What Is Secondary Infertility?
Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to conceive a child after you have already had a child with no fertility issues. It has historically been difficult to tell how many families have suffered from secondary infertility due to lack of reporting. Now that more information is available about secondary infertility, it's obvious that this issue affects many more families than was previously believed.
It is not considered secondary infertility if your first child was conceived after fertility treatments. In this case, you are still suffering from primary infertility, but you are simply receiving treatment for it again.
What's Different This Time?You may be wondering, how did I get lucky the first time? It's not necessarily about getting lucky the first time around. There may be issues that you did not experience the first time around for a variety of reasons.
Your first birth experience could actually contribute to secondary infertility. Take a step back and seriously look at your first birth experience. Cesarean sections can be a potential cause for infertility in the future, because of the scarring that occurs inside the uterus. This scar was where your baby was actually delivered through your uterus, leaving an internal as well as external mark.
There may have been complications with your placenta, including a retained placenta or a placenta that had grown into the wall of the uterus. Or another potential cause may be an infection in the uterus after the birth.
How can I find out if my first birth caused my secondary infertility?
Your doctor or midwife from your first birth should be able to provide you with your medical records. You should also try to obtain a copy of the hospital or birth center records, as they might be different. This might reveal something that could be contributing to secondary infertility, but it won't always answer your questions.
It is natural to want to latch on to something that might be causing your fertility problems. However, just as with primary infertility, you may never be able to find an exact cause. This may lead you to believe you were just lucky the first time. Sometimes this type of attitude can lead to harmful feelings about yourself.
You may feel selfish for wanting another child. Is the current child not enough? Are you being greedy? Try not to let thoughts like these dissuade you. How many children you want to have is a personal and important decision. Your inability to conceive more children directly affects those dreams and therefore can cause you pain and mental distress. It is perfectly okay to feel this way.
