ERA/Alice/Emma infertility thread graduates/pregnancies

[seven201]

If you are a regular on the infertility board you may have seen the ERA/Alice/Emma threads for those going through those tests after lots of unsuccessful IVF or recurrent losses. This thread is for the ladies from there who are now pregnant. We can share our worries and joys.

I am useless at remembering who is pregnant from which thread so please do add yourself or tag others. @Janefx40 and @Faithhopelove83.

Also, if anyone who has fully graduated/had their baby, then please feel free to join if you wish. I don't want to tag individuals as I don't want people to feel obliged.

If you've also just had lots of failed ivf and/or recurrent miscarriages you are of course welcome too!

A little bit about me. I have a naturally conceived nearly 7 year old dc. Have been trying for dc2 for 5 1/4 years. One natural early loss, 5 failed ivf, 3 surgeries (main one being an adhesion removed), 2 natural pregnancies and early losses, 1 ivf pregnancy that got to heartbeat stage. This pregnancy is a letrazole round and I'm 9+6 (although measuring 9+0 but that's been consistent) so due early November. I've been spotting brown for the past 3 days but my scan was this afternoon, so reassuring (although still worried). I'm under the CRP clinic in epsom due to the miscarriages.

Good luck to us all!

@AM08 Ah, fantastic news! So pleased for you. Must be a huge relief! That's great you have another scan in 2 weeks x

@Dochas12111 We haven't crossed paths before, but thank you. Sounds like you've had your baby, so congratulations, I hope you are both doing well x

@seven201 I haven't had a Covid vaccine since 2021 because I had a bad reaction after both of them, which lasted a couple of months each time. Makes me nervous now pregnant. I'll probably get the flu vaccine but will discuss it all with midwife when I next see her. I'm not sure what I'd do if I were you, maybe wait until August-ish? Then strongest protection in place for when it starts becoming more wide-spread in September, and protection for baby as newborn in November?

@Gardenlady543 that's good to know, thank you. Hopefully the tablets will be enough (gp rang with a prescription).

@AM08 ahh, that is great news! I hope it's relaxed you a little. It's always a count down to the next scan or appt that helps get me through. Stay away from dr Google.

@Faithhopelove83 thank you. I logged in on nhs and booked a vaccine for early June. I've got a midwife appt before then so I'm going to ask her about it as I can always move the appt. I think I possibly only got offered it as I get the steroids through gp (took my last tablet this morning!) so a little concerned I might not still be eligible if I leave it until much later.

@Janefx40 hope all is going well with you and baby boy!

@seven201 That all sounds sensible. Congrats on taking your last steroid tablets! I can't wait to come off all the drugs (although also nervous about it)!

Which reminds me - For those who did a medicated FET, did you stop the estradiol dead at 12 weeks or taper it? I've been told just to stop it, but then I read online that it's best to taper? I'm due to stop the estradiol and Clexane on Sunday (already off the Lubion), so will then just be on pred and Cyclogest.

@seven201 thank you, yes it was a relief, glad to be at this point and already looking forward to the next scan!

@Faithhopelove83 i’m not at this stage yet but I did ask my clinic today and they said they taper estradiol until week 14 with the crinone gels

@AM08 my clinic are pretty hands off so I ordered the blood tests myself, the only comment the nurse had made was that when she had worked in the early pregnancy unit she was concerned with like 20% 48 hour rises. Dr Gorgy said there is hope if it is above a 60% 48 hour rise, he was also happy with my progesterone which was 128 in transfer day, then 150, then 170 and now 178. Great news about your scan, I'm so scared about my first scan, I'm really worried in case it's a blighted ovum, I have seen people with slower doubling have this, but then I've also heard very good doubling also can have it.

I'm on route to London now, today is going to be a big long day. I'm going to be giving myself an IM injection and putting a PR pessary in... on the train.

@AM08 Thanks, that's interesting. I'll need to get onto my clinic.

@Gardenlady543 Oo I don't envy you having to do that on a train! Hope it goes well.

Have a good day all x

@Gardenlady543 unfortunately I found the worry of something going wrong won’t go away not matter how far along you are!! All your numbers seem very positive and are going the right way. I so hopeful this is it for you! Best of luck today with your journey. Hope the injection goes ok.

@seven201 baby is nearly 11 months. The time has flown. How far along are you?

We are getting back to IVF in August to try for a sibling. I am dreading it. I know how difficult it’s been for so many of you to have success again. We have 3 embryos all of poor enough quality. I don’t know how many more rounds we will do if none of those work. I do worry about the impact on health of all the artificial hormones. Planning to redo all my tests before a transfer - new Emma/Alice, new Chicago bloods and ask for a hysteroscopy to examine everything.

If anyone can think of anything else I should be doing let me know!

@Faithhopelove83 i stopped the estradoil without tapering. I think that’s normal enough. Steroids have to be tapered and then for progesterone I was so afraid to stop I took a pessary for a few extra days but it was pretty much a complete stop too.

glad your scan went well @AM08 I was reading the thread and I’m very sorry for all the stress and worry you’ve had.

@Dochas12111 sounds like a good plan! Could you do another collection first to try and bank more?

Update- IM injection and pessary insertion on the train was successful. Now started the treatment journey for today, just waiting to get my blood taken.

@Dochas12111 Thank you, that's really helpful. This will be DC#1 for me, after nearly 7 years and 3 MCs. Hoping this is it.
I can imagine how daunting it must be for you facing going back to IVF. I'm so fed-up of all the drugs too, and yes the impact on health is worrying. That's good you have 3 embryos, and I think your planned investigations sound sensible. I hope it all goes well x

@Faithhopelove83 I don't know but I'd be tempted to taper off, as it wouldn't do any harm but would give you reassurance.

@Dochas12111 oh my goodness, 11 months already! That's mad. Gosh, that's a big step going for ivf again. You'll be better prepared for how it all works this time. Having the tests again sounds very sensible.

@Gardenlady543 all go ok today?

@Gardenlady543 hope all has gone to plan today - you’ll be glad when it’s all over with. Do you have a date for your scan yet?

@Dochas12111 Thank you, things really went pear shaped but I’m hoping I can just take one step at a time and feel a bit more positive. Gosh congratulations on your little one. It must be daunting thinking about going again with IVF - I’m very far away from being in that situation right now but I was saying to DH that if this goes well then maybe we’ll try the 4 embryos we have in a few years for another but I doubt I’ll do another EC (maybe things might change).

It sounds like you’re doing all the right things from a testing POV, do you have a timeline in mind of getting started?

Yep everything went well I had all the treatment, although I was on a really tight schedule. When my IV ran out and needed changing the nurses were all gone from the room and the nurse had given me the impression I should pull the red cord if I needed anything... everyone in the whole
building came running, one of the nurses told me nobody has pulled the emergency alarm since she's worked there. One of the staff members commented, "well at least we know it works" oops.

I have a scan booked in a week on Saturday, which I think is 6+3, but everyone seems to work it out in a different way. Not got much in the way of symptoms today except being hypersensitive to smell, someone near me on the train smells strongly of sudocreme.

How's everyone else doing, anyone got anything big coming up?

Well done for getting it done @Gardenlady543.
That's funny about the emergency alarm! I did similar in the ivf clinic - I pulled it when I felt a bit sick after egg collection and everyone came running. My dd also pulled the red cord in the disabled/baby change toilet in a supermarket once.

I've got a quick scan then intralipids tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping she checks on my fibroid and haematoma, but she might say that has to wait until next week when I'm seeing a specialist.

@seven201 Thank you. Hope all goes well with your scan and intralipids today x

Looking for a bit of advice please. I've been so careful the last 12 weeks or so to avoid picking up any germs whilst on the pred and intralipids. But yesterday I went down with a sore throat, headache, bit of a cough. Feel rotten today, quite phlemy, head is banging, chest feels weak. I'm worried because of being immunosuppressed. Has anyone else got unwell whilst on the pred? If so, how did it affect your recovery? Do I need to seek medical advice? I'm on 20mg a day and due to start a 2 week taper from this Sunday. Sorry if I'm being unreasonably worried, it's just because it's the first time. Worried about baby too. I need to recover quickly because I'm due intralipids on Tuesday.

@Faithhopelove83 can you ask the clinic that does your intralipids for advice? They may want to take this into account with the intalipids, like delay them or something, I'm not sure if that's what they do.

@seven201 I’m on 25mg of pred and have a cold, it’s not got any worse or turned into anything nasty but it’s taking me longer than usual to get over. I also had a cough that started during my round that went on for weeks and weeks.

Sorry meant for @Faithhopelove83

I just got some bad news, our surrogate had bloody vaginal discharge and went into the clinic today. There was a gestation sac but her beta has dropped from 3358 on Saturday to 2797 today. They want to scan her again on Monday but I can't see this not resulting in a loss when the beta has dropped, any input?

@Faithhopelove83 not long after my positive pregnancy test I had d&v (thanks a to a mum sending their kid who threw up in the night into school the next day and he threw up next to my dd), then a couple of nasty colds and sinisitis. It all seemed to last forever and I felt rubbish, but I don't think it affected anything. I haven't been I'll since then thinking about it - it just all came in one long go. I can't escape the germs in my work. Just take it easy and take paracetamol
If you get a temp, as it's important to try and keep that down in pregnancy (I didn't realise this until after!)

@Gardenlady543 oh no. I don't know much about betas but it doesn't sound good to me. So sorry. I hope you get some updates soon.

@seven201 they say she measured 6 weeks on the scan today which is her gestation, the only hope is that she implanted two embryos and has lost one, but I think the beta at this time would usually be around 11,000.

Fingers crossed for you. Is she having another beta or scan soon?

My scan was fine. Was just a quick one so no measuring baby or haematoma etc. as I'm seeing prof A next week.

@seven201 she is back in for a scan on Monday the clinic have said it's not a forgone conclusion but it's concerning and that it's not good but it not final.

It just doesn't really add up:
Bleed started this morning, but bleeds are common and don’t necessarily mean anything, but can be a sign of a loss happening.

Hcg has dropped as if the loss happened a few days ago.

Scan is measuring dead on the right date.

It doesn't really add up no. Normally you could think the twin thing but you know when implantation is roughly due to the ivf so the beta doesn't add up. Hopefully it is just random early pregnancy bleeding (I had that 3 times with dd).

@seven201 I mean if they had just done a scan given the bleeding and not checked the beta I probably would have thought this is fine as bleeding is so common and the scan looks ok at the moment. But since they did a beta and it's dropped I'm really worried. All I can do is wait and this is obviously not great for me as I need to be as calm as possible for my own sake.