steroids

[Anonymous]

Curious about the reason one might use steroids in their protocol. I'm currently in my second IVF and not using them, but there seem to be people on this forum who think there success might be due to including them.

[Anonymous]

Steroids prior to and during the first trimester are generally designed to suppress an over-active immune system and prevent it from attacking the embryo. Some REs also use steroids as a part of their IVF protocols because they are thought to help egg quality.

[Anonymous]

OP here. If I'm someone who generally has always had a higher amount of white blood cells in my discharge, would that be a reason to be concerned? I've had all the relevant screenings and there is no explanation apparently. Just seems to be my natural state. However, I am concerned that these could be the Natural Killer cells that some talk about? Or is that different?

[Anonymous]

You'd have to have the tests to know for sure. There are a bunch of different WBC and the tests you need will give you the breakdown to let you know if you are over the threshold where NKs will attack the embryo. Rosalind Franklin will do the tests, but your doctor has to order it and ship your blood via FedEx next-day.

I'm assuming your doctor already checked you for all types of infections that could cause elevated WBC in your discharge?