Unusual discharge 2 weeks before IVF

[raverg]

Hi everyone,

After my first IVF cycle I developed a type of discharge that looks like thrush but has none of the other signs (no itchiness, burning, odour). This tested negative for candida and everything else at the GP twice, and tested negative for all strains of candida tested by the Invivo vaginal microbiome test.

What did show up on the Invivo vaginal microbiome test is a light overgrowth of gardnerella vaginalis (9.4 vs their normal max of 6.5) and E. coli (8 vs their normal max of 3). It also came back with low L gasseri and L jensenii which I need to address.

Would this overgrowth and discharge require an antibiotic or antifungal, or should I just take probiotics in the form of pessaries and pills hoping to rebalance things?

I’m 2 weeks away from our next IVF cycle for which I’ve been preparing for 3+ months so I’m not keen to postpone. But I am waiting on re-tests from a gynaecologist and based on that I may postpone a potential fresh transfer I guess.

Has anyone else dealt with this ahead of IVF? What had your experience and outcome been?

Thank you for your help!

[JA-fnuk Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

It might be an idea to discuss your concerns with your clinic They are aware of your past medical history results etc and should be able to give you the advice you are looking for

Good luck for the future

Janet-Partner

[raverg in reply to JA-fnuk]

Thank you. I did ask them and they said that I can see my GP and take an antibiotic for it to deal with the symptoms, but that it won’t improve my treatment outcome necessarily.

So I saw a gynaecologist who examined me and noted the discharge, re-tested everything (results pending) and gave me a prescription for 3 antibiotics and 1 anti-fungal. She basically has no clue what it is and wants to treat everything at once which seems a bit extreme. Especially ahead of an IVF cycle.

So I was curious if anyone else had dealt with this issue before, but maybe not.

Thanks for your reply!