Category 5: What Your Primary NK Assay Will Tell You

Being diagnosed with RID can be very overwhelming. There are dozens of tests you need to go through to pinpoint your condition and create an appropriate treatment plan for it.

After several years of successfully battling APAS (and two rainbow babies after), I am trying to educate myself more about the condition to help more people and to lay the groundwork for people to understand our condition.

I am currently reading the book “Is Your Body Baby Friendly?” by Dr. Alan Beer, the pioneer in reproductive and immunological disorders. If you like researching, then this book is for you.

This was my result in 2013 taken at St. Lukes BGC:

The CD that you see in your test means Cluster of Differentiation and they define the function of the cells. There are two kinds if you will notice. B cells and T cells – B cells are produced in the bone marrow while T cells by your thymus gland. These cells are what Dr. Beer refer to as your body’s special military task force that specializes in killing.

When I got my primary immunodeficiency panel or NK assay, I only looked at the NK cells part. I was so relieved that it was within the normal ranges. However, Dr. Gloria told me that she still would treat me as Category 5 and not just 1 and 2 because of my previous miscarriages. She told me that the tests in the Philippines are not complete and there is a possibility that while my NK cells are within the normal range in quantity, they can be very rabid.

Looking at my test above, you can see that I have higher than normal CD8 and CD19 and lower than normal CD4:CD8 ratio.

But what does this mean?

To quote Dr. Beer, “Autoimmune women tend to have higher levels of CD8+ T cells, higher levels of toxic TNF-alpha, higher autoimmune inducing Th1:Th2 ratio and lower serotonin levels – the same markers that are seen in women with stress-triggered miscarriages.”

Below are excerpts in explaining the different roles of the cells above from Dr. Beer’s book:

CD3 or Elevated CD3 cell levels are associated with autoimmune diseases.

CD4 are also high in people with infertility.

CD19 are also usually high normal or very elevated in women with immune-mediated infertility or recurrent pregnancy losses.

When I got a second opinion from another popular OB, she asked me to take a Th1/Th2 Cytokine Assay Test. This is done in Chicago and my blood sample was sent there. After two excruciating weeks, the assumption was validated. I had very high Th1 results.

Th1 are the cells Dr. Beer calls the aggressors. When they are on fire, they prompt the production of antibodies, killer cells and macrophages that cause miscarriages.

Truth is, it is only now that I have done my research on this. All I knew then was that my body was rejecting my baby. I didn’t want to know more.

But looking back, I wish that I could have known what exactly these numbers mean. To make amends with my past self, I am writing this now to benefit those who are still lost in this world of autoimmune disorders. This blog post is only a guide and should not supersede what your doctors say. This is purely based on Dr. Beer’s book (but totally makes sense to me).

I hope that this will help you at one point or another. I will post about the other categories soon. In the meantime, please do subscribe to my blog or leave a comment. Would really appreciate it.

xoxo