For families longing for children, infertility is an extremely challenging ordeal. When a woman who has successfully given birth before encounters obstacles in trying to get pregnant again, this experience can be even more perplexing and disheartening. This situation is medically referred to as secondary infertility.
What is secondary infertility
When we think of the term “infertility”, many only consider “primary infertility,” which describes not having a successful pregnancy after 12 months or more of trying (Note: You should see a specialist sooner than this for investigation if you’re 36 or older). Secondary infertility, on the other hand, refers to a condition where a woman has a history of pregnancy, but has not used contraception for a consecutive one-year period and has failed to conceive again. The main signs of primary and secondary infertility are almost the same, the key difference being a previous successful pregnancy.
Common causes of secondary infertility in women
- Decreased number and quality of eggs:
The increase in women’s age is the primary factor. After 35 years old, the number of ovarian reserve eggs decreases rapidly, and the rate of chromosome abnormality increases. In addition, autoimmune diseases, prior ovarian surgery, or chemo/radiotherapy can impair ovarian function.
- Reproductive System problems and obstruction:
Fallopian tube factors: Adhesions, blockages caused by infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease, chlamydia, or gonorrhea, which can prevent the combination of eggs and sperm.
Uterine factors: Previous cesarean section or curettage may cause intrauterine adhesions. Uterine fibroids and polyps may affect embryo implantation.
- Endocrine and disease effects:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) : Results in irregular or infrequent ovulation.
Endometriosis: Ectopic lesions may affect ovarian and fallopian tube function and the intrauterine environment.
- Changes in lifestyle and physical condition: significant weight gain with aging, chronic stress, smoking and drinking may affect ovulation and overall fertility.
How to cope with secondary infertility
- Lifestyle management
Regardless of the cause of infertility, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits is an important foundation. It is recommended that both spouses work together to:
Quit smoking and limit drinking, keep regular work and rest, and manage life stress reasonably.
Pay attention to personal hygiene to prevent infection of the reproductive system and avoid problems such as blockage of the fallopian tube caused by infection.
Carry out regular physical examination to find and solve health problems that may affect fertility.
- Medical intervention: diagnosis and targeted treatment
If you’ve been trying to conceive for 12 months without success, it’s recommended that both partners see a fertility specialist for a thorough evaluation and follow their advice on a treatment plan:
Treat the identified cause, such as surgical management of a blocked fallopian tube or removal of fibroids or polyps affecting embryo implantation.
If spontaneous conception is difficult, assisted reproductive technology may be considered. While artificial insemination is suitable for some cases, IVF can help address challenges such as fallopian tube problems, severe endometriosis, or reduced ovarian function, with the key to success being the availability of good-quality eggs.
- Nutritional supplement support
In addition to conventional medical treatment, it is also crucial to choose appropriate nutritional supplements to improve the ovarian environment and egg quality. For example, Reco18, enzymatically extracted by Juvenex Reco18 from legume and cruciferous plants using a proprietary extraction technique, is a constituent of follicular fluid. It has been clinically verified that Reco18 can help oocytes to absorb nutrients, thereby improving the quality of oocytes and increasing the number of high-quality follicles, boosting the success rate of IVF embryo transfer. The research results have been published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, a well-known SCI journal with an impact factor of 6.055.
Although infertility causes distress and pain to many families, it is important to understand that infertility doesn’t mean complete impossibility of conception. Through scientific treatment methods, nutrient supplementation and assisted reproductive technology, many patients with infertility can achieve their dreams of fertility. Therefore, those facing infertility should actively face infertility, maintain an optimistic attitude and confidence, and believe that with the support of doctors and family members, they will be able to overcome difficulties and welcome a new life.