Immune issues and fertility

Hi, everyone.  Hope you're having a good day today.  A site member suggested I share my recent experiences in trying to get pregnant.  Sorry if this is a long post!

A bit of background: I'm based in London, England.  I am 38 and was diagnosed with RA when I was 6.  Starting with my left knee, over the years (and particularly through my 'teens), my arthritis has spread to my right knee, both hips, left foot, both elbows and shoulders and today - as 'luck' would have it - my right hand has decided to join the party so it's pretty swollen and sore.  When I have a flare-up, it's major; I often cannot walk without a walking stick and have had up to 70mls of fluid drained from one joint.  At my most recent check-up with the rheumatologist, he told me that it was pretty rare for someone of my age still to have Juvenile Chronic Arthritis and 'rather unlucky'.  Not what I needed to hear ...!  I am on no medication (lucky that my JIA has lengthy, relatively dormant periods) preferring only to have treatment during flare-ups and relying on more holistic (diet, acupuncture, yoga, etc) treatment more generally.  I am allergic to sulfasalazine (v allergic: ended up in hospital with meningitis symptoms) and hydroxycloroquine (all over body rash); both of these are safe to take in pregnancy unlike many medications.  I'd add that my docs see me as a bit of a conundrum; I have had no anti-nuclear antibodies in the past then off-the-scale ANAs within a year then none some months later ... this body is all over the place!

In April 08, my other half and I decided to try for a baby.  Given issues for each of us, we had to work with a fertility clinic.  We have had five failed attempts.  As we are able every time to have good quality embryos transferred, the view of the experts is that my immune system is the problem as my temperature goes sky high once my body 'recognises' alien DNA.

For anyone going through this or thinking of doing so, I'd urge you most strongly to ask for Chicago tests to be conducted.  These are a series of tests which investigate whether you have immune issues which will make your body un-friendly to embryos.  (There are many women who have found they have immune issues who had no formal diagnosis previously - as we have.)  For instance, they will look at the level of Natural Killer cells that you have.  These aren't bad, per se; they are the good guys that target, for instance, problem cells.  However, they can over-react to alien DNA, aka an embryo.

This is still a relatively new area in the UK and many clinics don't offer it or agree with treatment.  (I don't know how well it is viewed in the US.)  Because of this, many women have no idea that there are other options open to them.  I am still annoyed that - knowing I had an immune condition - this treatment wasn't mentioned let alone offered to me; I had to do my research online.  (There's a wonderful site in the UK - Fertility Friends - that has a thread on Investigations and Immunology.  It's free to join.)  In short, my tests revealed that I have elevated NKs thus treatment was ivig (immunogoblin), intrallipids (a protein supplement initially designed for feeding patients in ICU though suppresses the immune system) and prednisolone (steriods).  Not related to immune issues, I'd also add that I was put on blood anti-clotting agent (clexane) and blood thinner (aspirin) in order to increase oxygen flow to the womb.  I was also given Leukocyte Immune Therapy, comprising leukocytes from other half.  In lay terms, view it as a flu jab - aiming to decrease your body's reaction to alien DNA.