# new fella!! needs advice! ~



## Damien (Jan 14, 2008)

Hello everybody

I have just found this wesite and thought i would join, my name is Damien and my DW and I have been trying to conceive now 
for 4 1/2 years without success!!! We have done several ivf cycles, mostly ending with poor response and abandoning cycle.
We are now advised to use donor eggs.  My DW has graves disease (under control for 3 years) and slightly high NK cells, also endo.
I am slightly confused about the NK cells as our previous consultant seems to think steroids should be used when doing IVF and another Dr dismissed the idea so am very confused as to what's what!!!  So do we go ahead and use steriods when one doc says yes and others no
If anyone can help with these worries I would be very grateful for any help or advice on this matter!!

Good luck to you all

Damien


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## lucky_mum (Dec 16, 2005)

Hi Damien,

welcome to FF! 

I'm afraid I don't know much about high NK cells - you will find a lot more info under the Investigations & Immunology section: http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=52.0

I also have mild endo and had my NK cells tested after two failed ICSI cycles - the reading was at the high end of normal so for my last cycle of ICSI I was prescribed steroids - as I had had two previous failures my consultant was of the opinion that it couldn't hurt to try them. I think that for every doctor in the UK who believes in treatment for immune issues you will find another who pooh-poohs the whole thing!

I am also a poor responder and have had the "donor eggs speech" - DH and I have given it a lot of thought and now feel that it opens a door marked "hope" should we still need it one day, but in the meantime have decided to try again with my own eggs, at another clinic. The clinic I was at before is an excellent clinic but suffers a little from a "one size fits all" approach and just kept trying the same thing each time only more drugs, to no avail. I feel I need to try at least once more, with a slightly different approach.

There is a group of us poor responders chatting on http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=126620.0 - there are quite a few of us now (including a few who have had success and are now pregnant) and I have found the exchange of information there so useful - please feel free to join us!

Wishing you loads of luck   

Steph xxx

P.S. Where have you been having your treatment?


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## emsy25 (Mar 18, 2005)

Hi,

Just wanted to say hello and welcome.

Emma
x x x x


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## Loubie101 (Aug 20, 2005)

Hi there, just wanted to say hello and welcome to FF   Good luck too with your treatment xx


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## Kamac80 (Nov 24, 2005)

Hi and welcome to the site 

You have come to a fantastic place full of advice and support and i wish you loads of luck with everything.

Kate xx​


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## DizziSquirrel (Feb 15, 2005)

& Welcome to FF  Damien  
Sorry to read your struggles to concieve I agree wit hwhat Stephjoys says, 


> I think that for every doctor in the UK who believes in treatment for immune issues you will find another who pooh-poohs the whole thing!


With the infomation, knowledge and support to be found within FF I am sure you and your DW will find a strengh and path thats right for you.

Stephjoys left you some direct links to boards here on FF - that you may or may not have found, I encourage you to post in these areas to build friendships and support from members who really do have an understanding of your situation, try a site search for NK cells too
I'm going to add a few more Links to get you started. 

G&B - Community Fun board
CLICK HERE

Donor sperm/eggs 
CLICK HERE

Endo ~ 
CLICK HERE

*The Mens Room~*
CLICK HERE

To make the site easier to navigate click on the index tab at the top of any page - pink hearts mean there is something new within the board you have not read/looked at and if you scroll right down you will see the last ten posts from all over FF all are clickable  if you refresh this page (f5) it will update the last ten posts as well as the boards/threads and who's online!!!
take some time to look at the *help tab* too 

Check out the *Locations boards* for where you live & a site search for your *clinic* 

Wishing you Friendship  &    


If you need any help just ask! 
~Dizzi~


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Hello Damien, welcome to Fertility Friends. 

I have to agree with the previous comments about NK cells and immunology - I have slightly raised NK cells and I had steriods during tx on 4 of my 6 attempts. I still don't know if they made any difference at all because it took another 3 BFNs before I got my BFP. The whole area of immune therapy and IVF is still very new and very hotly debated so you will find conflicting views and, I think you have to go with what you feel comfortable with.

Do check out the Men's room that Dizzi has left a link for. Cheshire Cheese moderates over there and I know he feels a bit overwhelmed by all the women here sometimes and would love some more men around to chat too! 

Wishing you lots of luck. 

C~x


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## Damien (Jan 14, 2008)

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone!  

Steph, It looks like we used the same clinic as you did, and I know what you mean about the one size fits all thing. Trouble is to start with I spose we assumed that was the only way you could do it! I guess we had the same as you did, increasing the Gonal-F until you were at the max dose and still no luck.  At that point they had no more ideas and gave us the DE speech as well!

We're now on a 2ww after doing DE in Barcelona but they don't care much for 'immune-talk' round there, so we didn't bother with any steroids unlike at HH, till we panicked 3 days in after reading loads on here and got our consultant to give us a scrip for some! Can't do any harm (hopefully )!!

Caz, they didn't even agree with each other within one clinic we went to! Talk about hotly debated!! Congrats on your BFP   stories like yours help to keep the belief!

For all the links and wonderful welcomes thanks so much, I look forward to checking them out..

Good luck,

Damien


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## lucky_mum (Dec 16, 2005)

Hi Damien,

great to hear from you again - I really hope that the treatment you have just done with DE is successful and that you will be an expectant daddy very soon!

The clinic I am going to in Turkey for one last go with my own eggs don't believe in immune treatment either - just out of interest was it an HH consultant who gave you a scrip for steroids? (just in case I feel the same panic as you and feel the need to do the same myself!)

Sending your DW lots of 

Good luck 

Steph xxx


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## Damien (Jan 14, 2008)

Hi Steph

Thanks for that - One min it seems possible and the next it feels like there's no chance!   

PM'd you, re: the scrip

D'you think you're gonna use them? Turns out the wife had the steroids on her mind all the while - just that we never asked in Barcelona - it was all a bit hurried when we went for the et. Reading all the posts on FF just tipped her over the edge!!  

Nice to hear from you - where you at, with Turkey?



Damien


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## marie10 (Nov 8, 2007)

Hi Damien,
Welcome to ff i am also a new member, I just wanted to wish you and your DW all the luck in the world for your   
I am sending you lots and lots of      

Myself and my DH have just had our first appt in IVI Barcelona as we are also having DE, And I was wondering how the ET went how long you were at the clinic for?......... And how much notice did they give you before you were told to go back.............Did you have to wait long for a donor?

Sorry lots of questions I know but im a little worried it may take a while   
  We have got to wait a bit longer for a donor because i have blue eyes, and my DH has green eye's,  They dont seem to have many donors that have the same colour eyes.

GOOD LUCK 
TO YOU BOTH   


Thank You 
Marie


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## Damien (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks a lot, Marie

the 2ww sucks! Only half way through - we're a bit tired of waiting already!  

After our first consultation our donor turned up fairly quick, say 3 weeks or so. When it was time to go back, we got told on Monday morning to go back for Friday morning!

At the clinic, we had a fairly brief encounter with the doc. That was the first we heard about the eggs. (Only 2 decent ones and none for the ice-box.) We got told basic facts about the donor, then led to a building next door where they did the biz - we weren't in there long, maybe half an hour. Then got a taxi back to the hotel.

That was IM - wonder how that compares with your place? I have to say, IM were superquick at replying to emails - it helped to be in easy contact to get quick replies to the worries that pop up!

Hope you get your donor quickly..  

Good luck

Damien


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