5 previous miscarriages, NK cell problem, anxiety and pregnant

[Harrimara]

Hi, I'm new to posting on here and not sure even which category I belong in :-/ I guess the one I relate to the most is this one. I'm hoping to come across anybody out there who might have a similar story or similar medical problems with fertility.

We have been trying to conceive for 5 years and have had 5 miscarriages my last in March 20. 3 were natural and 2 through IVF, all have been less than 7weeks before I miscarried and all with a lack of symptoms.
We decided after the last we would go private to get the tests the NHS don't provide and my immune/NK cells flared up as a problem, it seems as soon as I fall pregnant my NK cells rise and we know this because I'm currently 6 weeks and they were able to test me as soon as we got a positive and put me on a mix of drugs one being a immunosuppressant.

I know we are incredibly lucky to get this far but for me its the terrifying danger zone and my anxiety is something I have to work hard to control. I feel like I'm waiting for something bad to happen and analysing every twitch, ache, lack of symptoms or spotting, every trip to the toilet feels like a heavy weight.
I'm trying to take each day as it comes but the thought of another miscarriage fills me with dread! The past 5 years has really challenged me as a person and sometimes I don't recognise the person I have become.

I guess it would be nice to hear from anybody who has similar issues with their immune/NK cells and had a positive story.

Apologies again if I've posted to the wrong area and rambling on.

Hi Harrimara,

First of all, I’m really sorry about your miscarriages. It’s an awful And very lonely thing to have to go through.

I’m happy to hear you’re pregnant again, but I know how anxious it makes you feel. My story is somewhat similar to yours. I got pregnant in 2014 with my daughter. It was a textbook pregnancy. A year later we started trying for a second and I went on to have 5 miscarriages over the next 2.5 years. Each miscarriage was very similar. We would see a heartbeat at 6 weeks, I would start spotting around 7 weeks and miscarry the following week. I never got past 8 weeks.

After miscarriage number 3 we decided to go private. I went to se Dr Shehata in Epsom and he diagnosed me with high NK cells. I was put on steroids and progesterone. Not long after I started my protocol I got pregnant, but unfortunately that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage (at 8 weeks). I had a bad reaction to the steroids so for my next pregnancy I was put on hydroxychloroquine (no steroids) and progesterone. Once again the pregnancy ended in miscarriage. This was a missed miscarriage (all my other miscarriages were natural) so I had a d&c and had it tested. It came back positive for trisomy 16. No drugs in the world would have saved that pregnancy. Dr Shehata suggested we try again with the same protocol. A few moths later I got pregnant again, stuck to the same protocol, and miraculously that pregnancy was ok. So after 5 miscarriages I finally gave birth to my son in Dec 2018.

I hope my story gives you hope, as I remember scouring the internet looking for similar stories to mine. I was incredibly anxious in my last pregnancy. The first 12 weeks were so nerve wrecking (especially once I got close to 7 weeks and beyond). I tried to take it one day at a time but, to be perfectly honest, I was a nervous wreck. But somehow this one worked out. To this day I don’t know if it was the drugs? Was it just a number’s game?

I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope this is it for you. Sending lots of positive vibes your way.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me xx

Also, there is a thread called Immune/NK issues that I found incredibly helpful. Most of the women there are seeing Dr Shehata and have been diagnosed with NK cells
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/miscarriage/3914106-Immune-NK-Issues-aka-Pred-Thread-no-25

Hi @PJ12, Thank you for sharing your story with me. I've messaged you, hope thats ok :-)
xx