Secondary Infertility… What is it?

My fears are coming true… again.

I heard so many stories about women who went through fertility treatments to then get pregnant naturally (and easily, might I add) with their second, third, or even fourth child afterward. I had high hopes I would be one of them. After I went through my entire pregnancy and had my son, I was sure that my body had just forgotten how to get pregnant. And now that we’d gotten through the entire process, my body knew what it had to do. Right?

Parts of me wanted to try getting pregnant again right away. Those dreams were cut short when my husband went to rehab (yes, rehab as in rehab for drugs and alcohol) when our son was just four months old. As you can imagine, our lives turned upside down and inside out. A baby was definitely not in the cards soon. After he came home, we had to find our new groove, which also took time. Then Daddy Day Care started, and as any of you moms (or dads) know, being a stay-at-home parent is not for the faint of heart. He struggled with having to be Dad 24 hours a day, and can we blame him?! So, once again, my want to add a second baby to the mix was still not going to happen.

As our son got older, easier and more fun to hang out with, my husband started opening up to the idea of having a second. And - get this - when we dog-sat for my brother who went on a weeklong vacation, he saw how happy our doggo was having a second dog around. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back! “Let’s make him a sister,” he finally said.

We tried, immediately.

And like with our first time trying for baby, we baby danced and got nowhere. Baby danced and got nowhere. Then baby danced again, and got nowhere. Of course, when you’re trying (and failing), everyone around you seems to get pregnant and you notice all the soon-to-be-moms when you’re out and about. I tried to stay positive and manifest and believe that my body would get pregnant. I started taking CoQ10 again, because I remembered that was one of the supplements I had to take. Taking my prenatals, cutting back on caffeine. All the things. And after six months of no luck, again, my husband and I started to talk next steps.

So what is secondary infertility?

According to Google’s AI: Secondary infertility is the medical term for when a person has difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term after having already given birth to at least one child without previous issues conceiving; essentially, it means experiencing infertility after having had a child before.

And if you’re wondering, since I got pregnant through an IUI before (I wondered the same thing), I in fact am experiencing secondary infertility.

Some facts & stats to know about secondary infertility…

• 10-20% of couples experience secondary infertility in the United States, equating to approximately 3 million couples

• Causes
  Some causes include: age-related decline in fertility, complications from previous pregnancies, hormonal imbalances, diminished ovarian reserve, male factor infertility, weight changes, lifestyle factors and much more.

• Risk Factors

  • Age: Fertility significantly declines for women after the age of 35 (UGH! Right?)

  • Previous Pregnancy Complications: C-Sections, Infections, Endometriosis, etc.

  • Lifestyle: Weight fluctuations, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol, environment toxins

• Stats

  • Up to 30% of couples have unexplained infertility

  • Approximately 1/3rd of secondary infertility cases are due to male factor (i.e., motility, count)

Success Rates

Naturally, going into my second TTC journey as a 35, almost 36 year old, I do want to know what my success rates are. And, I am sure you’re wondering the same… Well, according to ChatGPT here are our odds ladies and gents:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI):

• General Success Rates: IUI success rates typically range from 5% to 20% per cycle, depending on factors such as age, diagnosis, and use of fertility medications. - cnyfertility.com

• Secondary vs. Primary Infertility: Some studies suggest that individuals with secondary infertility may experience higher success rates with IUI compared to those with primary infertility. For instance, one study reported IUI success rates of 47.4% among couples with secondary infertility, in contrast to 8.4% among those with primary infertility. - fertilityeurope.eu

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF):

• General Success Rates: IVF generally offers higher success rates compared to IUI. While specific success rates for secondary infertility are not well-documented, IVF is often considered a more effective option, especially when IUI has not resulted in pregnancy. - health.com

All that said…

We have officially begun our secondary infertility journey! Come along for the ride, won’t you?