# Does Prednisolone help chances of icsi working?



## haj123 (Nov 5, 2010)

hi 

Does anybody know if taking prednisolone will help embryo stick when doing icsi. I have had two failed icsi treatment  and am now due to go for my last nhs attempt. I cant afford to do it privately and soooooooo want this to work. praying so much that it works. As i have thyroid antibodies my endicrinologist suggested that i take 10mg for 13 weeks and 30mg whilst stimming ( i am on the antagonist short cycle) but he has said that it is upto me and he will not take responsibility for it and the hospital where i am having icsi has said it is upto me too but i am soo confused . The word steriod brings to mind a hairy body builder but if there is even a little chance that it will result in a baby ....... Sorry i am babbling on now. Has anyone been on prednisolone? do you take anything else with it eg aspirin etc? any side affects? any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated 


thanks
haj xxx


----------



## mandimoo (Feb 28, 2011)

I havent started taking mine yet, but I have been given prednisolone, a 20mg dose to be taken from day of egg collection 'until further notice'.  

I have cardiolipin antibodies and adenomyosis, both of which suggest that I may have an overactive immune response.  Because of this my consultant asked me if I wanted prednisolone in case I have natural killer cells as well.  Funny that effectively she left it up to me as well??!!  .  Anyway, as I understand it the prednisolone helps to dampen your immune response and therefore make is less likely that your own immune system will turn on the embies.

I also take aspirin for the cardiolipin antibodies.  This condition is also called 'sticky blood', so the blood thinning properties of aspirin are needed for this. 

My consultant told me that short term the effects of taking prednisolone are very slight.  I have heard elsewhere they can cause sleeplesness at higher doses and indigestion.  So, if you decide to take them, take them with food and take them early on in the day (unless instructed differently by a professional of course!).

I thought to myself that some ladies pay hundreds of pounds to go through all sorts of immune testing and I felt incredibly lucky to be offered it 'just in case'.

Im taking so many supplements and medications during this treatment - I dont really like it - but it wont be forever.  The treatment is so costly (both in money and emotion) that I really want to give myself the best fighting chance of it working and if this means taking a few more drugs that I would like to, then so be it.

I hope I have helped in some way.

Good luck with your decision and your treatment.

Moo xx


----------



## Nicky37 (Mar 16, 2011)

Hi Haj
I did IVF last year and paid for the expensive natural killer cells test (the blood had to go all the way to Chicago due to lack of facitlites in the UK). Due ot the results my clinic suggested I take 25mg of prednisolone  following egg collection. Learnt to take them in the morning with breakfast and a glass of milk as I had been suffering with terrible indigestion when I took them at night. They were not to dampen the immune system but to strengthen the good bits of my body in order to help the embryo stick and stay there. I was given intralipids which is the system for dampening the immune system.  I was also given Gestone which had to be given in a inter muscular injection daily and also clexane (blood thinning heparin) as well as taking low dose apirin every day. 
The steroids do help the emby stick and stay there and this did work for me but make sure you do take it in the mornings with something to eat and a glass of milk.  I did find that I put on lots of weight with the steroids but am fully prepared to take them again when I have another cycle this spring as I do beleice they helped. 
The reason that you are being given the choice of taking them and not being told to is because they are not authorized under the NICE guidelines and there is a difference of medial opinion as to whether they actually help and to the whole issue of natural killer cells so ladies are given the options of these treatments in some clinics where they believe that they can help your treatment (they just can't prove that they will work as there has not been enough research into their benefits).  Good luck with your treatment x


----------



## haj123 (Nov 5, 2010)

thanks girls 

really really appreciate your replies. i do feel lucky that i am being offered prednisolone but have not been advised to take anything else. What dose of aspirin are you guys on? i have read about the expensive immunes testing and to be honest cannot afford them so praying the prednisolone works. I hope it works for you to mandimoo  Nicki i read your signature and my heart goes out to you . You truly deserve to be a mummy and have obviously been through a lot. Thank you sooo much for your advice Nicky and Mandimoo. fingers crossed we all be mums soon.

xxxxxxx


----------



## agate (Nov 14, 2008)

hi: you might want to read the section called Treating Empirically in my immunes faq (link in signature) - there is also a section about steroids under Corticosteroids.  

best wishes

A x


----------



## haj123 (Nov 5, 2010)

hi agate 

thank you for your reply. your link was really really helpful. how long do you take the aspirin for?

thanks
xxx


----------



## agate (Nov 14, 2008)

some docs use it until about 12 weeks others until full term.  mostly, you'd expect to discuss it with your OB before deciding how long to continue it in pg for.


----------



## bambibaby12 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi ladies

Just wondered how you got on with this? My consultant as just recommended this to me and as I haven't heard of it before I would be keen to hear your experiences??

Many thanks xx


----------



## mandimoo (Feb 28, 2011)

hi bambibaby12, 

I took the prednisolone, and I'm thrilled to say that I not only got my BFP, but LittleMoo came into the world last November.  I was also taking aspirin & clexane.  Of course I will never know for sure, but I am convinced that this combo of meds is what did it for us.

I had one previous pregnancy from IVF, but that time my little angel didn't make it.  I didn't know about my sticky blood then, and was not on any meds other than the standard IVF ones.

I think I was on pred for maybe 3 months.  I felt quite flushed at times, but nothing too bad.  I did seem to have a bit of a short fuse on it lol!.  My work colleagues (who knew about my treatment) thought it was most amusing how easily I got on my soapbox at that time!  And Im sure toward the end of the 3 months my voice was on the verge of starting to break.  But that was all, and I would absolutely do it all again without any hesitation.


----------



## bambibaby12 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi mandimoo 

Congrats on the birth of little moo! Hope all is well with u and your family.

Can I ask what promoted you to take this and what advice were u given at that time. Were u warned of any side effects? I've only been told at this stage of the links with cleft palate? I'm guessing you didn't have any problems?

My consultant has just advised to take from EC onwards but sounds like u took for much longer? What do u think about this?


----------



## mandimoo (Feb 28, 2011)

I think I took the prednisone because I know a lot of women pay a lot of money to go through immune testing to see if they need this treatment,  but I was offered it by my fantastic consultant.  However,  I don't think I was warned about side effects,  but did my own research.  I think I gathered that any risk of harm to the baby was minimal and the benefits would far outweigh the risk.  We didn't develop a cleft palate.  I took until 12 weeks into the pregnancy.  I think this is because at 12 weeks the embryo is much larger and stronger to withstand immune attack.  I think also,  when the placenta starts fully working at around that time,  that is when there would be more risk of harm to the baby,  as the drug can cross the placenta by that time, so they got me to taper off it at that stage. 

HTH. X x


----------

