Secondary infertility - when trying for another baby isn’t working

Approximately 20% of couples in the Czech Republic struggle with infertility. This can be caused, for example, by the partners’ eating habits, trying to conceive after the age of 30–35, and various illnesses that prevent a baby from being conceived. However, infertility does not affect only couples who do not yet have any children at home. It also affects parents who have already managed to conceive a baby in the past. This is known as secondary infertility. What exactly is it, what causes it, and how is it treated?

What is secondary infertility

Around 11% of couples have trouble conceiving a baby even after a year of trying, despite already having at least one child at home. Secondary infertility is something couples usually do not expect. After all, if it has already worked at least once, they see no reason why they should not be able to conceive a baby again without any problems. But the opposite is true.

What causes secondary infertility

There are many factors that cause infertility. Sometimes even doctors do not know what is behind it. The most common are:

• older age of both the woman and the man,
• endometriosis,
• thyroid disorder,
• PCOS,
• unhealthy lifestyle - higher alcohol consumption, smoking, little exercise, minimal physical activity,
• obesity or, on the contrary, significant weight loss,
• irregular menstrual cycle,
• scarring of the uterus or adhesions after a previous birth,
• use of certain medications,
• autoimmune disease,
• sexually transmitted diseases,
• poor sperm quality,
• hormonal disorders in men,
• breastfeeding - for some mothers, their menstrual cycle does not return until after they stop breastfeeding,
• after a miscarriage/miscarriages.

How to deal with it

First of all, it is advisable to adjust your lifestyle and stay in good shape - eat a healthy diet, cut out alcohol, eat less sweets, get enough sleep and rest, exercise regularly, and use gentler, eco-friendly cosmetics and household products.

It is also a good idea to visit a doctor, who will carry out the necessary examinations and confirm or rule out possible causes.

If infertility cannot be treated, then the option of artificial insemination comes into play.

When it takes a long time to conceive a baby, it is very psychologically demanding and it may happen that our mind is what is blocking everything. In this case, it is ideal to switch off your mind, so to speak, and let things take their course - do not track fertile days, do not measure your basal temperature, and do not plan intercourse only for those days. Do not put pressure on yourself, do not overthink it, and let things flow so that the baby can find its own way when the time comes. Yes, it is the hardest thing, but often the most effective. Do not be afraid to share your feelings with your partner; support is very important in this case, and besides, you are in it together, and who else understands you best.

We keep our fingers crossed and believe that all babies will find their way to their parents at the right time.