Our IVF Journey: What’s Next?

Our IVF Journey: What’s next?

Hi friends,

Since the process of IVF is taking longer than I ever expected, I am just going to catch you all up to present day. To recap, check out these posts. The short and skinny of it though, is that we are not pregnant….YET! Some would think that I would lose hope or faith in all of it. But I know better. Well kinda. This has absolutely tested every ounce of patience I have. And for those who know me well, I don’t have a lot. I do know I am meant to be a mother though. That I have 0 doubts about.

Here is where we have been since 2016:

• Over 300 shots (belly and/or butt)
• Over 50 blood draws (probably more)
• Countless Ultrasounds
• 3 egg retrievals
• 5 embryo transfers (1 fresh and 4 frozen)
• 4 early miscarriages/chemical pregnancies (all at 5 weeks)
• Countless pills, patches and suppositories (sorry if TMI)
• Tears, rage, prayers, patience, grace, love and hope times a million

What is wrong with me? I know I probably shouldn’t say it this way, but it’s honest.

Basically my body is attacking our embryo. That sounds insane right? You wouldn’t believe what women have found out in this process. It’s eye opening.

So, what’s next? I am letting Trent take a stab at it. He tends has a way of getting a bit more technical without over complicating. Plus, it’s nice to have someone else be my voice now and again, as this is an exhausting process; physically and mentally.

Take it away boo…

Hi all.  It’s Trent here.  Melanie has shared with you our journey through infertility as we try to have a baby.  And yes, it is truly more of significant journey for Melanie.  We’ve had several embryo transfers that resulted in chemical pregnancy/early miscarriage; more to come there.  Having had loss again and again and knowing doing the same thing again and again without success is insanity. With that, I’m going to give you the details on what we are trying to do to overcome this.  The “what’s next” in Melanie’s words.  In short, we are addressing Melanie’s body and how it could be potentially working against us.

Let’s start with the concept of the chemical pregnancy/early miscarriage.  This is where the embryo(s) is trying to attach to her uterus and trying to thrive.  We know this because the hormone levels of initial pregnancy spike.  She gets a positive pregnancy test every time with a strong first blood test. We of course are filled with optimistic excitement only to see those levels crash.  That tells us the embryo has failed and we won’t have a baby.  Each time Melanie goes into a transfer she is filled with less and less optimism, expecting this potential outcome.  It is hard to watch my wife know that her need to be a mother may fail her again. Cue tears.

So, why did this happen? Most often, this means that the embryo wasn’t genetically good to start with.  You can test for this before the transfer. We opted not to do this for the first couple of transfers as if we were to get pregnant naturally we would never do this anyways.  In the end, we rolled the dice and crapped out.  We are not doing that again.  We have had our embryos tested and we know we have three genetically good embryos.  We will choose the best one that also has the best morphology or “look” under the microscope. This should put us in advantageous position with the embryo for success.

But, what else can we look at?  We have a clue because these embryos are initially trying to develop that there may be something going on with Melanie’s body.  If you are thinking that is hard to accept, you’re right.  It’s a devastating thought to think your body is killing your babies.  That is a harsh way to say it, but it is where the mind takes you / her.  But, back to what could be going on.  It turns out, that it is a thing where the body’s immune system is attacking the little embryo.  Luckily, we found this out easily enough through social media.  We also found out there is doctor in the Chicago area that specializes in treating the woman’s body, Joanne Kwak-Kim, MD.  Now this isn’t the mainstream.  In fact, our reproductive endocrinologist, the one who actually transfers, was at best cautious about us seeing Dr. KK too (I don’t know if she likes being called that, but I am going to anyway, LOL).  But, again, doing the same thing over and over again is crazy.

So, we went to see her and after a battery of testing (4 hour appointment- 20 vials of blood, ultrasound and more) this is what she said.  1^st, Melanie’s Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is a real indicator that there are immunological factors here.  Hashimoto’s is where immune cells, those cells we count on to keep us healthy, attack the thyroid tissue, which help regulate our metabolism, attack the healthy cells just like they would a foreign invader to the body.  This results in under active thyroid that in turn causes under active metabolism and other symptoms like thin papery skin, hair loss, exhaustion, and more.  But, back to what else Dr. KK found through testing.  She looked at the levels of specific immune cells called natural killer cells.  The guys do just what their name sounds like.  They go after and attack.  Melanie had elevated levels of NK which are far from normal.  These cells could very much be producing antibodies during those initial days after our embryo transfer that damage the placenta and decrease the vital blood flow that Melanie’s body is trying to give our little embryo.  They also found higher than normal homocysteine levels.  Homocysteine is the opposite of the good vitamin Folate (folic acid).  Many of you know that Folate is vital to a successful and health pregnancy.  Well, consider these to as a teeter-totter.  Evidence of high homocysteine indicates low folate, which is bad news.  Lastly, Melanie’s vitamin D was below normal.  Vitamin D does a lot; especially in pregnancy, but in Melanie’s case it acts as an immunosuppressant; helping to keep those NK cells down.

So, what to do about all of this?  I’ll start with the easy ones.  Since both folate and vitamin D are just that, vitamins.  Supplementing with these vitamins is pretty straight forward.  However, one Dr. KK takes her strategy a bit further with the folate by prescribing a special version of folate that is already partially digested to help ensure that Melanie’s body absorbs as much as possible.  Next, the immune system.  Here there is the simple and the complex.  The cheap and the expensive.  As of today, Melanie is on two immunosuppressants.  The steroid Prednisone and Plaquenil.  Both are immunosuppressants and both are full of side effects.  Let’s list a few:  weight gain, mood swings, water retention, hot flashes, and even vision issues with the Plaquenil (although very rare).  My poor wife!

Next, there is IVIg.  This therapy literally take plasma from other people and puts it into you blood stream to help reduce the number of antibodies in your system that could be attacking the embryo; remember those natural killer cells and the antibodies they produce.  This treatment is very provocative and contentious as to its effect.  Since so, it isn’t covered by insurance.  But, for one more time, we aren’t going to keep doing the same things over and over.  We are going to be cutting edge.  Think about it.  At one time, IVF itself was the very newest and most controversial procedure.  Yet, today it has become mainstream.

It has been a long road for Melanie and myself.  She has gone through so much.  She is a champion with her eye the prize; the strongest person I know. She has kept positive thru it all and where some would have given up, she keeps looking for answers. No one deserves to be a mother more than her.

Please wish us luck and God’s blessing on this next embryo transfer which will be on August 21.  We thank you all for the support!

Hey guys, Mel here…. wow, right? Ok, so we are going to be sharing the journey up close and personal over the next few weeks up until our August 21st transfer. Check out our first Instagram Live on Thursday evening at 7pm CST. We will talk more about this journey and answer questions. I will also be sharing a lot on my stories and other social media channels.

I think it is so important to keep talking about this disease, as there is such a stigma around it. Yet, so many go through it. Plus, maybe this will help YOU out there. Whether you are dealing with infertility, loss or another life battle, don’t stop looking for answers, be your own advocate and remember, you are strong.

Thank you again and we love you all!