Secondary Infertility
Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by David Kreiner, MD in Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Fertility Testing, IVF, Micro IVF, Secondary Infertility, Treating Infertility
Sometimes my patients who have difficulty conceiving their second child feel like second class citizens in the infertility world. Unlike their infertile peers without a child they perceive that friends, family and even their doctor’s offices do not have the same sympathy and concern for them as they observe others without a child receive. I have had patients express guilt and anger in addition to the routine sadness often associated with the inability to conceive.
Those of you with secondary infertility need to know that you are not alone in feeling this way. My patients all express this alienation which exacerbates the depressing effects of infertility universally experienced among those affected. You have as much a right to fertility care as anyone else as well as the respect and care.
There are some unique characteristics to patients with secondary infertility that are worth discussion. Those of you who have had a caesarian section, ectopic pregnancy or abdominal surgery are more likely to have a tubal factor causing your infertility. Scar tissue can form that can obstruct, or displace a fallopian tube making it more difficult for the tube to pick up an ovulating egg or the fertilized egg to make it to the uterus.
Borderline sperm counts and endometriosis typically make it more difficult to conceive so that it is not unusual that it took longer than expected to conceive the first time and now you are not experiencing any success at all.
We perform a semen analysis and hysterosalpingogram and consider the potential benefit of laparoscopic investigation. Alternatively, if the semen analysis is not too bad and the HSG is normal, patients may benefit from insemination with hormonal stimulation. Otherwise, in vitro fertilization either with minimal or full stimulation will offer significantly superior success rates.
Facing secondary infertility may be as difficult emotionally as infertility for those without prior pregnancies. However, treatment options are available that are highly successful in delivering you the family of your dreams.
Amy Demma
Apr 20th, 2010
It’s an interesting issue. Folks who end up needing donors in a secondary infertility scenario often carry the heavier burden in matching w/a donor who not only “feels right” to them but often give great consideration to selecting a donor who “matches” with their already existing child or children, and that makes perfect sense to me. Also of note are the egg donors who are not interested in donating to an already in-place family preferring only to donate to a childless single or couple. At Prospective Families, we, of course, respect and accomodate all such “matching preferences” but are intrigued by it all, nonetheless. Yes, secondary infertility results in some very unique and often quite painful issues…great blog!
David Kreiner, MD
Apr 20th, 2010
Thanks Amy for your thoughtful comments! I always love hearing your voice!
Dr. Kreiner