# Steroids and DE



## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Anyone here on any steroids with a DE cycle - just gto my prescription from my U.K. clinic - Dexamethasone..just wondered if anyone else had taken/is taking it?

D X


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## sabina2 (Jun 5, 2004)

hi rsmum - i will be taking steroids too, but at my own request.  will take prednisone (rather than dex) from et.  don't know what dose yet.  i asked clinic in south africa for this as have had steroids with 4 previous cycles with argc (mostly dex and 1 time with pred) because of over active immune system.  dex increases your appepite and also makes it hard to sleep; therefore take the entire daily dose in the morning with food.  
best of luck with your cycle


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Oh yippee what joy! - NOT!   Well, this is really at my requesd too - I'm going to give the clinic a call in the morning as I was on Pred before and am wondering why they've switched - they've said 1mg per day from DAY one..

Thanks so much for your help and best of luck to you too.

X


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## hola69 (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi guys,

if you dont mind me asking what are the benefits of steroids? Why are you taking them?

Thanks

Lelsey xxx


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## sabina2 (Jun 5, 2004)

hi lesley
when i was at argc i had a lot of immune testing.  my immune system is overactive and this potentially can cause implantation failure.  steroids dampen the immune system - for instance people who have been donated an organ usually have to take steroids to prevent the organ from being rejected.  they are quite cheap and quite a few ivf guys prescribe them.  there are, of course, those who don't believe in immune therapy at all.  

hi rsmum - when i was on dex it was 1mg/day all taken in the morning.  lesley i have been reading about your trials with mammogram.  i actually considered going to altra vita and they asked me for this too.  i was going to go to viveka (my former gynaecologist is there; viveka is a women's health clinic that does assisted reproduction as well), explain the situation and ask them to refer me to have mammogram at st john and st elizabeth in st johns wood, london.  don't know where you live, in case it is of any help to you.

love and luck to you both


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

Funny as I had just finished writing a PM to Lesley and then also read about dexamethasone in the protocol list of another clinic.
Chania gave me this time and last medrol which is prednisolone I think 5 days before ET whereas I see the dex is to be given much earlier.

This is info I found from the SIRM site which is really full of good stuff.

_All IVF patients receive oral dexamethasone 0.75 mg. (1 tablet) daily, commencing with the start of Lupron and continuing until the first blood beta-HCG test (i.e., the chemical diagnosis of pregnancy). Women, who have a positive blood pregnancy test 9-11 days after embryo transfer, continue taking dexamethasone and heparin beyond the ultrasound confirmation of pregnancy, which is performed at the 6-7 gestational week. In cases where the blood pregnancy test fails to reveal an appropriate increase in the quantitative beta HCG concentration, heparin therapy is discontinued, and the dexamethasone dosage is slowly reduced over a few weeks and then stopped. Pregnant women continue dexamethasone as well as heparin treatment until the 8th-10th week of pregnancy, whereupon the former is tapered off over 1-2 weeks and then stopped and the latter is abruptly discontinued. All patients receive an oral antibiotic beginning about seven days after the initiation of gonadotropin therapy and continuing for a few days after the embryo transfer procedure._

I had antibiotic as well 6-8 days prior to ET and for DP as well prior to EC .. to get rid of any unknown little germs as they said
I can not recall having the steriods or the antibiotics anywhere else as routine like this. 
I hope to have all the tresults from my new tests, including immune ones by next friday. Also start my decapeptyl injections tomorrow and I can feel myself starting to get really anxious... like I must be forgetting something....
b123


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Hey B123 - how did you get on with your inejctions? Do you have to do them daily? I only had to do one and that was scary enough  ( I was more worried about messing it up and not being able to buy another one, and all the money etc.. etc.. than anything else! ).

I've written to the clinic cos I was just a bit bothered as I'd seen Dex used for people doing their own IVF and wanted to remind them I was on DE...just in case! They must think I'm a real pain in the   - expect DAY one to be Tuesday so will push for an answer Monday - eek!

Sabina - I went to Viveka many many years ago - I remember so well going into the hospital for my bloods and having fantasies of returning 9 months later to have a water birth there etc..    ah well..

thanks for all your help girls - don't know what I'd do without you

D X


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

Hi there!
I have daily decapeptyl injections sub cutaneous so it is a really easy.  I do see where many people just have one... I guess it is in th ebottom and a stronger injection?

You have done a lot of donor cycles?  What are they telling you is going wrong?  Has everything been checked out? 
bonnie


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Just posted a long post on the over 40's thread you started..got a bit  when I started to think about it all  - don't want to think how many 2ww's I've gone through...soo hope I make it to this next one and it's the last - for a VERY happy reason!!! 

No, nobody can tell me. 

My theories have been :

1. Low Progesterone - so I'm back on the injectable Gestone for the last and this one.
2. Poor lining - but I've had a doppler last year which said it was ok and my lining was "perfect " last time also I recently had an H-scope which was " great".
3. Not brilliant embies - certainly has been true for some of my tx's but the last embies were "fantastic"
4. Something I've done/not done in the 2ww - but we've all gone through that one haven't we and have we ever come to any conclusion? I think not! 
5. Immune issues - well, I've tested borderline positive one one of the 28 tests they did way back in 1999 and Dr. Beer reckoned that I most def. have much worse issues now.. but as I am wary of the whole IVOG/Humera thing I figue I am covering most bases by taking the meds I am taking ( does that sound very cavalier to you? )

I hope I dont; sound like I am taking this all too lightly and just shoving any medication into me in the hope that it might work  - I am under CARE in Manchester and take their advice as well as bombarding them with questions a lot of the time. I also make sure my GP and CERAM know exactly what I'm taking and when.

This whole thing is just SO hard isn't it? It's really difficult what to do for the best.

Anyway, REALLY sorry to ramble on..you just got me started!   

Take care

D X


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## hola69 (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi everyone,

just wanted to say thanks for this thread, it got me thinking too and i have contacted AV..they are looking into this for me and considering if I should take steroids too...

I wish you all tons of luck, Debs think you have to try everything as sometimes its hard to find out and know what the problem is...Im worried about the cysts I keep getting being a factor and have said this to AV, they dont want me to worry and are now sending me for another ultrasound on the 2nd day of my cycle to see if they have reacurred, gone or are worse and if so will treat me for them. The lovley Bonnie helped me out with this.. 

Its so great that we can help eachother out with suggestions..this site is my saviour and I think I would probably go completley mad without you all..

Hugs and love,

Lesley xxxx


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## Marina (May 14, 2006)

Hi
I was told that the standard protocol for immune issues is 25mg of prednisolone, anything less is not really going to make any difference, the girls who told me this, have gotten PG using this dose, anyone know anything about this and dosage  

Marina


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## babybliss (Jun 3, 2006)

I am taking 4 mg prednisolene every day prescribed by Isida. When I was treated at Midlands Fertility Services (MFS) in Walsall, they also recommended steroids and gave me 5 mg a day. It's against immune issues.
Also the difference between the Dedcapeptyl *daily* injection and the one *one off * is that the one big one is called a DEPOT injection, i.e. it is effective for about a month, it's oily and gradually releases itself into the blood stream. Some people have daily, but I prefer the one off big one. 
Intersono in Lviv use Buserelin daily injections for the same purpose, much cheaper but a specialist at MFS (Dr Dando) told me it increases chances of a cyst having daily injections.
Hope of use, with love from Babybliss


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

Dear RSMUM,

I hope I did not upset you.  It is just that you have had 3 neg cycles after your child.  If this has all been with the same clinic.... IMO it is time for a change.  Even if I have heard good things of CARE.  I think you are fighting immune issues... and maybe have been unlucky.  Crossing my fingers for you this is the one. ..... but if not maybeit is time to get checked out by someone else.  Even just this last day I have read of women going to Invimed, Isida, etc. etc.  and finding something no one else saw.....you just have to sometimes bee looked at from a different view I think sometimes.  

Just my opinion.

Bonnie


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Hiya! No Bonnie - no probs..at all..no, I've been to 4 different clinics and had 4 different donors. Now CARE take care of me in the UK and CERAM are doing the FET in a few weeks time..let's hope it works and this is my last AF for some time eh?! CARE do consider immune issues but you have to go to Nottingham, it's very expensive and as you know very contraversial..basically we can't afford to do all the tests, possible IVIG's etc. etc. AND any more donor cycles..so I'm hedging my bets as best I can both financially, practically and emotionally -  just hope it pays off this time.   

Babybliss - I'm with you - this is the second time I've done the DEPOT injection and it suits me fine especially as I have so many jabs that I have to do later on in the cycle - funny you should mention cysts, that's what caused two of my own IVF's to be cancelled...and I was on daily jabs then ( Lupron )

Lesley - when do you expect to be gong for your scan then?Best of luck

Marina - interesting..Mr. P at CARE told me that Dexamethasone is more potent that Pred..also, I guess each individual case is different. Funny how some docs are REALLY against something and others all for it! 

Thanks for all the support girls..just waiting now for my blood result to see if I can get on to the next stage..one day at a time eh? 

take care

Rsmum X


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## hola69 (Nov 17, 2005)

Hello everyone  

Debs..scan was booked for wednesday but typically when I was out dancing (fri nite) it reared it ugly head..yep nothing with me   . So am rinign Care tomorrow to bring it forward to Tuesday.. Hope youre feeling ok and good luck..fingers crossed...xxxx

Hi Bonnie..hows it going?? hope youre ok? xxx

Can i ask if you take steroids and they surpress your immune system does this not make you more prone to getting colds or viruses? Just a thought....

Love to you all,

L xxx


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## Bangle21 (Dec 17, 2004)

Hi Girls,

Sorry to gatecrash (and to throw a spanner in the works here) but I felt I had to post my story, as its the only one I know of and this is a subject very close to my heart .... and one I don't understand !!

As you will see from our history, we have 7 years of failed treatments (5 IUI and 4 IVF + 1 m/c).  After IUI/IVF we decided to look into immune issues and so went to see Dr ******* at the miscarriage clinic.  He diagnosed me with raised levels and activity of Natural Killer Cells so we decided to try his protocol of Steroids (pred) and aspirin "au natural".  We tried this for 4 months ..... but nothing.

We then decided to try donor eggs......... but the million dollar question was "do we take the steroids or not" ?  We ordered them and took them with us to Barcelona - still unsure whether to use them or not.  So we asked the clinic (IVIB) what their thoughts were and they were adament we didn't need them as they don't believe in "immunology issues" unless you've had something like 6 miscarriages!!!  We pondered and pondered and thought, right, the last time we got a + we WERENT on the steroids, then, when we DID try the steroids ... nothing, so .......... we decided to follow IVIs protocol to the T and NOT use them this time (but we WOULD if this failed and we tried subsequent frozen transfers).  It was a difficult decision as we were thinking, "you're damned if you do and damned if you don't" knowing our luck.

However, to our surprise, here we are 8 weeks pregnant with FANTASTICALLY HIGH betas AND a heartbeat!!  So, what about these "killer cells"  I just don't get it.

I just thought this would be worthwhile to post and I wish each and every one of you the very best of luck in making an almost impossible decision .....

All my love
Gill xo


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

Hi  everyone
Gill congrats on your PG... interesting story.  Who knows really.  I think also when we use donors it just makes it even more complex issue.  I wish there was some clear cut authority on it.

My clinic ( chania- greece) systematically puts you on Prednisolone.  ANd I think I took some baby aspirin as well last time.  In past IVF I took baby aspirin except at Fertimed in April.  
Whereas I realize if you need the blood injectios for immune issues, the rest of it is not expensive to treat and I really do not think would hurt you if you took... ANd the tests are so expensive and complicated... well it just seems easier and logial to give the pred and baby aspirin .  That is what chania and some other places are doing.
I just got another bill just for the NK , MTHFR, and Leidne test -3  test- and it was another 309 euros when I thought I had paid everything already..  these I have to pay 100% ... ARRRGGH !!! well nothing showed up but a stupid yeast infection.. .again!!  

Leslie,  Just now trying to do some calculations for stopping bcp today and scan on Friday or postpone the scan to Monday... that is fine if af comes 2-3 days after stop bcp but if later it messes me up.  I right now would arrive to Chania on Day 14 and I just think it is late.  I do not relish doing FET the day after arriving and sitting on my ass all week.  A day or two of swimming and walking would do me more good!
What do you think is best day for FET?  Last time ET was day 22 and I felt it was late but we had to wait for the donor.

I think I should post a question on the FET board.
Hope everyone is well here.  
Good luck Lesley

Bonnie


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## hola69 (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi everyone,

just thought Id pop in and let you know that AV have said I dont need steroids in their opinion. They usually only prescribe them when the patient has high male hormone levels and apparantley I dont..This is also my first egg donation..

Bonnie..am not sure I know enough to advise on the best day..maybe ask your clininc as they should know best I wish you lots of love and luck though..are you excited?

Gill - thats fab news..well done you and all the best for a happy and healthy pregnancy..just shows doesnt it that you never know...I thnk now AV's decison for me is best too..as I dont seem to have imune probs so no pint taking them and so far havent even got to have any implanted to see if miscarry (as no fertilsation on both ICSIS with my own eggs). Hopefully with donor it might work eh   xxx

Debs- scan is Wed..had awful pain today though am hoping its the cysts going...love and hugs to you xxxx

Love Lelsey xxxx


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