After having your first child, getting pregnant with another baby should be easy, right? For many women, that's the case, but for others, secondary infertility makes getting pregnant a struggle. It can be a very lonely experience as you watch all of your friends have another child easily.
Secondary infertility happens when you have trouble conceiving after already having at least one child. It's a frustrating endeavor that's often lonely and heartbreaking every month that you don't conceive.
If you're struggling with infertility, Dr. Eduardo Valdes and the Collaborative Women's Care team provide fertility and infertility services at the office in Miami, Florida. Dr. Valdes helps you get to the bottom of infertility so you can finally get pregnant with another child.
Secondary infertility happens when you're struggling to conceive after previously giving birth. It doesn't need to be your second child; it could be your third, fourth, or subsequent attempts at pregnancy.
To be classified as secondary infertility, you have to have had your first child without the help of fertility treatments like medications, intrauterine insemination (IUI), or in vitro fertilization (IVF). Needing help conceiving with your first child is known as primary infertility.
Secondary infertility happens for many reasons, and it's not always a problem with the woman. Men can have infertility issues as they age, including problems with their semen or sperm. Women may also have issues with their fertility as they age.
Sometimes, it just takes a little longer to conceive the second time around, or it could be due to various issues that include:
The older you get, the more likely you are to experience secondary infertility. Age causes issues with egg quality, menstrual cycles, and sperm quality. Other lifestyle changes may also contribute to trouble getting pregnant.
Certain men and women are at an increased risk for secondary infertility due to previous medical issues or age. A few of the prevalent risk factors for secondary infertility include:
Not everyone who's at risk for secondary infertility will have trouble conceiving; there's just a higher chance that you may run into problems with getting pregnant the second time around.
After having your first child, it may seem like you should get pregnant right away – but when it doesn't happen, how soon should you seek help? There's no specific time frame on when to seek help for secondary infertility, but there are some guidelines.
You can seek infertility treatment at any point when trying to conceive, but give it a few months of trying. If you're under 35, you can try for a year before seeking treatment, while women over 35 can try for six months.
However, these are simply guidelines. If you know you have specific medical issues or suspect something else may be causing infertility, don't hesitate to reach out to our team for help. Dr. Valdes checks your hormone levels and uterus with an ultrasound and other tests to rule out any obvious issues.
After checking with you and your partner, Dr. Valdes helps you decide on what fertility treatments are best for your needs. The good news is that there are many treatments for primary and secondary infertility.
The treatment you need depends on the reason for infertility. For example, if you have scar tissue or fibroids, we can perform surgery to remove them to increase your chances of conceiving.
For ovulation concerns, Dr. Valdes offers medications that stimulate ovulation and address hormone imbalances. These medications, along with timed intercourse, may help you conceive your second child faster.
If conservative methods don't work, Dr. Valdes offers IUI to give the sperm a better chance of reaching the egg. He also provides IVF to increase your chance of conceiving.
To schedule a prenatal appointment or to talk to Dr. Valdes about craving concerns, call our office in Miami, Florida, and request an appointment using our convenient online booking feature.
