Era testing

Hi Iv been looking into things after so many failed transfers has anyone had a Era?

What the process?

Does it hurt?

Is it worth it?

Any advise would be really appreciated

Xxx

[Cinderella5]

Hey, I had ana ERA done last December. I discovered that my implantation window is out by a full 24hrs later. We have done many transfers with a couple of BFPs that sadly didnt stick. We have also done a transfer since which was a fresh DE transfer but my hubby's sperm was so bad we are confident this was the reason for failure. We are gearing up to try again with our new progesterone protocol so watch this space. It does take your breath away, not gonna lie but it's short and sweet thank goodness! You prep for an FET but instead of transfer at 120 hours of progesterone (5 days) you have the biopsy. I know of a few ladies that had success after personalised progesterone but I havent really had time to test it out properly. Here is a link to my post about it. Feel free to ask any questions.xx

healthunlocked.com/fertilit......

[Hidden in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you for you reply,I hope you don’t mind put I have a few questions this is possibly the last test for me Iv had everything else 🙈so can you only have it done on a frozen round as I have none in the freezer so would be starting again also would it not change month to month? X

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

This is literally my last test I was willing to have too. I'm not a fan of PGS etc. My embryos are all frozen....we have 6. I couldnt say in all honesty if you would have to collect and freeze all of if you could do a fresh transfer. I reckon you'd have to ask the clinic. However happy to answer anything else!xxx

[Cinderella5 in reply to Cinderella5]

Oh and no, because you prep with meds....its all about how many days on progesterone which should make sense in the link to my post.xx

[Hidden in reply to Cinderella5]

Did you do a freeze all round? How much did tour cost if you don’t mind me asking? I’m not a fan of pgs testing either x

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

We used donor eggs so yes they were all frozen. My ERA was £1250 I think. It was in London if that's any help? I actually has the ERA/EMMA/ALICE for that price.xx

[Hidden in reply to Cinderella5]

I see my clinic want £1450 don’t know what that includes I will have to look into it everything is just money money money thank you for you help 👍

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

Well I dont know if its the answer but like I said I have tried everything!! We are gearing up for our 9th transfer...🤯....will see what happens! You're right, it's all money, money, money....however in theory this test seems to make sense! Good luck.xx

[Hidden in reply to Cinderella5]

Good luck! Iv tired everything to I am lucky I do have a son from my 4th cycle which makes it very frustrating I will do some research see if it only applies to frozen cycles I’m not keen on a freezing my eggs because I don’t ha e loads so I would be nervous they wouldn’t make it x

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much!! Congrats on your little boy! We havent managed a successful pregnancy....so far. All the best.xx

[F_J_762301 in reply to Cinderella5]

Hi cinderella, do you think a couple of painkillers before hand would help take the edge off? Xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to F_J_762301]

Yes, I took strong painkillers before....helped a tad but the actual biopsy is nippy!!xx

[F_J_762301]

Hi there,

I have just started downregging to have this test. 3 embies in freezer. This is my last try to try and find out whats wrong with me/us as weve never really had any concrete answers. I cant go through anything else after this, i think there has to be a stop point somewhere! Lucky ro have NHS funding for all of our treatment but paying for this. Let us know what you choose to do and how you get on! Thinking i will have the actual test in 4/5 weeks. Scared it will hurt! Haha xx

[Hidden in reply to F_J_762301]

What do you have to take?

[F_J_762301 in reply to Hidden]

So its like preparing for a FET. Im downregging with buserelin, then will take progynova and cyclogest. Like a mock cycle but instead of having an embryo transferred you have the biopsy done instead. I was told you have to be able to recreate the protocol exactly for next transfer xx

[Cinderella5 in reply to F_J_762301]

Good luck!!xx

[F_J_762301 in reply to Cinderella5]

Thank you! Xx

[sazzle2680]

I had my ERA done last round. I did ask whether it was possible to do a transfer after the biopsy in same cycle and the answer was no. There is too much damage done to the endometrial lining to allow for a transfer. I don’t see why they couldn’t do the biopsy on your egg collection round, but you’d need to freeze all and then a FET later.

My clinic were less bothered about the endometrial thickness for ERA. Mine was 5.7mm when the biopsy was taken.

My clinic is out in Spain so I paid €515 for the ERA testing, €80 for logistics (my sample was couriered to Spain) and £250 in the UK for my local clinic to take the biopsy. I think in total I paid slightly under £800. I know it’s a good few hundred pounds less than it would have been if I’d done it through a UK clinic. Annoyingly it would have cost just €80 to have the biopsy done over in Spain and I wouldn’t have paid the €80 logistics, but I would have paid air fare and hotel. Costs in the UK for fertility related tests are so so much higher than in Europe. It feels very unfair.

I do agree with Cinderella, it was very uncomfortable having the biopsy. It’s like an endometrial Scratch but the discomfort is sustained for a fair bit longer. Unfortunately they had to take two samples from me because of the thin lining.

Good luck! x

[Hidden in reply to sazzle2680]

Thank you I’m in two minds about this I’m very nervous about a freeze all cycle as I never have anything to freeze on a fresh cycle also the fact that Iv had a successful round to I don’t want to throw away money if that make sense but I also feel something has to change I can’t go on doing the same with with no results x

[sazzle2680 in reply to Hidden]

Could you do the ERA before you start your next round? I mean the ERA is like a mock cycle, although you don’t need all the stim drugs.x

[Hidden in reply to sazzle2680]

Yh I mean it’s the only thing I haven’t had done so it’s pretty much the last thing it means another £2000 on top of the 7,450 for my next round and meds I have nothing in the freezer so it’s starting from the start x

[sazzle2680]

It’s a really hard decision. It does sometimes feel like IVF is just a bottomless pit you throw money into.

The reason I had mine was because I had my first transfer on day 6 (delayed embryo development). Fresh transfer. I got pregnant but miscarried. Second transfer (FET) I transferred on day 5 and it didn’t take. Clinic suggested we could use ERA to rule out delayed receptivity as a potential cause. I agreed. It did come back completely normal. Lining is receptive at day 5. It’s not taking me any closer to why it didn’t happen last time but it’s certainly ruling things out. Personally I think it was stress. I was not in a good place.xx

[Hidden in reply to sazzle2680]

We have spent over 35 thousand im down to my last try’s I can’t keep throwing money at I had a day 5 transfer with my son he now 3 so I’m not sure a era would show me anything Iv have a high nk so I already have meds for that sometimes it’s just feels like the world throws everything against me x

[sazzle2680 in reply to Hidden]

That’s a very good rationale - if you’ve had a successful pregnancy with a day 5 transfer, my understanding is that your receptivity doesn’t change. Have you been given the opportunity to have that conversation with your consultant?

I looked at testing for NK cells but because I have an autoimmune condition, the treatment for that would the same as they’d give for NK cells anyway (steroids and intralipids) so I didn’t fork out the money for the test. I didn’t think it would change anything.

I really feel for you. It is really unfair.xx

[Hidden in reply to sazzle2680]

That’s what I mean if they say it doesn’t change then a day 5 transfer should be good I have a follow up appointment next Saturday but I like to have some sort of plan in my head first other wise they can blind you with test that “may” help but this time around I have to stick to the stuff that I can only benefit from because I have to think of the money ..... unfortunately I’m starting to think mine is all down to bad luck ☹️

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Maybe it’s worth getting them to look back at the timing I had my son put back in as if it doesn’t change it could be worth a shot

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

That's a great idea! I hadnt realised that you'd had a successful pregnancy already!xx

[Hidden in reply to Cinderella5]

Do you think that would would even be significant? X

[Cinderella5 in reply to Hidden]

I would have thought your implantation window wouldnt haev moved but I could be completely wrong.....another question for your clinic I guess.xx

[sazzle2680]

Sounds really sensible. I do find that we can be drawn into really complex testing at the expense sometimes of the basics. Found out I was both vitamin d and folate deficient lately. Very cheap and easy to fix and probably could have just as significant impact on my outcomes as an ERA. Good luck xx

[Hidden]

Thank you both for your advise its given me a lot to think about and throw a few questions up like if they advise the test and say it’s doesn’t change I can’t see how they think it could of changed since having my son ..........god nothing is ever easy xx