I have a question re steroids. My doctor (on my insistence) agreed for me to take 10 mg of prednisone 6 days before ET.
He told me to lower the dose to 5 mg after ET but I continued with 10 mg as I was afraid to change something.
Today he told me to stop completely as my positive test was confirmed.
This is my first positive after many tries and I am afraid to stop prednisone. I did different things on this cycle and not sure what worked so I am afraid to take one thing from the equation.
They did test me on several auto immune issues and I had none. However I noticed that after my failed transfer I always felt a bit sick. My nose was stuffy, my ear would be clogged, etc. And on this FET there was none of that. Not sure if that means anything.
I wanted to ask if anyone stopped prednisone after their positive test and if they had any issues because of it.
Thanks!
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Shireen1
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I also tested positive recently and am taking Prednisolone - 25mg. I have the opposite problem to you it seems, I’m really keen to wean them off and stop but my doctor wants to continue with 25mg daily for now, at the very least until 8 weeks! I’d be really interested to hear other peoples experiences too and how long they continued to take them.
Congratulations! Oh I am not too keen to take the pills. I don’t want to have that moon face people mention But I took so many pills and shots to get here and I am nervous to mess something up, if it makes sense. From what I read prednisone is taken in the first trimester. But there are also clinics which stop after positive beta. I think my doctor wants me off as he didn’t believe in its efficiency at all.
So interesting how different the clinics are, it really is personal preference of the consultant and the research they believe in! Mine is very pro steroids, I don’t think they give a higher dose than 25mg. I’m really keen to wean down a bit.. Wishing you all the best and good luck with your first ultrasound xxx
Hi lovely, I was on 20mg until 11 weeks, then went down 5mg each week until I came off them at 14 weeks. I was the same as you, first transfer with steroids and it worked (5 failed before) so I was really worried to come off them. I can completely understand that you would be too, especially straight after a positive test. I would talk to them and explain your concerns, they are valid xx
Sorry Shireen I’m jumping on your thread! That’s really interesting Millbanks you’re the first person I’ve met who’s been on a long protocol of Prednisolone. My consultant hasn’t told me yet how long he wants me to remain at the highest dose, I have to wait until the first ultrasound for the plan 🤞🏼 Thank you for sharing x x x
Thank you so much for taking time to share your protocol. I’ll keep it up and talk to my doctor after the ultrasound. I just wouldn’t forgive myself if I stop and something happens.
Hi Shireen, I am on Prednisone as well and started 6 days before ET. I will get an updated plan after the viability scan but I am 6 weeks at the moment and still using them. I am on 5 mg only though
Hi,I took predisolone until 12 weeks but that's because I had immune issues. It was the first heartbeat we'd ever had and we now have a 5 month old boy. What was interesting to me is how sick you got before. Weirdly, I had two chemicals at 7 and 5 weeks and both times (natural pregnancies, before immune diagnosis) I got really sick like you- runny nose, no energy, was so ill. But with the steroid pregnancy, which stuck around, I wasn't ill at all. Weird. Never heard of anyone else who was properly rundown like I was- I kept asking my ivf consultant if that was common and he said no. However, I do think there's a connection somehow...
Anyway, because you don't have immune issues, I'd guess it would be fine to wean off earlier, but I understand how you feel as I didn't want to come off them either! It's hard taking something out of the equation in case that's the one thing making baby stick around. Do ask if it's possible to continue to 8 weeks if it makes you feel better?
Also, I had a moon face (!) but because I was only on the steroids for 12 weeks, it quickly went away. I'd say I was back to normal within 4-6 weeks. So if you do stay on them for longer, no worries, it doesn't last long
Thank you! I love hearing good stories! I hope you are enjoying with your baby boy! I will talk to my doctor. I am sure he will understand my concerns. What was your dose and how did you wean off?
Sorry if I sounded vain with my moon face comment I don’t mind moon face if this baby is going to be healthy.
Haha, no you didn't sound vain. Honestly my Christmas photos from last year are just gross, I look so puffy and shiny 😂I was on 25mg, so a large dose, weaning off after 12 weeks. I was glad to get off them, but I do think it's more reassuring to come off after the 12 week scan.
Hi Shireen, sorry slightly jumping on your thread as well - how were you able to get them to give you the Prednisone if you didn't have immune issues? Due to covid my clinic doesn't seem to be prescribing them and I don't think they will even test for it but I think I could potentially benefit from it as I've had issues with hives and urticaria before. I asked another clinic if they would do my immune tests but they only do it for patients having the full treatment with them.
Hi! Well I am a complicated case with a very thin lining so we tried just about everything. Doctor told me he talked to a colleague and since I had RIF we can try. I understand concerns regarding Covid as it suppress the immune system. I decided to risk it. I am being very careful now. I use n99 mask and only go to places I need to. I work from home and order groceries. I did have to fly home after my treatment but luckily it went well.
Did you test your Immune system ? Is it too strong ? I did the NK cells test and the results came back normal. I hope taking these pills won’t harm me, honestly. I’m a bit scared.
I did some tests for autoimmune diseases and they came back ok. However this was the first time ever I had implantation. Unfortunately I cant say it’s because of prednisone or exclusively because of it as I had some other treatments during this FET.
Hi ! My case is a bit different but I was prescribed 30 mg prednisone starting a few days before transfer and then the plan was to slowly reduce the dose after seeing the heartbeat with the idea of stopping the steroids around 12-14 weeks. However, I have several autoimmune issues and I had a flare of Grave's disease so ended up having to increase the dose again. After 5 miscarriages, I am now 21 weeks pregnant and on 5 mg of prednisone but if my next blood tests are OK, I will stop taking them. I haven't had any major side effects and I think we have only got this far thanks to the steroids, but as I said I do have several autoinmune issues ! Good luck xx
Thank you. This helps as I am also worried that I might do some harm by insisting to stay on prednisone. If it is taken even in higher doses it should not be damaging. Also congratulations on your pregnancy ! It’s been a long road for you as well.
Hey Shireen, I was on prednisolone and stayed on it until 12wks. The important thing is you cant just stop, you must come off it gradually. Most clinics will support you until the 12wk scan. The dose will vary from clinic to clinic but I genuinely feel it helped me. It's nice to get off it though as it has a few nasty side effects.xx
I obviously took precautions as in lots of hand washing and wear masks etc but nothing specific. I was maybe just lucky but didnt catch covid. I was only on it for a few months. Life continued as normal for me really.xx
Thank you for sharing your experience Cinderella5 . I’ve been reading your posts on progesterone during my FET and they really helped me understand some things better. Congratulations on your twins!
Morning,I hope you are well. I wondered if you could tell me the reason why you were given PREDNISOLONE? I have just had our fourth ICISI round fail. We had ten follicles and none had any viable eggs even though they were great sizes. The clinic doesn’t have a clue on what’s causing the lack of egg maturity considering that I am 33. I have been trying since I was about 29. My consultant mentioned on Friday that he wants to look at all the results before he recommends a different protocol. He mentioned PREDNISOLONE as a potential addition because he thinks the Issue must be a missing chemical in my body. But he will go away and think on it some more. It’s been a tough week for us and I just thought to get everyone else’s encouragement.
I am so sorry Samosa! It must be heartbreaking. I am not aware of prednisone being used for egg quality. In my case it was for a recurrent implantation failure. As I was 40 when I did the egg collection I did use supplements to try to improve egg quality. I also have only one functioning ovary so that one needed to step up. It’s the usual supplements that you probably know already - Q10, melatonin, and DHEA (this one I used for only 1 month). I also tried to eat more protein as I am vegetarian. I also think that the stimulation protocol matters. Sorry I can’t offer more help but sending you strength and I hope your next try will be successful!
Hello everyone! I can see we have a developed immunosuppressants family here! Yey ! I’m 39 and we had 4 failed transfers so far. It’s heartbreaking as I’m sure most of you know. Our embryos are top quality but they are stubborn and won’t stick, no matter what! Anyhow, we traveled abroad to see a specialist who said I should try the immunosuppressants, but it’s not the famous prednisone, mine are called prograf and medrol. They do the same job, they are only called differently. When I travelled back to London, the fertility specialist was totally against it and said I’m risking my life due to the current covid restrictions. I get it, completely, however I’m willing to jeopardise my health for
This. I am planning on staying indoors for 3 months. I was told not to stop the pills for 12 weeks. This is the critical time. Under no circumstances stop the treatment. Just continue for 12 weeks and decrease gradually. I want to ask if anyone here tried the intralipids infusion ? I see that many have succeeded with this immunosuppressants ! I have so much hope for next month’s transfer
Sorry, just seen this too. I tried intralipids a few times without success. On our recent successful cycle with twins, I decided to stick only with the steriods. Just a tip in case your clinic didnt say, take them first thing in the morning with food as they can cause a sore stomach and insomnia. Also, have you thought about doing and ERA test to check your implantation window and checking your progesterone levels at transfer time?xx
Oh wow congratulations !! Twins..! That’s my dream! I did the ALICE, not the ERA. I am planning on doing the intralipids as well as the pills. So should I take the pills in the morning after I ate something ?
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But I took so many pills and shots to get here and I am nervous to mess something up, if it makes sense. From what I read prednisone is taken in the first trimester. But there are also clinics which stop after positive beta. I think my doctor wants me off as he didn’t believe in its efficiency at all. 
SENSITIVE 
*sensitive? * faint positive? 
Has anyone taken Prednisone and intralipid for ERA test or only for real transfer? 
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Sensitive* Viability scan
