Secondary Infertility

Secondary Infertility is when you have given birth before but are now struggling to get pregnant. Approximately three million people in the United States are battling secondary infertility, and it can be even more frustrating than never having had a child. Often the first pregnancy happened very easily, maybe even an “oops” and the fact that it is difficult now is very confusing. What could be wrong?The causes of secondary infertility are often the same as those faced by people who have never been able to have a baby. I refer to the acronym SEMS- Sperm, Eggs, can they Meet, and can they Stick.

Sometimes events that have occurred since the last pregnancy that may point us in the right direction, and other times it is not so clear as to what may have happened. When you schedule your appointment, try to bring any records that you can obtain to the meeting so we can start to unravel the mystery.

SEMS

Sperm – If there is a new partner, he obviously must be tested.

If several years have passed then a “borderline” semen that may have been fine for when the woman was younger, is now no longer sufficient to get the woman pregnant.

Eggs – Perhaps the woman has put on weight since the last pregnancy, causing a hormonal imbalance that is causing her not to ovulate. Read about anovulation or PCOS.

The possibility of Diminished Ovarian Reserve-DOr, must always be considered.

Meet – Were there issues at the time of the last delivery? Fever? Was a D&C required after birth? Was a C-section performed? Have menstrual cycles resumed to “normal”?

Stick – Were there any issues during the last pregnancy? Irregular bleeding? Diabetes in pregnancy? Was the baby big? Small? Was the baby delivered early?

These are just a few of the avenues of thought that we will investigate if you are suffering from secondary infertility. But have hope! If you got there before, the odds are you will get there again.