Key Points

• Learn what the causes of secondary infertility are in both women and men.
• Determine what your next steps are if you are facing secondary infertility.
• Understand what your options are from treatments to surrogacy when it comes to building your family. Connect with a surrogacy professional to learn more.

---

When you have already had the experience of becoming pregnant and having a child without issue, developing secondary infertility feels like a frustrating blow. There are a number of causes for secondary infertility that can be explained and even treated, while sometimes doctors simply can’t determine why. This is usually an upsetting form of news, but taking these steps to understand the diagnosis can help you determine how to move forward.

For many couples facing secondary infertility, they may be at a loss for how to move forward. Whether you want to explore your options, or just need some guidance, connecting with a surrogacy agency can help. A surrogacy professional can help you navigate fertility clinics, doctors, counselors and more.

What are the Causes of Secondary Infertility?

If you’ve been having difficulty conceiving a second child, meeting with a doctor is key to learning how to treat the issue. There are a number of tests they will run to determine the cause of secondary infertility. Generally, female infertility is tested first and if there are no apparent red flags, they will test for male infertility.

Causes of Secondary Infertility in Women:

• Challenges with eggs: Women are born with all the eggs s they will have through their lifetime. The quality of eggs can start to decline as you age, especially if you are over 35. This is a common cause of secondary infertility.
• Challenge with fallopian tubes: If you have damaged or blocked fallopian tubes, this can hinder the egg from traveling to the ovaries, allowing you to become pregnant.
• Challenges with uterus: Issues such as fibroids or scarring from a cesarean can cause infertility in some women.
• Medical conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS: Conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS can affect the ovulation cycle, making it more difficult to become pregnant.
• Lifestyle changes or events: Increased BMI, a change in alcohol intake, diet issues, medications, breastfeeding and more can contribute to issues with fertility.

Causes of Secondary Infertility in Men:

• Reduced levels of testosterone: This is also known as hypogonadism. Low testosterone tends to happen more often in men over 40. This can be a common reason for secondary infertility.
• Testicular varicocele: This is the enlargement of the veins in the scrotum, which can cause low sperm production and infertility.
• Semen quality challenges: The quality of semen starts to decline after the age of 40.
• Prostate enlargement or removal: An enlarged prostate can cause abnormal ejaculation, making it difficult to get your partner pregnant.
• Lifestyle changes: Things like weight gain, being exposed to excessive heat or chemicals, and even using natural lubricants can affect your sperm.

What Happens Next?

Once your doctor can confirm the possible reasons for secondary infertility and whether it is male or female related, it opens up the options for treatment. Talk to your doctor about what you do and don’t feel comfortable with as you prepare your treatment plan. Treatments for secondary infertility include:

• Medications: There are a number of medications to help induce ovulation that your doctor may prescribe.
• Surgery: If you are facing uterine- related problems or testicular varicocele, there are common surgeries to repair the issue.
• Intrauterine insemination: This involves placing sperm inside the uterus to increase the chance of fertilization. A sperm donor is sometimes used for this process.
• In vitro fertilization: This is a bit more complex process where eggs are retrieved from the ovaries and manually combined with sperm in a lab for fertilization.

Know Your Options

There are so many options today for parents looking to grow their families. If you’ve exhausted your treatment options or are ready to take a more certain path towards parenthood, surrogacy has become a popular way to grow families over the last few decades. Whether secondary infertility treatments are what you want to do, connecting with a surrogacy professional will always be an option whenever you’re ready. Qualified surrogacy professionals can help connect you with the right fertility clinics and other specialists.

When you connect with a surrogacy professional, you have someone there for you the entire way of the surrogacy process. Don’t wait another minute to grow your family. Contact a surrogacy agency to learn more about your options today.