Hopefully Helpful | Jasmine Mayfair | Reviews

When I was advised to get pregnant fertility help for the first time, I was perplexed.
After all, I have had a successful pregnancy 4 years prior. I married late, purposely delaying marriage so I can focus on climbing the corporate ladder. I was 34 years old when I decided to tie the knot, not merely to heed the call of my biological clock, but because I know I have found the One. I immediately got pregnant within the first 3 months of my marriage, and delivered a healthy baby girl by Cesarean section. During the C-section, my obstetrician noted a small endometriotic cyst on my right ovary, which she removed.

All was well, until my husband and I again felt the stirrings of parenthood. This time, getting pregnant was as easy as before. After almost a year of trying, a friend told me I need to get pregnant fertility help.

It seems that I have a condition called secondary infertility. Secondary infertility is the diagnosis made when a couple who has successfully conceived previously now find themselves unable to do so again. This was something new for me. I thought that it would be easy to get pregnant again. It strikes me as faintly ironic, since I have been using oral contraceptives for almost 2 years after my first baby was born to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Now, it seems I shouldn’t even have bothered. I even have to get pregnant fertility help just to conceive.

As my doctor explained to me, there are many reasons to explain secondary infertility. The most obvious would be age. Even among healthy women, fertility rates decline once we are past the age of 35. Although there are a lot of stories of women over 35, some are even in their mid 40s, who have conceived naturally, they seem to be more of the exception rather than the rule.

Serial ultrasound done during certain days of my menstrual cycle showed that I was still capable of ovulating naturally. The next step would be to ensure that the egg and sperm meet.

Another possible explanation for my secondary infertility would be that my endometriosis might have worsened. Endometriosis is a progressive disease. It affects the reproductive organs, including the fallopian tubes. My endometriosis could have progressed to a stage where it blocked my fallopian tubes.

One of the work-ups recommended by my doctor is a hysterosalpingogram. A catheter was introduced through my cervix and into the uterus. Then, a radioopaque dye was injected. Despite pain medications given, this is still an extremely uncomfortable experience for me. I am so glad that my husband was there with me throughout the procedure. Although he could do nothing more than hold my hand and stroke my forehead, his mere presence was enough reassurance for me.

X-rays taken of my pelvic organs showed that my left fallopian tube was blocked. But my doctor told me that it would still be possible for me to get pregnant naturally because my right fallopian tube was patent.

I am glad I decided to get pregnant fertility help. It allowed me to understand what is going on in my body. Knowing what is wrong is the first step to finding the answers.