What is the difference between primary and secondary infertility?

Here is what you needed to know about infertility.

By: Debjani Arora | | Published: January 16, 2018 7:53 pm

For couples who are planning to have a baby infertility issues can be a real challenge. However, the correct treatment and therapy can help most couples to conceive naturally and enjoy the bliss of parenthood. Issues with a man or a woman s fertility often come to the fore once they start trying to have a baby but fail despite several attempts. There could be any number of reasons that can make one infertile ranging from physiological causes to psychological ones. There are two types of infertility that people should know about: Primary infertility and secondary infertility. Also Read - Fertility treatment: Storing vitrified embryos longer reduces chances of pregnancy

Also Read - Not able to conceive? Blocked fallopian tubes may be to blame

Primary infertility Also Read - Female infertility: 6 herbs that can help you get pregnant

In simple words, primary infertility is simple infertility a condition that stops a couple from having kids. The problem could be either in the man or the woman or both which can only be ascertained after testing both the partners. A treatment modality is then sketched to help the couple conceive and have a baby.

In females, the possible causes of infertility could be problems with the fallopian tubes, irregular ovulation or other ovulation disorders, problems with the uterus, fibroids, endometriosis or in some cases STDs or STIs. Here are few common causes of female infertility.

For men, the causes of primary infertility can range from something such as a genetic disease may fail to produce enough sperm, may have a low sperm count, abnormally shaped sperm, DNA fragmentation of sperm, or may have issues with sperm mobility and motility. Here are seven modern-day habits that can cause male infertility.

In primary infertility, the problems that are stopping the couple from having a child is learnt when the couple reaches out for help to conceive.

Secondary infertility

Often secondary infertility catches a couple by surprise. Secondary infertility is a type of infertility that hits a couple after they have successfully birthed a baby without any assistance or help. However, infertility issues surface when they try to conceive a second time. Usually, the causes of secondary infertility are age, stress and deteriorating egg and sperm quality.

In women the most common causes of secondary infertility are maternal age, as the health of the womb dips and the number of eggs also declines steadily, pelvic infections, endometriosis or complications from the previous delivery can also make it difficult to conceive a second time around. Adhesions or tumours in the fallopian tube prevent it from picking up an ovum during ovulation making a woman infertile. Add to it the vices that urban women indulge in these days smoking, alcohol and sedentary lifestyle all of these just make a woman unviable to conceive with age. Here are causes of secondary infertility in women.

In men, too with age, the sperm quality deteriorates but there are reasons medical, physiological and psychological that can lead to secondary infertility. The most common causes of secondary infertility are a varicocele, tuberculosis, mumps, smallpox, STDs, blood disorders, hypertension, diabetes etc. Here are few reasons for secondary male infertility in men.

Treatment for infertility

Treatment may include medications to help induce ovulation in women. Your specialist may suggest artificial insemination or in some cases even invitro fertilization (IVF) depending on the extent of your condition. If the cause of infertility is something along the lines of a problem with the uterus or fallopian tubes, you may have the option of surgery to increase your chances to conceive and carry a child.

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Published : January 16, 2018 7:53 pm

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