Secondary infertility is a situation where couples
have problems conceiving or carrying a pregnancy to
term after having had one or more successful pregnancies
and deliveries in the past. According to some experts
secondary infertility is also defined as occurring
anytime after a previous conception regardless of
whether the conception resulted in a birth or miscarriage.
Secondary infertility can happen despite how the previous
conception was: a difficult or a smooth one. It can
be due to female issues, male issues or a combination
of both. Secondary infertility is more common than
primary infertility. Age and medical problems can
take its toll on fertility for both genders. Testing
and treatment can be the same for primary infertility
since the problems can be the same. In women, the
failure to ovulate because of hormonal imbalance,
blocked fallopian tubes, fibroids, disorders of the
pelvic cavity (e.g. endometriosis) or cervical mucus
that is hostile to sperm and thyroid problems become
reasons for infertility. In men, DNA changes, change
in motility and morphology of sperm occurs with age
compounding the problem of fertilizing the egg.
Sometimes dealing with secondary infertility can be
worse than dealing with primary infertility because
many women wonder why it is not working now when it
did before. To most of us apart from being older,
nothing much has changed. Confusion rings true for
women who had absolutely no problems the first time
around.
What is Different this
time round?
Your Age
Age of the mother is cited as one of the main reasons
for secondary infertility, although age-related male
infertility is also considered a factor. Both the
man and the woman will be older when they conceive
their next child. Fertility declines with time; simply
being older contributes to the fertility problem.
The longer you wait or the longer the interval between
children, the slimmer the chances. As with primary
infertility if you are over 35 and have problems conceiving
after trying for 6 months, it might be a good idea
to give your gynecologist a call.
Your Health
Your overall health is important. You may gained weight
or lost some and this in turn affects your BMI, which
has a hand in fertility matters. Your health is no
longer in the optimum mode. You may not be as particular
about your lifestyle or careful with your health as
you were before because of family commitments or work
pressure.
Chronic illnesses can play a role in reversing fertility.
Diabetes, thyroid problems and many other issues,
both minor and major can affect you in your ability
to conceive without you even knowing.
Another point to consider is your previous pregnancy
(ies) especially if you had a cesarean and had consequently
suffered adhesions from it. Cesareans can cause scarring
that occurs inside the uterine cavity. The other related
possibility is a retained placenta or an infection
in the uterus after delivery.
The other area of concern is the state of your pelvic
area. If you have abnormal bleeding in between periods,
consider the possibility of fibroids or polyps in
the uterus. Any surgeries after your previous delivery
(ovarian cyst removal, gall bladder removal etc) can
be responsible for adhesions which may affect the
reproductive organs. The good part to all this is
that with proper diagnostic tests, these conditions
can be identified.
Your Partner
If you have changed partners since the last time,
the problem could lie with your other half. Even if
you are with the same partner, along with you he has
aged by few years too. With age changes in DNA, sperm
quality and overall health happens and this in turn
contributes to the fertility issue.
Treatment is Possible
Even if the cause cannot be pinpointed, the treatment
can be carried out. Because the diagnosis is not known
the success rate may be lower. However through medication
you will receive help in areas such as ovulation,
hormonal issues and go further shou
Dealing with your Emotions
Lack of Support Many people will look at you and feel
that at least you have child(ren) and you should be
grateful. And it is not like you are not. It is just
that you want another child for your own reasons.
