSR I used the Emla daily until 12 weeks. How did the pio go?

@2021ivfagain so sorry to hear about your mum, it sounds like a lot of stress :( have you tried asking in the reproductive immunology group on Facebook about the nk cells after a cold, you might get some answers there esp as USA people have them checked more often. I am doing ok thanks, baby has feeding issues so we have a lot of appointments, I'm exclusively pumping with the occasional latch but she doesn't get milk off me, luckily my supply is enough for her but pumping 8 times a day is very tiring.

@Gardenlady543 administering part is fine now, my dh is doing that for me. But has left me with some knots/ bumps in that area.

@APSR are you massaging after, think I sent a link for the heated neck massager, after the injection I would sit with that on the area for 10 minutes. It's important to get on top of this now as it's in oil, you can get abscesses.

@Gardenlady543 has baby got a tongue tie?? Poor you!

@2021ivfagain glad things are a little better with your relationship. Sorry about your mum.

@Gardenlady543 its not great, stuck in limbo. I’m told just about acceptable in the lab ranges for gestation (39.5 at 4+3 rising to 64 at 4+5) but HCG still well under 100 and only rising 60% in 48h at this stage. Also I tested faint positive at 10dpo and am now 19dpo so it doesn’t seem good. I was eventually able to get the ivf clinic we’ve been enquiring at to do the tests and they’ve been really nice in getting results to me quick and providing some clinical advice. They think it could still just be a slow starter and advised me to continue meds for now. I have no pain or bleeding. I’m just not seeing much hope with this low and slow HCG. They’re advising rather than continued HCGs, that may just make me stressed but give no added knowledge, to do early localisation scan at 6 weeks. Though they’ve also said if I want I can do more HCG tests.

@kerrym87 no tongue tie, she has a high palate which makes it hard for her to get milk off. The hospital admission really set us back as all the latching stopped so they could accurately measure her intake.

@Enfys23 my 48h doubling was 61.5% and then 77%. What are you thinking about more blood tests? I did 3 and then stopped as they were really stressing me out. The wait for the scan was really hard :(

@Gardenlady543 thank you. I think I’ll wait for the scan now. It’s really horrible.

I'm so hoping this works out @Enfys23 my betas weren't the best but from the time of the first scan everything was fine and the baby measured 5 days ahead all pregnancy. Just because things are slow at the start it doesn't have to mean anything in the long term. It's so emotionally draining, can you find something to distract yourself? I built lego and made little model kits like this one amzn.eu/d/aVrBRwk

That’s reassuring thank you @Gardenlady543 I will try and do some crafts and nature walks and distract myself !

@Janefx40 all the very best to you and family! Must be amazing to be done with this consuming journey after a happy ending. Fingers tightly crossed I join you as a 44-45yo mum again.

@Enfys23 what an emotional rollercoaster. Sorry you are in this situation but I'm hoping for the best outcome for you.

@Dochas12111 sorry you're struggling with motivation. Take it easy on yourself and just start back with the basics. I keep forgetting whether I've taken my supplements so need to track them better. Hoping you get good results in time for a March tx.

@2021ivfagain good to hear from you and sorry to hear about your dear mum. It must be very difficult. I had a bad cold/flu with high fever in early Jan. Consultant advised to not proceed with FET in Feb and to give at least four weeks until commencing the FET cycle. I'm not planning to take any immunes meds.

@kerrym87 Did you get any embryos to the biopsy stage? I've been thinking of you.

I'm due my microbiome Fertilysis re-test results this week, which I'll let you know about. Undecided whether I'll go for a hysteroscopy before TX... ?

Thank so much for the support everyone. I’m booked for scan next week now and can only hope for the best.

great to hear from you @CailinInUK good luck with the results.

those with thyroid problems I think @Gardenlady543 you’ve mentioned before - what have you done with positive pregnancy test? I’ve asked GP for TFT check but they’re refusing as “needs to be done by obstetrics”. But I don’t really want to book in with midwife right now until we know a bit more, and regardless could be a while before seen by antenatal if get that far. I’m going to ask the clinic but wondered if I could do medichecks for speed as getting to clinic for bloods from work might not be possible til end of week. - do medichecks reports normal ranges for pregnancy too? I’ve upped my usual dose by 25% anyway and my TSH was good (0.76) in September 2023.

Thanks @Enfys23.

I don't think Medichecks routinely reports pregnancy ranges, just standard ranges. For info, I did the 'Ultimate Performance' blood test recently and it reported these ranges. You'd probably be able to get pregnancy ranges from someone on here or the net.