INFERTILITY LINE

The issue of secondary infertility is somewhat of a mystery as well as nuisance value to many couples who experience it. Why?

Well, simply because a couple has proven they can already conceive a child yet trying for another and striking a road block such as this can be hard to come to terms with.

What Is Secondary Infertility?

In a nutshell, secondary infertility is being unable to conceive a child after already having had one child. Simply put, a couple will have their first child and let's say it's girl. So they then decide to try again for a boy to complete their family. Only problem is, nothing happens.

Despite having proven they are capable of experiencing pregnancy the first time around, the second time is proving a real challenge. What's the problem? It's frustrating and in many respects, just as stressful as trying to conceive the first time round.

What Can You Do?

If secondary infertility has been confirmed in your life here are some steps you should consider taking:

- Have a blood test done to check serum progesterone levels as well as levels of serum gonadotrophins and prolactin

- Visit an infertility specialist for diagnosis

- Consider other tests including pelvic ultrasound, hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy

- If the cause has been determined then take the necessary steps to overcome it. You made need to make lifestyle changes such as diet. Cut out things such as alcohol and coffee and refrain from taking unnecessary drug treatments. Even consider alternative treatments.

These are not the be all and end all but just some of the measures you might consider adopting. Your specialist will definitely help you in this regard and point you in the right direction.

Causes Of Secondary Infertility

Causes of secondary infertility can be a "dime a dozen." Many of the medical conditions namely internal disorders, such as hormonal, ovarian and ovulation problems, tube or peritoneal causes, hypothalamic-pituitary causes, cervical, vaginal and uterine problems, and genetic causes apply here as well. Again, the problem can lie with both the woman's reproductive system and the man's reproductive system, or with both partners.

However, most of the times, these are not the only causes. A secondary infertility is commonly caused by age, new partners, stress, taking up alcohol or certain drugs that causes infertility, food, coffee, and many more reasons beyond these. Infertility starts to kick in slowly from age 30 and more rapidly from age 35 onwards in women.

Some women develop hormonal problems which affect the ovulation process, or having not enough mucus to allow the sperm to move freely, or it is too thick and sticky, or the mucus is unreceptive to the partner's sperm. The mucus, which is supposed to help the sperm to swim up to uterus to meet the egg, fails.

Or it is also possible that a dormant health problem which may have existed when you conceived before but did not affect the pregnancy is active now and it interrupts the current conception. This may include damage to the uterus or fallopian tubes caused by endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), fibroids, diseases such diabetes, or any other ovarian or ovulation problems.

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