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I had myrst baby aged 26and

we

started trying for anotherjust a yearlater. I

assumed everythingwould be plainsailing

but nothing happened, and afterayearI

wentto see myGP.Wewere toldour only

option was to have fertility treatment, but

havingseen some close friendsgothrough

IVFwe decidedwe couldnt copewith the

stressof it. Iknewhow luckyI was tohave

achild but was devastated mydaughter

wouldnthavea sibling. Everyone around

mewas pregnantwith their secondchild,

while I resigned myself to only ever having

one. I tried my best tojust forgetabout

it,andI fell pregnant three monthslater.

AlthoughId never planned a four anda half

year age gap, it gaveme precious timewith

myson whenmy daughter started school.

Sometimes infertility is yourbodys way of

saying the time isnt right.

I decidedtolet

nature take its

courseEmmaWalton

You fellpregnantsoeasilYthefirst

timesowhYisittakingsolong

secondtimearound?emilYcarlislein

vestigatesamodernproblem

Youd be orgiven or expecting it

to be just as easy next time i you

conceived your frst baby pretty

quickly. But what i things dont

go according to plan? Believed to aect

one in fve women in the UK, secondaryinertility reers to women who already

have a child, but experience difculties

conceiving again.

Janet Murray is 36 and desperate or

a sibling or her six year old daughter.

Conscious o her advancing years shes

now considering ertility treatment. She

wishes riends were more understanding.

People say, at least you have one, but,

although Im so grateul to have her, its

not how I would have planned it. The pain

o inertility can actually be compounded

when you already have a child and know

exactly what youre missing. You grieve or

the close age gap you wanted and eel guilty

or not being content with your lot.The stress o trying or a baby can

put strain on your health and on your

relationship. You may also be eeling

conused; ater all, you ell pregnant so

easily frst time around whats changed?

Well, you could have been just lucky las t

time, with the timing right and your

ertility at its peak. Youre a couple o years

older now, and many mums fnd theyre

not as ft as they were pre-children.

og x It might

sound obvious, but its important

to make sure youre having sex at

the right time o your cycle to

optimise your chances o conceiving.

But thats easier said than done.

Stress rom work, tiredness and

a toddler sleeping in your bedroom

can all decrease the appetite or sex,

Zita says. Couples should look at

their work-lie balance to see i there

are ways to increase opportunities.

As a rule o thumb, you need to be

having sex at least three times a

week during your ertile w indow.

The menopause signals thewomans fertile years and i

part of a womans life when stypically between 47-53 yea

very rare (affecting about oof women), but some wome

experience the onset of meprematurely, making it difc

to fall pregnant. Symptomsirregular or missed periods

heavier periods, hot ushedryness and a decreased s

emotional changes and insyoure under 40 and worrie

of the above, contact your Grun an FSH test on you to se

experiencing an early meno

What can you do?

g y Liestyle actors play an important

role in ertility, says Zita. Stopping smoking can

help protect ertility and, although its fne to have

some alcohol, dont binge drink. She also advises a

healthy, balanced diet high in ruit and vegetables.

The antioxidants will help protect the body rom

ree radical damage, which is detrimental to cell s.

Zita recommends women exercise to support a

hormonal balance and ensure good blood supply

to the reproductive organs. Supplementation can

address any defciencies, and she cites Omega 3

as an important atty acid. Interestingly, she

says women shouldnt be so paranoid about sun

protection that they never sit out in the sun.

We cover ourselves in actor 50 and dont get the

beneft o essential vitamin D. She suggests just 20

minutes o sunlight each day could have a positive

impact on ertility, or both men and women.

When should you do

something about it?

Fertility expert Zita West suggests its

worth visiting your GP i youve been trying

or more than six months. Something the

doctor may do is to check your egg reserve,which will help you decide how long to leave

it beore seeking an assisted route. She warns

women to make sure they have properly

recovered rom childbirth beore trying or

another baby. On average it takes 18 months

or the body to return to its pre-pregnant

state. I you are breasteeding while trying

to get pregnant, the hormone prolactin will

be suppressing ovulation, so you may need

to wait until you stop.

Kate Able-Green, who blogs at katieandthekids.

co.uk, was just 22 when she and her husband began

trying or their second child. Kate never anticipated

any problems, I thought it would just be a case o

choosing when we wanted baby number two. A

positive test soon ater they started trying sadly

resulted in a miscarriage, and then month by month

went by without success. Things started to become

a bit mechanical and stressul - trying to get

pregnant was the only thing on my mind. Fertility

treatment was unsuccessul and they decided to

stop trying. Miraculously, Kate then ell naturally

pregnant, giving birth to a son six and a hal years

ater her daughter. As much as I hate to admit it,

when you do stop thinking about it and give up the

stress, it sometimes goes and happens all by itsel.

ATRYINGTIMEI assumedeverything would be plain

but afterayear nothing hadhappen

REA

Early menop

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8/3/2019 Secondary Infertility

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Harry was desperate for a brother or sister itwas heartbreaking tryingtoexplain tohim

Rfxoogy Another non-invasive

option is reexology, an holistic

treatment addressing every organ o

the body through manipulation o

the eet. Susan Grant is a reexologist

with personal experience o inertility.

Im able to understand the complex

emotions a woman is eeling, as well

as the physical issues. She explains

that reexology can be used to regulate

periods and reduce anxiety. Susan

suggests that women c onsider treatment

beore they even know theres a problem.

Otherwise emotions have already

reached a peak and it can take some time

to bring these down. To fnd out more

about reexology, visit eezyfeet.co.uk .

omoy Homeopathy can oer

an eective and painless alternative to

invasive ertility treatments. Sue Anello,

Director o the Centre or Homeopathic

Education, explains. We look at the

whole person and consider the cause o

conception difculties. Sue suggests

spring cleaning your body or conception

by cutting out refned sugars and

processed oods, caeine and saturated

and hydrogenated ats. Consider seeing

a homeopath i youve been try ing or

more than three months, she advises, or

i you have an identifed gynaecologicalproblem. Homeopathy can be

eective in treating emotional issues

blocking conception,such as grie

ollowing a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Visit sueanellohomeopathy.co.uk or

more inormation.

our therapists

believe that

alternative

treatents

reall help

ilin.

thruh the.

pain .

dail jabs.

yoRy All women suering

rom inertility issues will have been told

at some stage to relax. One way to address

the inevitable stress o inertility is through

hypnotherapy. Dany Grifths, who specialises

in ertility and pregnancy, says hypnotherapy

is more than just deep relaxation. The aim

o treatment is to identiy and remove blocks

to conception, preparing women mentally

and physically or pregnancy. Dany says

women suering rom secondary inertility

shouldnt eel guilty. Theres nothing wrong

with wanting more children. Danys website

tums2mums.comhas tips to try at home.

fRy Rm A las

or many couples, treatment or

is available in many orms, inclu

ovulation stimulants such as Cl

inter-uterine insemination (IU

vitro ertilisation (IVF). Your GP

you or ertility treatment but yo

have to pay or it, especially i yo

have children. Many alternative

can be used to support ertility

improving your chances o succ

Inertility Network UK oers

support to those aected

by ertility at any stage o

their lives and provide

a dedicated helpline or

inertility (0800 008 7464).

Fertilitytreatment

worked for me

Sarah toWnSEnd

Our son was just a year oldwhen

we

started trying for asibling, andafter six

monthsI had a feelingsomethingwasnt

right. We sought help afewmonths

later and beganfertility treatment

almost straight away, with one cycle

of Clomidfollowed by IVF.Harrywas

desperate for a brother or sister and

itwas heartbreaking trying toexplain

toa three-year-old that thingswerent

that simple. I also worried that people

wouldview me asselsh forwanting

another childwhenwe already had

ason,but I wanted another babyso

very much.I foundenormoussupport

infertilityfriends.co.uk and conded

in close friends and family whowere

always there for me. Iwasoverjoyed

when our secondround of IVF was

successful and I gave birth to Oliverjust

under fouryearsafter his bigbrother.

Iwas 33whenI conceived mybabyin theveryrst month oWhenwedecided wed like anchild, three years later, Ijustit wouldbene.Butwhen ninwentbyandnothing hadhappI started toget concerned. I bepaying attentiontotimings,tatemperature and so on, andI sGP, butI didnt want to take hoand undergo invasive proceduFortunately, myfriend Suehadcompletedherstudiesas a homShe had successfullytreatedmwithvariouschildhoodillnessehad faithin homeopathyasa thSuegave myhusband andI acoof treatment andjust twoweekI was pregnant! Sadly, I miscarearlyon, but conceivedinmyneandhada beautiful daughter.I crecommendhomeopathyenoug

Ifell pregnant afteracourseofhomeopaKimWindbiEl

ccR Chinese

medicine has been used to

support ertility or hundreds o

years. Naava Carman, a member

o the British Acupuncture

Council and ounder o the

Fertility Support Company,

is an experienced ertility,

obstetric and paediatric

acupuncturist. She explains

that an acupuncturist will take

a comprehensive history o

the patient beore addressing

any imbalances. In the case o

secondary inertility, she frst

tries to balance the menstrual

cycle. I work to move ovulation

to the optimum time so women

are able to all pregnant. To fnd

a practitioner in your area visit

acupuncture.org.uk .

ex

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