Use of Prednisone for IVF FET implantation

[karen910]

HI all,
I am going to have FET this cycle. I have done 4 IVFs and SO many IUI, no luck at all. According to my RE there is nothing wrong with my Uterus cavity. While checking on internet I saw so many blogs about Prednisone being used to increase implantation. I was wondering if :

someone has used it,
what was the outcome
What dose
when to start
for how long did you use it
any precautions when you were on it

I'll appreciate all the experiences, opinions advises becoz I am very desperate now...

Thanks

[karen910]

Thanks Azwoman. I did take Prednisone for my last cycle and had BFN ( though my RE said I had chemical Pregnancy as my HCG was 2.5 on my day of first BETA).
I am going to do another cycle in 1 month and will take prednisone again

[Azwoman]

Good question. My first RE, when I started this journey , did a bunch of bloodwork on me and said I had 'anti-sperm antibodies.' I never got the actual medical term on what it was I had. SO he put me on prednisone for my IUI cycles. I got two pregnancies but miscarried. He attributed these to my egg issue, nothing else. I ended up switching REs who did not believe I had anti-sperm antibodies and he also commented that prednisone is old school and should not be prescribed. But just to ease my mind. He wrote me something else, I can't remember the name but I took it for 5 days. BFN. Now I am trying naturally and I have prednisone in my medicine cabinet and will take it on day 9 or sO and continue. I don't see a problem with it personally but you can't stop taking it cold turkey. Make sure you wean yourself off slowly.

[karen910]

Hi Ellen, I didn't see the bloodwork slip so I don't know which tests he has done. But I'll let you know when I have the results.
His reasoning behind 1 at a time is that there are 17% chances of pregnancy with one and with two there are 25%, and there is not much difference in %age of success (17 vs 25%), he wants to do one at a time. For last cycle too he wanted to do 1, but after yours' and MHV's suggestion to have 2 I asked them for 2 and we did 2 transfer.
I am waiting for the results for my tests and then I'll see what does he recommends.
I am also trying to get an appointment with another RE , I'll discuss things with him too and will see what does he says.

How is Jewel doing, are you taking good care of her ....,LOL....Prayers for Jewel

[Ellen038]

MTHFR is not testing on the embryos. Its a blood test for you. it's the inability to absorb regular folate. If you change/add to your folate intake and add B6 and B12 you will be treating yourself as if you do have the mutation and taking that out of the list of things to worry about. Most doctors don't want to test for it and its an expensive blood test. Before I was tested I took those supplements as a precaution.
Did he provide you with the lab slip. Do you know what tests your having? If you do please list them. Why does he want to only transfer one at a time? You had two transferred this time right? I would think transferring two would increase your odds of your Nov FET especially if you've had multiple unsuccessful cycles. It seems strange to only transfer one but that's only my opinion. I also hope you get some answers from this bloodwork and can change some things accordingly to help improve your odds. Doing the same thing doesn't sound like the best idea if it didnt work the first time. I hope he comes up with a better plan with the new testing.

[karen910]

Hi Ellen, Thanks for this detailed and full of information reply.
Congrats for successfully crossing that 10 weeks mark....I am sure you will be okay now. Having so much bleeding must be very scary.....Prayers for you.

For me I am have 2 frozen embryos , and I am going to do do FETs as suggested by my RE. I can't have MTHFR Test on these embryos as they are 5 days blasts.
My RE never mentioned anything about clot....actually I am not satisfied with his response, he didn't suggest anything, didn't give any reasons or factors that can effect implantation or cycle failure.....he just said to do next cycle using one FE at a time. the tests he did were only becoz I insisted. For now I am not sure what has he prescribed.
I am planning to do FET cycle in Nov/2013.....SIGH,

Praying for you and Jewel

[Ellen038]

Hi Karen...I typed a long reply and lost it yesterday, sorry about the delay.

You have used some key words that I've felt and I'm sure others with IF have felt at one time or another....helpless, devastated, everyone is pregnant but me. These are valid and natural feelings to fight thru and its difficult to say the least. We are stronger then we realize and stronger going thru this with people who understand us. I'm glad you came here for support.

I know your feeling pretty awful right now but please know that this is a bit of good news if your RE is saying you had a chemical. This means you implanted!!! This is one step closer to solving the puzzle. I'm glad your RE is sending you for some tests. Can you please name the other tests?  I know you mentioned TSH being checked. This is good because a lot of gps and even some REs don't understand that your TSH needs to be under 2.  Generally 3 and under is considered normal but for ttc it's between 1-2. Before I transferred my TSH was 1.5. I have had it monitored every 4 weeks and am now going out to 6 week follow ups....it's very important because pregnancy is hard on your thyroid. If you have thyroid antibodies they can also cause loss but it can be treated too. I would also look into supplements for MTHFR. Most doctors don't believe it's a real issue but if you go onto MTHFR . com you will find tons of info on what this gene mutation can cause. I had to beg and beg to be tested for this and finally before last cycle I was tested and I have both gene mutations. It can also be a cause for repeated loss. I take metholated folate (there are tons of different kinds and some more effective then others) b6 and b50 as suggested by the website. My RE wasn't really helpful with solutions for this. There is a long list of conditions associated with this and it really opened my eyes to maybe why I have so many health problems. I would do all this with what you did last time and whatever else needed after your results come back. I know it sounds like a lot but I think at this point it would be worth it. Do you take coq10 (ubiliniquol), omega 3 or any other supplements? I wonder if he is testing you for any clotting disorders? It will be interesting to see what he's ordering.

Our health care system is different here in the US. You probably don't want to travel out here for a second opinion. I think you may get some answers with the lab work.

As bad as this feels, you've certainly made some progress with this chemical...hang onto that hope and have faith that your on your way to finding more answers!!

Thank you for being concerned about Jewel. I have had 4 bleeds now. The last one was massive and uncontrollable for a good 5 min or so. I had another scan and one old bleed is gone and I have another one up closer to my uterus. I'm on bed rest till it clears. Tomorrow I will be 11 weeks...the longest pg for me.

When will you have the labs done? When you get the results make sure to get a copy of them so you have the numbers and you can research the results too.