Hi All
,
As promised I am going to post the results from my NK cell testing and the discussion with my FS.
1) Why are my NK cells elevated?
They are elevated because they are. There is no answer, at this point in my life they are elevated, but that doesn't mean that they will be for life. He used the democratic party and the republican party and their defense budgets as an analogy. Right now my immune system is high like it would be under a republican administration, but in a few more years it could be low as in a democratic party administration. Having an elevated NK cell count is normally a good thing as it fights the common cold, and flu and cancer. However for some women it also means it will kill your embryo.
2) What is your recommended plan?
We went back and forth on this. The test they did to determine if my NK cells were elevated included suppressing them with IVIg and Intralipids (the 2 options for suppressing NK cells) to see if my body would respond appropriately. My body did, and with the IVIg they dropped from 12 down to 8, and with Intralipids they went from 12 down to 9. Both would be satisfactory as we want the number to be under 10. The recommendation is to do an infusion before transfer, and if you end up pregnant do 3 more infusions (1 per month). The IVIg infusion costs $3000 per infusion and the Intralipids cost $1000 per infusion, not covered by insurance (of course). So my FS's recommendation (and actually my initial thought as well) was to do the first infusion with IVIg, and if I get pregnant to follow up with the Intralipids for the last 3 infusions.
3) Should we do further testing to ensure I don't have any uterine/entometrial issues?
He brought up a test that is brand new to the US, in fact he said I could very well be the first person to do it in the US. This is something that has been widely done in Europe and they have had great success with it. They are branching out to the US, and are setting up a lab in Miami, FL. My FS is going to be one of the Dr's that are working with them and continuing the testing in the US. I asked about what the procedures are and he said that we would do a trial cycle. So we'd just monitor everything and create the exact same environment for the transfer, but not actually do the transfer. During the cycle there would be 2 endometrial biopsies, timed around the implantation window. This would do 2 things. First it would determine the length of my implantation window (normal is 4-5 days), and second it would determine if there were any abnormalities that we would have to deal with. I asked him about cost as this sounded expensive. He said he would run all of the testing through my insurance, and they would cover it, except for the testing of the biopsies. He said that he would work with me and the company that is doing this testing to come up with a discounted rate since this is a new type of test in the US market. So I would have to pay a few co-pays, and the medications necessary for a FET, along with the discounted rate for the testing of the biopsies.
So the full plan is this:
1) Call when I get my next period.
2) Go in and have base ultrasound on day 3-4 of my cycle
3) Be monitored via ultrasound and blood work to detail my cycle, and when the time comes do the biopsies (this is an in office procedure) not a big deal.
4) Get the results from the biopsy, and use the results to ensure we don't have endometrial issues and to pinpoint the best day of my cycle for implantation
5) Wait for my next period to arrive
6) Base ultrasound on day 3-4 of my cycle
7) Monitored via ultrasound and blood work until transfer day
8) Transfer
9) Wait to see if it takes
As things stand now, I should have my FET somewhere in late March, and then my due date would be mid-December.
Hope all of you ladies are doing well!!!!!
