After you’ve had one child it is only natural that you would like to give your child a sibling. However, more
and more couples are suffering with a problem called secondary infertility. Secondary infertili ty refers to when couples struggle to conceive a second child, despite already having a baby.
This can occur for many reasons such as the fact that many couples delay childbearing between their first
and second child, causing a higher percentage of eggs with chromosomal abnormalities that cannot lead to a
successful pregnancy. Secondary infertility can also be a result of
disease in the man or woman; decreased sperm count; blocked fallopian
tubes; or a large weight gain or loss, which can throw off a woman’s
ovulatory cycles.
Couples suffering from secondary infertility need not despair, as
Nick Brook, Consultant Fertility Gynaecologist at Southampton
University Hospital, explains they should ‘never feel that they are
alone, infertility specialists are always there to help them find the
right treatment pathway that will give them what they want i.e. another
baby or achieve a closure point so that they can start to move on with
their lives.’
One of the first things that an infertility specialist will look at is a couple’s daily life and how this may be
affecting their fertility. Nick says ‘when trying for a baby both partners should look at their lifestyle and try and
optimize it.’ This could involve a couple looking at their alcohol intake, their diet and quitting nasty habits like
smoking. Couples can also look at taking supplements such as folic acid, simple adjustments like these have
been found to make significant differences when trying for a baby.
When looking at their lifestyle couples should also consider the
frequency they are having sex. Nick advises ‘couples should have sex
every 2-3 days as this maximizes the quality of the sperm.’ However,
couples
should also remember to enjoy sex. This may sound odd but when couples become consumed with the idea
of making a baby using LH predictor kits, Nick warns sex can become ‘just another task.’
After visiting an infertility specialist, couples may also organize for you to have a variety of tests. To some
this may seem unnecessary when they have already successfully conceived a child, but these are essential in
helping you have a second child. Nick explains ‘Never think we do these
tests just as a tick box exercise. Going back to basics and clarifying
all the normal parameters of hormone profile, ultrasound of womb,
ovaries and sperm means we can exclude these and move onto more
invasive tests if required.’
So, whether you are trying for your first, second or even third child, if you are having problems you should
never feel that you are alone and seek help immediately. The sooner you
can work out what the problem is, the sooner you can get on with
enjoying your life.
For more information on infertility visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/Infertility/Pages/Introduction.aspx
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