Immune/ NK cells - Pred threat 27

[LaurenAB94]

@Bambii @Daffodil21 @Eeviee @Everhopeful35 @farfromperfect82 @Eeviee @Everhopeful35 @Hazlet2 @farfromperfect82 @HoldingOn2Hope @Jellystar23 @KtAgs @Lalaifa @LookingforAnswers86 @Marabouchoc @LRL12 @MrsMargot @Naticle @NessyT91 @NessyT91 @NICK7nick7 @rainwillmaketheflowersgrow @Rebecca9876 @Sophfr17 @Tinpo @VenusStarr @Wheresmyrainbow @Whyisthistakingsolong

Thanks @LaurenAB94! That’s so good to heat it worked for you! Do you remember how many follicles you got?

I think I’m just impatient!

@Badlydrawngirly no sorry. Wishing you luck on your journey x

@LaurenAB94 thank you so much!

By this point in my cycle last month I’d started to get ‘high fertility’ readings on my OPK so I’m guessing that’s not happening because of the Letrozole.

I’m quite excited for my scan this morning.

Good luck to you too!

Hello ladies, @Daffodil21 had kindly pointed me to this thread so I'm tentatively joining you, if that's ok. It's really helpful to read all you experiences.

I have an appointment with Dr S in about a month, following 4 early losses in the last 9 months. I have a DS who is almost 3, and was a perfect, problem free pregnancy.

I have a referral to his nhs clinic but it will take forever so have booked to see him privately. I'm very nervous about the cost of potential treatment and very worried about taking loads of medication.

My weight has crept up over the last few months and my bmi is now 29, which is awful. I'm trying to lose weight now but also worried he will say I'm too overweight and that's the reason for losses. 😬

Hello @treesall and welcome 👋

I hope you find this thread as useful as I have

Hi @treesall I'm sorry to see you here, I know we've spoken on other threads ❤️ I hope seeing Dr S can give you some answers. My bmi is about 28 right now, i had got down to 25 but after my last loss, it's all back on 😔 I don't think he'll even mention your weight to be honest.
If you end up on your intralipids, be aware that you'll probably put on weight! I definitely have since I started them. When is your appointment?

Hope your scan has gone OK @Badlydrawngirly 🤞

I'm flitting between excited and nervous for our first ivf cycle. I was looking ahead yesterday at dates to book work things and it's quite overwhelming. I'm unsure whether to book annual leave for the tww as well. @Luckyducky2 what do you do? I'm tempted to just do a few hours each day, I'm lucky I can book my own diary 🤔 in fact, I might book a couple of day leave for test day and maybe have a night away so either way I have something to look forward to.

Hope everyone is OK xx

Thank you @VenusStarr it's mid May, so a few weeks to go yet.

Good luck for your ivf cycle! I don't know that much about ivf but it must be very a intense and exciting process. I hope it works first time for you x

Hi @treesall welcome to the group and so sorry for your losses. I have a little boy aswell, problem free pregnancy (though I needed superovulation to have him as I have pcos) but 6 miscarriages since then so you are not alone! We have been trying for over 3 years and hoping Dr S and prednisolone is the answer!! I second what @VenusStarr has said, I've put on so much weight since I started all this treatment but have to admit I am a bit of a comfort eater aswell, I definitely reach for the prosecco and the chocolates when I have another miscarriage/bad news so I'm not sure how much is the meds and how much is just me being greedy! 🤣

@VenusStarr ooh so hard to advise as I know everyone reacts differently to ivf? I've had 2 egg collections, the first was pretty easy, really sore the evening after the egg collection (recommend a hot water bottle or heat pack and paracetamol) and a bit tired for a day or two after but after that I was quite happy to get on with things? You will go stir crazy in the 2ww so better to try keep yourself busy mentally (though nothing too challenging as you can feel a bit nuts....hormones, waiting, hoping....aah!). My last egg collection they got loads of eggs and I was really unwell after for a week or so....very sore to drive or lift things for at least a week and really, looking back, I don't think I should have had my fresh transfer as I felt so under the weather and weak. If you can, I would keep your diary as open as possible? Not sure how flexible your work is but I ended up calling in sick as I just mentally and physically found it too stressful. But as I say you might be one of the folk who find it a breeze!! Xxx

I am booking my appointment with Dr S too now. My GP can refer me to him which she will do as we aren’t far from Epsom but will book private too as can’t wait forever. I wanted to know though, does he generally prescribe pred and intralipids? I think he tells u to start taking pred after ovulation? Is it the full dose? Ie 20mg. And then when are intralipids?

I guess I’m worried I pay £325 for the consult and all he says is the same as I’ve already tried with ivf? (Pred and intralipids) and that didn’t work....
anyone else have anything else prescribed?

Hi @Unicorn9 hope you are doing okay! Dr S might try you with pred and hydroxy? He started me on the hydroxy but then I had my recent miscarriage and he said I might need something stronger and to add the pred too. I've no idea what he recommends if both of these don't work? Maybe someone else can advise? Xx ps just to warn you the tests he will recommend are extortionate....I was over £3k 😭😭

We can’t afford that. The thing is I don’t want to run tests that will result in treatment of pred and intralipids as I already know I have high nkc from Coventry and we can’t afford ivig so that would rule out other stuff as well... anyone not paid £3k? We have to do an ERA for our last embryo and that £2k with meds so just not possible.... 😢.

Ivf I can’t implant with euploid embryos and then I’d have to worry about miscarriage and natural at least I implant:-(

@Unicorn9
My initial tests were £2k ish and then I had to have a few more done locally,
I was put on plan of Hydroxy, Cyclogest & Intralipids all in probably cost us about £7k with all other blood test along the way and obviously paying for medication/ treatments.

X

Mine was a bit more than @LRL12 as we had investigations for my husband and saw a urologist so I was just over £8k when we were successful. The initial consult with all tests was £2800 ish. Mr Shehata would not accept other NHS tests I had done because they were over 3 months old. He also has quite specific immune tests he does which I think are different from the Tommys clinic in coventry.

@Unicorn9 we paid £2500 for the initial tests and initially I was on hydroxychloroquine, intralipids at ovulation and cyclogest, but at my review he added in 25mg pred from ovulation. All in we're £8k down and no pregnancy yet.
I'm starting ivf next month and he's added in fragmin (but my ivf clinic is giving me clexane) and I'll be on 10mg from stims then will up to 25mg. Apparently it helps implantation?

Thanks @Luckyducky2 I think you're right about too much time on my hands, think I might request reduced hours, so I've got things to keep me occupied but not too much. I like the idea of a might or two away once we're done, either way I think I'll need a mini break.

Hope you're OK @Badlydrawngirly.

I worked out that I'll be starting ivf in about 3 weeks 😬 have started couch to 5k, was out at 7am this morning. I'm really enjoying just doing normal things and not tracking my cycle. I think I needed this mental break.

Hope everyone is OK xx

Thanks @VenusStarr it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster here. DH has lost his job so glad we cancelled seeing Mr S for now and we can put that money towards IVF!

I had a CD7 scan yesterday and have 2 follicles on my right ovary (12mm and 13mm) which is good as I only have at right tube! My lining was only 4mm though so hoping acupuncture later will help with that!

I’m getting low fertility on clearblue OPKs so the letrozole has delayed ovulation for me (this time last month I was getting high fertility readings) so hoping it doesn’t stop it altogether!

I can’t help but become obsessed with all the scans and tests!

That's interesting, your first scan is similar to my first one @Badlydrawngirly my lining was only 4mm too! I took progynova and it did help. My ovulation was pushed back by the letrozole but hopefully your follicles keep growing 🙏

I'm really sorry to hear about your dh's job x

@treesall I spoke to dr S about my weight as my BMI was high and he said weight has no role in recurrent miscarriages x

Excluding the initial consultation, my tests cost around £2k (only because I had already got some of them covered by the NHS). My follow up appointment cost £825 and that included 3 months worth of medication. Dr S kept urging me to get my husband tested which would have been another £450 but I held back on it because he told me to start trying regardless so it didn’t make sense to me.
I have been put on a treatment plan of Hydroxychloriquine, Cyclogest, Inofolic & Metformin. I was advised to get one load of Intralipids done before ovulation which was another £350 and I’m currently in my 2WW.
So altogether so far I’ve spent just over £3400 & I’ve only just started trying this cycle!
Hope that helps x

That’s reassuring @VenusStarr! Did you take the progynova from ovulation? He hasn’t mentioned me taking that as he said estrogen will stop ovulation but he’s asked me to start 2 x 400mg progesterone pessaries form ovulation.

I’m hoping acupuncture will help thicken my lining and will try and get another appointment early next week to help some more. God this is exhausting!

I started the progynova on cd9, 3 times a day until cd24. I had an lh surge on cd15 (but did trigger injection that night too) and ovulated on Cd16. I usually ovulate on cd10 and I've never had lining issues before. It was exhausting doing it. But it's good prep for ivf! (hopefully you won't need it!)

I'm booked back in for acupuncture a week before my af. I've missed it. Hope it helps with your lining.

I'm going to try and get my second nk cells biopsy (finally), I know I don't need it technically, but I want to check that follicle has gone and I think the scratch could help with ivf anyway. Plus we're not ttc this month, so a good opportunity. I called earlier and they said its fine, so will check for ovulation early next week and book in. X

@Unicorn9 Excluding the initial consultation, my tests cost around £2k (only because I had already got some of them covered by the NHS). My follow up appointment cost £825 and that included 3 months worth of medication. Dr S kept urging me to get my husband tested which would have been another £450 but I held back on it because he told me to start trying regardless so it didn’t make sense to me.
I have been put on a treatment plan of Hydroxychloriquine, Cyclogest, Inofolic & Metformin. I was advised to get one load of Intralipids done before ovulation which was another £350 and I’m currently in my 2WW.
So altogether so far I’ve spent just over £3400 & I’ve only just started trying this cycle!
Hope that helps x

Thank you everyone for all your responses. It is very kind of you to give me some rough ideas. Just have to wait to be referred.

Thanks @Luckyducky2 and @LaurenAB94.

Interesting also to read the ideas of costs - thank you all for sharing!

Hi ladies, hope everyone is doing ok. I had to take a bit of a break from here for a while. Quite honestly I was really struggling with Mr S’s plan - the tracking and testing had gotten on top of me and I was feeling really stressed. This month I didn’t get a positive opk so I sort of checked out of it all a bit and accepted that I just wouldn’t get pregnant on the plan. I wasn’t going to take the progesterone but the nurses said to take it just in case. Shockingly I got a faint positive this morning at 10DPO. I’ve had chemicals in the past so I’m not really accepting this is real just yet but trying to remain hopeful that the treatment will have made a difference.

Morning @NessyT91 what lovely news, sending you gentle congratulations ❤️ I can imagine how anxious you must be feeling. Are you having intralipids too? Lots of love.

I know what you mean about the tracking etc, this month has been nice, I don't want to risk pregnancy this cycle before we start ivf, so can properly relax xx