Secondary sterility: Why can getting pregnant again be difficult?

"I have a son/daughter, but I’m having trouble getting pregnant again”. This is something that is happening to more and more women, and that is extremely frustrating. This situation is known as “secondary sterility”, and occurs when, after achieving to get pregnant again, it is not completed. There are different fertility disorders, and each one has other implications.

What is the difference between sterility and infertility?

Sterility: sterility is understood as the inability, both of man and woman, to conceive; there is no fecundation of the oocyte or, if there is one, the embryo fails to implant itself.
Primary sterility: the couple does not achieve a pregnancy, after a year of sexual intercourse without contraceptive methods.
Secondary sterility occurs when a couple doesn’t achieve a new pregnancy, after having at least one baby.
Infertility: Infertility is the inability of a couple to have a live child. Pregnancies are achieved, but they do not come to term.
Primary infertility: is the one that occurs when a couple only gets gestations that do not end with a live newborn.
Secondary infertility: in this case, the couple already has at least one child, but the following pregnancies end in abortions.

Recent data reveals that one in every ten women suffers secondary infertility; the frequency of this problem has gone up in recent years and is still increasing. As always, the medical team of Reproclinic insists on the importance of having a diagnosis and putting oneself in the hands of good specialists. The good news is that the effectiveness of fertility treatments is the same in both cases of infertility and sterility, regardless of whether they are primary or secondary.

However, couples who have already been parents usually take longer to be aware of their problem, since in many cases they consider that if they have had a first child naturally, why not a second time?

What are the possible causes of not getting pregnant again with the second child?

There can be many reasons why getting a second natural pregnancy is not possible, although the most frequent reason is due to advanced maternal age, since after 35 years the probability of becoming pregnant again decreases exponentially. Other factors also influence, such as changes in lifestyle habits, excessive weight gain, stress, or illness.

The importance of recognizing fertile days

Although the first time a pregnancy may have been achieved without having planned much, or doing nothing additional to make it happen, when you are looking for a pregnancy it is very useful to recognize the fertile days, as this will greatly increase the chances of success. In addition, it is recommended to have a better diet, take folic acid, avoid alcohol and tobacco, and exercise moderately.

So there’s no time to waste! Following these recommendations and recognizing possible signs that something is not right is the key in order of achieving the desired brother or sister.


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