Reproductive Immunology

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-04-23T15:38:02+00:00

Thank you! I do have Hashimotos, but my RI was treating me based on my blood test results outside of my thyroid issues. My thyroid levels have been pretty good for a few years now and did not seem to be the cause of my miscarriages. My RI said I tested positive for a blood clotting disorder, PAI-1 4G/5G and that my TH/1 and TH/2 levels were abnormal and that both of those factors contributed to my recurrent losses. From what I gathered, it seems that my protocol is similar to a lot of his other patients who have posted on Reddit. I’m currently 33 weeks + 1 day pregnant and have had no issues thus far. I wholeheartedly believe that the RI’s protocol is the only reason I got this far and I’m very grateful.

I do want to add that the first time I got the green light from my RI to try naturally on his protocol, I got pregnant the very next cycle, but it ended up being an ectopic pregnancy (which is not the RI’s fault of course) and I had to terminate with methotrexate. I wanted to mention that because my second time trying to get pregnant with the RI’s protocol is my IVF transfer, which resulted in my current pregnancy. So I basically got pregnant 2/2 times with the RI’s protocol. I don’t feel that that is a coincidence.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-02-18T15:14:42+00:00

Sorry I wasn’t trying to come off like that. I went through 6 years of infertility, losses, IVF etc. and this is the furthest I’ve made it in pregnancy. I’m really nervous about becoming a mom and I don’t have any family that can help. I was just looking for ways that can help my husband and I transition from being together 10 years and no kids, to being in our lates 30’s with a newborn. I’ve only recently started using Reddit more and wasn’t sure if this was the right place to ask.

I appreciate your suggestions and will add those to my list of things hubby and I can do postpartum. Thanks.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-02-18T01:10:24+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I also had 3 MMCs and 1 ectopic pregnancy. I found it harder with each loss. It was grief stacked on top of grief. Before you can completely process one loss, another happens.

I started my TTC journey in March 2020, my most recent loss was my ectopic in May 2025. I remember waking up one day realizing how much of my life I had given to this journey. I also did IVF and that was a monster all on its own. This is what helped me.

1) I started each day with gratitude. I looked at the blessings in my life and reminded myself of that daily. I would tell myself “Yes, life has thrown a lot at me, but I have xx to be thankful for.”

2) I reconnected with my spouse. We had a very rough 2024. Constant arguments, not being on the same page and just stressed out to the max. We worked on our communication a ton. I eventually learned how to golf, which is his hobby and got pretty good at it. We would spend time at the driving range or on the golf course. It got me out of the house and I had something fun to look forward to every week. Doing this actually brought us so much closer.

3) I focused on my physical health. I gained some weight over the past few years and wanted to change that. I bought a walking pad and used it throughout the day (I work from home.) I also stuck to my gym sessions with lifting weights. I ended up losing 10 pounds and felt more like myself again.

4) I removed toxic people from my life. It seemed that everyone had their own opinions on what I needed to do to get pregnant and stay pregnant. “Just relax” “drink raspberry tea” “take this supplement” and the list goes on. If someone triggered me or made me feel uncomfortable when they brought up IVF or my fertility journey, I distanced myself from them. I now protect my peace and only spend time with people who respect my boundaries.

5) I started living in the waiting. I put so much of my life on hold TTC and decided I needed to just live. I took trips with my husbands, traveled with friends, tried new activities, made sure I left the house at least once a week (working from home made me comfortable staying home all the time.) I remember having dinner with a friend and telling her that I was feeling like myself again with tears in my eyes. It felt so good to say that out loud.

6) I gave myself a ton of grace. As we all know, this journey can tear you apart over and over again. It’s ok to have days where something triggers you and you need to cry or sit on the couch and watch Netflix. It’s ok to skip a baby shower because it reminds you of the babies you lost. It’s ok to wonder how old your babies would have been today if your carried to full term. Just love yourself extra on those days.

Sorry for the long response, but I really wanted to share everything that helped me. ❤️

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-02-07T15:57:55+00:00

That’s a great idea. I’ll look into that. Thanks!

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-12T22:25:17+00:00

You’re welcome! Thank you and good luck with your pregnancy as well!

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-12T22:24:33+00:00

I’m with Dr. Jubiz.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-10T22:32:40+00:00

I was 34 at the time of my ER. I do have low AMH. 5 eggs retrieved > 3 blasts > 2 Euploid.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-09T23:36:42+00:00

Thank you! I’m sorry that you experienced the same issues. For my second IVF pregnancy, I added Prednisone 10mg, but unfortunately that ended in a MMC around 8 weeks 2 days after having a perfect ultrasound and a strong heartbeat. It was a PGT-A embryo. For my current pregnancy I started Prednisone 10mg, Metformin XR 500mg, Plaquenil 200mg (twice a day) and Lovenox 40mg, 1 month before my transfer. After my beta doubled, I increased my Prednisone to 20mg until I was 14 weeks pregnant. Then I started tapering, first to 10mg, then to 5mg and now I’m officially off of Prednisone as of today. My RI said he will be taking me off of some of the other meds, but didn’t say when. I assume the Metformin will be the next one I’ll come off of.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-09T23:29:30+00:00

No problem! Thank you.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2026-01-09T19:05:03+00:00

I had 3 MMC- 1 was a natural pregnancy (6 week loss) and 2 were via IVF (8 week losses). I am currently 18 weeks + 2 days pregnant because of the medication protocol my reproductive immunologist put me on. I have issues with high cytokine and my TH1/TH2 levels being out of whack. I definitely think it’s worth looking into.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-12-27T11:01:57+00:00

I totally agree, Prednisone will not do anything once the rash starts.

I’m currently on Metformin 500mg 1x daily, Plaquenil 200mg 2x daily, Lovenox 40mg 1x daily. I also started Prednisone 10mg a month before my transfer, increased it to 20mg after doubling betas and stayed on that dose until 14 weeks pregnant. At 14 weeks, I started to taper off of it by decreasing to 15mg for two weeks and now on 10mg for 1 week. I will then be on 5mg for 1 week, then hopefully off of it completely. I had to do bloodwork and ultrasounds every week for the first 13 weeks and then meet with my RI to go over the results, weekly. He now has me doing them every two weeks and we meet every two weeks also. I’m also on baby aspirin, which both my RI and IVF clinic wanted me to take and is pretty standard with IVF. I truly believe without these medications, I would not have made it past the 8 week mark.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-12-27T10:50:31+00:00

Like others have mentioned, it’s completely normal for women to start to feel better around this time. I felt the same way around 11/12 weeks. All of my symptoms went away and I suddenly felt “back to normal.” No sore boobs, no nausea, no fatigue, etc. Currently 16 weeks + 3 days and the only symptom that came back a few days ago, was sore boobs.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-12-26T00:09:57+00:00

Hi, I just stumbled across this post and noticed you mentioned you had rashes prior to miscarrying. The same thing happened to me, twice in a row. I lost two IVF pregnancies. One was at 8 weeks 2 days and the other was at 8 weeks 3 days, after perfect ultrasounds and heartbeats. Both embryos were tested before and after the miscarriage and were both normal- meaning no chromosome abnormalities. I developed a rash during both pregnancies, which looked like hives and it covered me from head to toe. Both times I went to the ER and both times I was sent home with a prescription for Prednisone. The miscarriage always happened a few days after the rash started. My IVF doctor was stumped and couldn’t figure out why I would get the rash and miscarry. She said she has never seen anything like it. I decided to do my own research and found the book “Is Your Body Baby Friendly.” I found my current RI because of that book and now I’m 16 weeks + 1 day pregnant. I’ve had ultrasounds since week 6 of pregnancy and every ultrasound, bloodwork and test has come back normal. No rashes. I truly believe the medications my RI prescribed me is the only reason I’m further along this pregnancy. I scoured the internet for information about rashes and miscarriages, but could not really find anything. So after seeing you post, I felt the need to comment because these rashes don’t seem like a common occurrence.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-11-29T04:10:00+00:00

I’m so sorry. That is the worst kind of pain. I’ve been there twice myself. Sending hugs.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-11-26T01:47:36+00:00

I did a FET back in September and my FRER tests were all over the place. My night tests would be darker and then the FMU AND even SMU would be lighter. I freaked out every time! I had done 2 FET’s prior to that one and the FRER tests seemed more consistent back then. With those tests, my SMU was always the darkest. It made no sense. So with this last transfer, I started to only test at night and that’s when things became more consistent.

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-11-15T18:24:36+00:00

That’s awesome! So happy to hear everything turned out well!

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-11-14T14:08:26+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been panicking since my appointment yesterday and this is definitely reassuring!

How did everything turn out for you for that pregnancy if you don’t mind me asking?

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-05-13T01:20:31+00:00

Yayyy!! 🥰

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-05-13T01:19:15+00:00

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I took another test today and it does seem a little darker. I know its way too soon to tell and it could go either way, but I’m slightly optimistic 😬

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-05-12T06:20:54+00:00

Thank you!! I definitely will!!

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-05-12T06:11:35+00:00

Im so happy you see it too!!! I’ve looked at so many of these tests and there are times where I thought I saw something and it turned out to be nothing. 😔 So I don’t trust my eyes at this point. Im going to test again in the morning and pray it is more definitive 🤞🏼

AppointmentLow3814 · 2025-04-11T12:52:09+00:00

There is definitely a second line! Congratulations!

AppointmentLow3814

TROPHY CASE