XP::: questions regarding protocols

O2girl · November 2013

Hi ladies

My WTF appt is tomorrow and I've been doing some research about various things regarding FETs.

I've read that REs sometimes put their patients on antibiotics as well as steroids to suppress the uterus' natural response to eliminate foreign things. I don't have the killer genes so I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has been placed on antibiotics and steroids for their FETs?

Also, I was reading about the benefit of endometrial scraping because it causes an increase in white blood cells in the uterus which apparently aid in implantation... Has anyone had experience with this?

Mind you I was reading all of this this morning at 1am since I cannot sleep.... So my recollection of what I was reading may have holes in it. I should have saved the websites or even screen shot the info but like I said it was the middle of the night and in my frame of mind I didn't think to do any of that...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

megs3084 · November 2013

We've only done fresh cycles, but the re put us both on doxycycline for all 3 of the cycles. I took prednisone (steroid) with the last cycle under the direction of my reproductive immunologist. This should help to control the level of nk cells (everyone has them its just the high levels that can interfere with implantation). My ri also advised against endometrial scraping/biopsy because it illicits an inflammatory response which increases nk cells and counteracts the steroids. Fwiw, following her recommendations has been the only bfp we've seen.

twistsandturnsto2 · November 2013

I was on doxy for all transfers and we added medrol for the last transfer we did with AH. The risks were next to nothing, and if it works why not. I never tested + for any autoimmune issues, embies always looked great. IMO it's worth it to go ahead with it.

O2girl · November 2013

Hmmmm. The info you all provided is helpful. Both my DH and I were put on doxy way at the beginning in aug 2013... But we never were told to take it again. I guess that is another question for tomorrow

katekat8721 · November 2013

KaraBear4409 said:
My RE uses doxycycline (an antibiotic) and medrol (a steroid) for all IVF and FET cycles. !

This, but both DH and I were on antibiotics. I have no experience with the other things. I'm wishing you luck tomorrow, I hope it goes well and you get some answers!

jezebel57 · November 2013

I was only on antibiotics right before the ER. My husband was not. I also asked to be put on steroids based on what I was reading and they refused lol. Clearly they knew what they were doing. I had a hard time trusting after my first one failed. I wanted a reason and a guarantee- which of course, they couldn't give either. Lots of luck to you

kflynn81 · November 2013

I was on doxycycline for my first three fresh IVFs but when I switched to my 2nd RE, he didn't put me on it for the 4th fresh IVF or the FET....to be honest with you I never took it like I was supposed to anyways. With my third IVF at the original RE's office, we did the endometrial scratch a little before the cycle began. For me it didn't work, but there are so many procedures and protocols that sometimes its just about finding the right combination for you. I always just had a feeling my issue was from the protocol being wrong and hurting my egg quality. My 2nd RE agreed, tailored my protocol to me....no procedures nothing fancy that time. Although the 4th IVF (1st with him) didn't work it was a ton better response and gave me my frosties to get my BFP with my first FET. Kudos to you for reading and researching things bring them to your RE and talk about it, hope you find your combo for next cycle!

becomingmommyagain · November 2013

For my last fresh cycle, and the one that gave my BFP....I did 14 days of doxy and estrogen prior to CD 1. On CD1 we did the endometrial scratch procedure. Then stims. I was also on Coq10 and DHEA from CD 14 of previous cycle through retrieval.

Then at retrieval began a second dose of doxy, estrogen, and progesterone in oil.

My best recommendation is to ask all the questions you have. Compare your cycle to that of others. Try to remember that ivf success rates are very low for women over 35 - so the failed cycle is a totally normal thing...It's not your fault or the REs fault. Ivf and reproductive endocrinology is still a relatively new field and they make advancements in technology every day. Bring a note pad and pen to the WTF. Have your questions written out in advance. Our second WTF took 2.5 hours. We asked a lot of questions and covered every angle. Our 'RE made us feel like part of the team. I'll never knew exactly which change we made was the difference, but having our RE listen and explain made a huge part of it. By the time that appointment was over the protocol for round 3 was completely redesigned. My husband has a PhD in neuroscience & physiology and was very well read prior to the WTF and having done research of our own, backed by actual scientific papers I think definitely made our RE pay more attention to our questions - it definitely lends more credibility than just having read a few posts about other people's cycles.

Having embryos that made it to blast for freeze makes you a very lucky patient. Try to relax a bit and get your head back in the game for round #2! Best of luck to you!!!

JSM0801 · November 2013

I know I was always on an antibiotic, but I can't remember what. It all starts to blur together. After my first 2 failed cycles, I was put on the "antihistamine protocol" which included Prednisone, Claritin and Pepcid. I was also put on Lovenox (for no reason and made me sick as a dog). MY RE basically said let's throw the kitchen sink at you. All that plus 2 perfectly normal PGS tested embryos, and I still got a BFN. Unfortunately, there are often just no answers and no explanation as to why it doesn't work sometimes when everything seems picture perfect. I think that's the hardest part. For my 4th cycle at CCRM, I was on Doxycycline before ER and ET and Medrol before ET. I also had the endometrial scratch done the cycle right before my transfer. I will never know if that is what did the trick, but it certainly can't hurt. I would definitely ask your RE about it. GL at your WTF!!

whoberry · November 2013

For my fresh cycle I was on an antibiotic and steriod. DH took and antibiotic too before ER. For my FET I belive it was just an antibiotic for me. I hope you get some answers at your appointment.