Missing newly-minted smiles, tiny baby cuddles and yes, even those sleepless nights? Do you look at your existing wonderful child and know they’d be an even more amazing big sibling? Sometimes, you know when it’s time to try for another baby to complete your family. But what if that quest for a second child eludes you? What if, after wrangling some alone time as a couple, month after month, nothing happens?
Sounds familiar? You’re not alone. Around one million people in the UK experience secondary infertility, where someone has had one pregnancy in the past, but is having difficulty conceiving again.
Professor Tim Child, Medical Director, The Fertility Partnership, the UK’s largest fertility care provider, explains:
“Fertility changes with age, so as we leave starting a family later in life, this factor is increasingly seen when looking to conceive a second or third child. Lifestyle also plays a significant part. Weight, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress all affect your fertility. A woman can also develop a condition such as endometriosis at any age, which impacts the chances of conceiving. So even over a few short years after a child is born, a woman or man’s fertility could be a lot lower.”
But when should you seek help? Professor Child suggests a fertility assessment if you’ve been having regular unprotected sex and you’re not pregnant after six months – and this is especially important for women aged over 35.
The comprehensive fertility assessments run by The Fertility Partnership clinics are very straight-forward. Over one or two short appointments, a number of blood tests are conducted; an ultrasound checks your ovaries, uterus and counts your antral follicles; and a full review of your medical history is taken. Dads are included too, as semen is tested. This in-depth assessment provides you with the reassurance to keep trying, or identifies any issues that need addressing.
And there’s some good news: couples undergoing IVF who already have a child see higher pregnancy rates than others undergoing treatment. The new smiles and sleepless nights may be back sooner than you think…!
So if you’re experiencing problems conceiving baby number two, contact your nearest The Fertility Partnership clinic today.
Visit the www.thefertilitypartnership.com for more information.
