Secondary Infertility
Secondary infertility is defined as the failure to conceive a subsequent baby having had at least one previously with the same partner.
One in six couples have difficulty conceiving and of those, one in six are experiencing secondary infertility. When you are trying for another baby you will be older and there may have been changes to your nutrition and lifestyle in the intervening period. Considerations for secondary infertility which don’t arise for primary infertility are generally related to siblings.
- You may want only a short gap between your first and second child.
- You may want a few more children and feel time is running out.
- You may be very anxious about your child ending up being an only child.
These are all very valid concerns and the sooner you get started, the sooner they can be resolved.
In today’s world of blended families, trying for a baby with a new partner is not considered secondary infertility, even if you both have children with previous partners.
Secondary infertility causes
The underlying causes can be very similar to unexplained infertility even though they didn’t cause a problem previously.
- PCOS
- Endometriosis
- Low sperm count
- DNA fragmentation
- Poor motility or morphology
- Underactive thyroid
- Auto immune disease
- Male or female age
- Male or female obesity
- Over exercising
- Exposure to toxins
- Infrequent intercourse
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Anovulatory cycles
- High stress levels
Treatment
A natural approach, with simple nutrition and lifestyle changes, can resolve issues quickly. It is important to note that even if you had IVF or other medical intervention on your first baby, you may still be able to get pregnant naturally on your second. Many of my clients have achieved this and were amazed at how much better they felt for the lifestyle changes and how much more energy they had.
