ERA EMMA ALICE testing thread 10

[Gardenlady543]

Last thread is maxed out... happy for anyone new to join to chat about anything ERA EMMA ALICE or pretty much anything else fertility investigations and treatment related

@2021ivfagain @Enfys23 @clhiu @CailinInUK @Loz2467 @Mybabydream @ChickenT2b @kerrym87 @Sar1010 @thislittlebird @APSR @VenusStarr
@Dochas12111 @SallyLovelady @Lyrabee @Lauralozzle @Sera9 @Twigg12 @Wren123 @Summerishere83 @Vicky81B

I'm so sorry @Enfys23 I did modified natural with low dose stims:

Meriofert 75units from 2nd day of the bleed- stoped when good response with follicle and lining
Inhixa 40mg from and Prednisolone 25mg from day 8
Intralipids day 11

@kerrym87 all I can think to do is a lap with a endo expert to treat anything they find, Nancy book surgeon is usually recommended. If you do more collections then you can use the sperm chip to process the sperm if you didn't before.

@greendress789 I probably wouldn't use them for that long. I would do 7 days after the bleed. The body adjusts the pH through the cycle and when sperm would be around it would be higher, so I would avoid around the time of transfer in case the acidic environment has an impact on implantation, they also don't use lube when doing the transfer as embryos like a dry environment so I would worry about the liquid from this kind of stuff having an impact too, I would go with vaginal probiotics without acid instead for regular use and avoid around the transfer time.

Thank you @Dochas12111 and that’s super helpful @Gardenlady543 thanks

Thank you both ❤️❤️❤️

@Prayformiracles How are you getting on? I was not sure when you were having your transfer.

Hi ladies!
Hope it's okay to ask here...
I'm embryo banking with PGTA testing at the moment. I've got one child conceived naturally first try 3 years ago and I've been TTC for a second for a year and a half now. Since then I've had a miscarriage at 6w which is why I'm now PGTA testing as I don't want to go through another one.
I'm 30. Unexplained secondary infertility.
Obviously making each embryo is hard work and expensive, so I don't want to waste them if my uterus isn't receptive. But then, a biopsy is extra pain and cost too.... so would you recommend trying an embryo transfer first or doing the era Emma Alice tests before using up any embryos?

Hi @GreatEggSpectations the ERA test doesn't have much evidence behind it, this thread has been going for a few years now and I actually did it twice a few years ago. It told me I was prereceptive and no need to repeat, I repeated anyway at the new timing and it still said prereceptive! After having no implantation with euploid embryos at this modified timing, I ignored it all and just did the normal timing and had success. There's a study that showed it was just as likely to work when people with adjusted timing ignored it and did the transfer at the usual time. If I did a transfer in myself again, I wouldn't do another ERA.

The EMMA ALICE part has more evidence behind it, this is microbiome testing, but you can do this in less invasive ways like a a menstrual fluid test with fertilysis or if you don't want to spend as much and want an idea if yours is ok you could do a vaginal swab version.

Hi all. Hope everyone is keeping themselves well and somewhat sane.

@2021ivfagain Thank you for your message.
I am so sorry to read about one of your babies. I pray for you that the other one is doing well 🙏

More setbacks here. Everything was in place ready for fet, had scratch and started norethesterone. Had last blood checks and for the first time during this 6 year ivf journey I have developed thyroid issues. Tsh too low and antibodies too High. Referred to endocronologist. He thought it would sort itself out in 3 weeks as my thyroid a few months before was all normal so he thought it was a temporary blip and that i would be able to do fet before xmas. The repeat blood showed no improvement. No medication given. Restesting again 4 weeks later. Think he is testing for hashimotos next time too.
I had already cut out gluten for a couple of months before this result. Feels like wasted effort on that front (and losing motivation) but will keep going.

I'm sorry @Prayformiracles this is a odd picture in hashimotos TSH would be high, if you have an interactive thyroid with TSH low and you aren't on levothyroxine then it could be an issue at the pituitary. It's good you have an endocrinologist, I can recommend a private one if you wanted to speed things up?

*underactive not interactive!

@Gardenlady543 I think they said possible hyperthyroidism so this would be overactive not underactive I think. Not really sure yet. He hasn't really offered me any explanations yet as he was convinced it was a blip that would rectify itself at the repeat blood test a couple of weeks ago. I will be retesting again in 10 days time which will be 4 weeks since the last one and then having a consultation so I hope I can be offered some explanations then.
Thank you I am already doing this privately with Prof Gerard Conway.

@Prayformiracles this looks like a good person to be under. Did they did the TSH receptor antibodies? The autoimmune disease in an overactive thyroid is Graves' disease. I tested for it as I became overactive in pregnancy.

I think I meant graves not hashimotos. Silly Brain. Sorry for confusion.

@Prayformiracles I know that my thyroid was helped by increasing to 1000iu vitamin D 3 x a day plus pregnacare (several months before even starting transfer). Could you get your vitamin d checked as well? I’m still taking 1000iu vitamin d once a day plus Pregnacare in pregnancy. I asked my consultant because my son keeps bringing home viruses from nursery.

I hope you are able to sort out thyroid issues. I think any changes you make now will not be a waste. You need to be healthy for your transfer.

I had the combined screening done Thursday just gone and now have to wait for results. I’ve not been sleeping well at all. I keep worrying all the time. We had to go shopping yesterday and my nearly 4 year old ran around the shop. I had to chase after him and ran but then panicked. @Gardenlady543 I only ran for a bit, felt fine but always worry. I also have a constant dry throat now. I’m just not sleeping well anymore. I’m 13 weeks 3 days but still not looking too far ahead. How are you doing?

@Gardenlady543 I'm reviewing my immunology results from Dr gorgy, I've got a th1/2 cytokine ratio and nk activation panel, is this usually a blood test? I had my uterine biopsy at the same time and there was so manyy. Our cobsultant, once ive had hysteroscopy has suggested tommys for the RIF with uterine biopsy if not done. Sorry everyone i don't know how to pm someone on here, only reply when they pm me!

@2021ivfagain don't worry about running! People do really intense exercise in pregnancy and are fine.

@kerrym87 are these tests he's recommended? Usually he recommends full immune bloods: nk, th1/th2, lad. Plus one off things like hla dqa1. Tommy's in Coventry so a nk biopsy but I didn't find it useful.

@Gardenlady543 yes we had those bur couldn't remember if any of the results apart from ema/alice were endometrial

@Gardenlady543 can you elaborate on how nk biopsy wasn't helpful if you dont mind as I'm trying to get my head round any options before embarking on my final egg collection x

@kerrym87 I had two biopsies in Coventry which had shown the opposite result as expected, that's all they did, at the time it was a biopsy that just showed the number of NK cells. He told me I was fine, no issues, things would work. Also told me about someone who had 10 cycles of IVF and then got pregnant unassisted after (which I didn't find reassuring!), it didn't work so I went to Dr Gorgy and had a more indepth assessment. The biopsy he did looked at nk activity rather than the number of nk cells, that was normal too. But he treated me based on the blood tests.

@Gardenlady543 thanks. I had blood nk cells with one value slightly raised but dr gorgy didn't suggest endometrial biopsy after other tests done, just LIT and/or PRP. I think at the time we only had so much money available at that time. We've continued to save alongside our package so we have some more to play with now

Hi all,
I'm a newbie to this thread but recognise some familiar faces.

I just wondered if this has happened to anybody else. I was doing my mock cycle for EMA/ERA/ALICE testing. I had a scan on day 12 of estrogen (I am on 3 tablets orally, 2 tablets vaginally, 2 everol patches and inhixa blood thinners). My lining was 6.6mm, which was not a surprise as I normally need a few extra days to get up to 7mm. However I had a scan this morning and my lining had gone down to 6.1mm so they cancelled my biopsy. I am gutted and didn't realise it had to be a certain thickness for the biopsy.
Has this happened to anybody else?
x

@lemons44 that's strange, I've only had this happen in modified natural FET, I didn't think it did that on medicated. Something that did happen once is my lining looked thinner but it was because my uterus had contracted so they gave it a few minutes and then it relaxed and they got a higher measurement. I think igenomix set a thickness but people can still have it with thin lining, I think it's only to ensure a sample the correct size, 1cm I believe, but that doesn't mean you need 10mm thickness as it can be measured the other way.

@lemons44 I’ve had terrible problems with medicated cycles. Higher doses and longer on oestrogen disintegrated my lining so that it would regress from 5 point something to 3 point something. However after more than one cancelled cycle. I was allowed to proceed to the biopsy with lining at 5.4mm and had sufficient sample so that’s disappointing you have had yours cancelled. However I guess they are thinking if you normally have a better response they want to mimic that cycle rather than take a biopsy on a suboptimal lining?

Hi everybody. Hope everybody is ok. I check in on here once in a while to ask questions about uterine microbiome if that’s ok….I’ve had three Emma/Alice tests and more recently a fertilysis test. All showing bad bacteria and no lactobacillus which I then treat with antibiotics and loads of probiotics but still no resolution. I’m so fed up because I’ve wasted two euploid embryos on transfers that were on reflection obviously not ideal conditions. Does anybody know what the cause of this recurrent bad bacteria might be? Can anybody recommend some kind of expert I could speak to in London that might be able to help? Many thanks

@Diamondpearl123 not sure about in the UK. The fertilysis doctor is the best person I spoke to, he can organise intrauterine antibiotics which may be the next step in the treatment if nothing has worked so far. It will be in Greece though.

@Diamondpearl123
I had a similar issue for aboit 9/12 months repeatedly given the same advice by my clinic to use probiotics which did nothing to improve lactobacillus.
I then found a nutritionist who helped me improve things. I am Still under her care as I couldnt proceed with ET because i now have thyroid issues. For info the nutritionist programme plus supplements is not a cheap option.

If you are interested, Here are her details:

https://fertilitynutritioncentre.org/find-a-fertility-specialist/listing/anna-wulff/?flavor=mobileapp

Hope that's helpful.