Recurrent miscarriages- Professor Quenby

[ThinnerByDinner]

Hi ladies, I am currently going through my second miscarriage in 5 months (been ttc no2 for 12 months). My GP is making arrangements to refer me to Professor Quenby at Coventry Fertility Clinic. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with Professor Quenby, any idea what the wait time is like and if anyone has gone private with her (if that’s even an option).
Appreciate any tips and advice in advance to me seeing/speaking to her. X

Hey! Ive had 3 miscarriages (most recent end of January) and my GP referred me to professor Quenby. I had my first appointment with her last week over telephone and she was absolutely brilliant. She was reassuring and explained everything they're going to do to help me in detail. She sent details of a endometrial trial that they're doing at the moment however I found out I'm pregnant so contacted them to let them know I can't do the trial. They then said for me to go in to UHCW for blood tests that day and to get progesterone to support this pregnancy. I've already been booked in for a scan and blood test results when I'll be 6/7ish weeks. The team are incredible and so lovely.

Hello, sorry to hear that, we’ve had 1 ectopic, 5 miscarriages and are in the CERM trial. Professor Quenby is the most human Doctor I’ve ever met with a lovely bed side manner. We’d lost hope in having a family but she’s been really helpful and kind. We have a glimmer of hope again that she will help after so much sadness. Go with an open mind and see how you get on.

Best of luck.

She's featured in the BBC hospital programme. Series 7 episode 3 on iplayer.

Hello, I know this post is from last year so you guys may well not see my post. I’m currently being looked after by Prof Quenby and her team. I’m due to take part in the CERM trial after a positive test. I was just wondering how you all got on? I’m really not sure what I want to do at this point, because the potential of a placebo is making me feel super anxious about ttc if nothing has actually been done for the endometritis!

Hey sorry not part of the trial but just had 3rd mc (first one under her care) and I have no idea what she can do for me now. Nothing was found on initial tests other than I have pcos (which I suspected) and I was given progesterone but still had a mc. Just wondered what on earth she could suggest when I speak to her next month. Its scary to ttc again...

@Fuzzyduck21 I had 3 miscarriages before I was referred to Prof Quenby and had my 4th under their care. All of the tests came back normal and they advised to keep trying and to use progesterone again if I fell pregnant. Like you I couldn't deal with the thought of TTC and miscarrying again so we stopped trying but the covid vaccine made my cycle longer and I ovulated earlier than I thought and fell pregnant again in August. I got scans every 2 weeks and was told I can have as many as I needed to calm my anxiety in the first trimester. I'm now 29 weeks pregnant and this one has thankfully decided she wants to stick! I still have no idea why but I'm so glad, I've got 2 extra growth scans and specialist support as the specialist used to work for Prof and said she knows if she was there assessing me she'd absolutely demand I have extra growth scans for peace of mind.

@HopefulH I didn't end up taking part in the CERM trial due to the fear of a placebo too but I do wonder if endometritis was an issue for me but I just didn't discover it.

@worrybug93

Does anyone know the nhs wait time for a referral with professor Quenby?

Thankyou

It wasn’t very long when I enquired - about 2 months?

@Redheadednortherner thanks.. im all booked in now! So pleased. Have you had success? Hope you dont mind me asking.

Hi, I'm currently under Professor Quenby and recently took part in the CERM trial. I asked my GP to refer me about this time last year and had my first appointment (over the phone) in September. Her suggestion was to consider the CERM trial and to have progesterone pessaries in any future pregnancy. We finished the trial in Jan and we're now TTC again. I've no idea if I had the placebo or the Doxycycline (and I suspect it was the placebo) so that's terrifying but I'm hoping that if nothing else, the progesterone may make a difference for us.

I've got two school age children from my previous relationship and I've had 6 miscarriages in total - 3 with my ex and 3 with my DH, mainly MMC around the 8 week point. All my other tests have been normal but I do have PCOS.

I just typed out a big long reply but I can't see it now! But I'm under Professor Quenby and recently did the CERM trial and we're currently TTC.

@ButtercupBlue i can see your reply! I have a telephone appointment in 2 weeks. Its just the fact it takes so long if i do the cerm trial.. i wanted to ttc again in a couple of months. If i refuse now I guess I could do it in the future?! I am hoping to get the basic tests back and try progesterone.. but i also know that might not help so i dont know what to do.. i am 36 next month so i wanted to ttc sooner rather than later, the trials seem to delay. Best if luck to you. Was the biopsy painful?

Oh I'm glad you can see it! I thought it had disappeared into the ether!

I know what you mean about the trial. We'd actually stopped TTC as we felt after our last loss we couldn't just keep blindly trying with no answers or suggestions. But then after speaking to Professor Quenby we decided we were prepared to give it one last shot. So the idea of waiting 3 months didn't faze me as I needed a break from it all anyway. But I can see how if you're already TTC or keen to start then 3 months feels like a lifetime!

No the biopsy really wasn't too bad. I had an MVA after one of my miscarriages and found it v painful and traumatic so I got myself a bit worked up thinking the biopsy would be like that but it wasn't at all. It wasn't pleasant but they offered me gas and air (which I took gladly!) and the doctor was so gentle and so good at talking through exactly what she was doing. It was quick and more like a thorough smear or having a coil fitted rather than anything major. I was a bit crampy afterwards and had some spotting but again only minor and then my period turned up early a couple of days later (which they'd warned me might happen.)

I'm glad we gave it a go but I won't lie, not knowing if I took the placebo or not has definitely messed with my head and made me nervous about TTC again. I just keep thinking 'what if we're setting ourselves up for another fall?' but otoh, I do have progesterone this time which I've never had before.

Good luck whatever you decide!

Oh and I forgot to add, I'm 37 now and DH is 46 so we definitely feel like time isn't on our side :/

Hi all, so I decided to seek the doxycycline privately via an online pharmacy in the end. So I’ve now done a two week course of antibiotics and have been given the go ahead to try again. Terrified about ttc again! In the meantime Prof Quenby has come back with my uNK cells test results and it came back as very high: 18.82 - I’m in the 99th percentile! I’m waiting for the results now for a repeat test, before I find out what protocol Prof Q recommends. Has anyone else had such a high killer cells test result? It’s really thrown me and I can’t quite believe I’m in the 99th percentile for high levels. I’m now even more terrified of trying again - and every time my husband tries to get near me I freak out.

I’m approaching 45 so have practically written it off now - they did prescribe progesterone but o think too late now. I had 3 miscarriages nothing else since and I think my mindset is just moving on now

Hiya love I am due to take part in the trial shortly and will also be tested for NK cells. I have had 3 losses where two of them has haematoma which caused pprom! Can we keep in touch? X

@HopefulH

Hi all, so I decided to seek the doxycycline privately via an online pharmacy in the end. So I’ve now done a two week course of antibiotics and have been given the go ahead to try again. Terrified about ttc again! In the meantime Prof Quenby has come back with my uNK cells test results and it came back as very high: 18.82 - I’m in the 99th percentile! I’m waiting for the results now for a repeat test, before I find out what protocol Prof Q recommends. Has anyone else had such a high killer cells test result? It’s really thrown me and I can’t quite believe I’m in the 99th percentile for high levels. I’m now even more terrified of trying again - and every time my husband tries to get near me I freak out.

Hiya love I am due to take part in the trial shortly and will also be tested for NK cells. I have had 3 losses where two of them has haematoma which caused pprom! Can we keep in touch? X

High rainbow3087, yes let’s keep in touch. Sorry to hear of your losses too. Hope you get on okay on the trial x

What will be the protocol for high NK cells I was wondering? Will you let me know? Thanks love xx

Also how would you get doxy privately?

I also took part in the trial a few months ago. Not knowing whether I had the placebo or not is really difficult. Being told you have a problem but not whether it’s actually been fixed is difficult to get your head around. I’m hoping they end the trial early so I can request my results. They said they might if they’ve had enough people

When I picked up the medication from the hospital I opened up a few capsules to see what was inside. My anxiety over receiving the placebo was really high and I decided I’d take part in the trial if I received the doxy - if I had the placebo I’d withdraw and get the meds privately. So that what’s I did. Some of my capsules were empty and some had a white sugary powder in - so I knew I had the placebo. I have felt really guilty for doing this, but I couldn’t fathom not knowing, and also ttc again without doing something to help chronic endometritis! I have done lots of research and it’s common practice in lots of European fertility clinics to prescribe Doxy after recurrent loss or implantation failure during an IVF round. Sorry for the waffle. You can get hold of Doxy from online pharmacy’s as it’s the same antibiotic used to treat/prevent Malaria. If you order 28 days worth, that covers you for a two week course of two capsules a day.

Hi all

A private consultant prescribed me with preds, clexane, progesterone and this time doxy too. I’m Wales do couldn’t get referral to quenby. I read all the published research and decided to give meds a go whilst waiting for private tests abs fell pregnant before each time. I now have four children. For me something in the meds work although I won’t know what….but it worked. Just thought I would send a positive message out there for anyone struggling as I went through such a bad time and was remember looking for stories of hope whilst experiencing repeated losses. Good luck xx

Wish I’d thought to open some of the capsules! I got a doctor friend to look at them but they said they just looked like normal generic tablets. The not knowing is killing me!! All my bloods came back clear so that’s pretty much all they could do for me. I don’t know what I was hoping for, it’s hard not to have any answers