Unexplained infertility is the phrase used when a couple have had the standard investigations, usually including blood tests, sperm analysis, and possibly an ultrasound examination of the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries (there may also be a salpinhysteroscopy, when dye is injected through the fallopian tubes to ensure that they are clear); if all these tests results are normal the diagnosis is 'unexplained'.
Secondary infertility is when couples have difficulty conceiving again after a successful first pregnancy. Infertility affects approximately 15% of the population and secondary infertility approximately 5%. Secondary infertility can be defined as infertility in a couple who have already had at least one pregnancy between them, whether that is a pregnancy resulting in the birth of a baby or a pregnancy that has miscarried, an ectopic pregnancy, or a pregnancy that has been terminated.
Infertility is recognized as a significant illness with a significant impact on the wellbeing of both men and women. Secondary infertility is just as debilitating, even when the couple already has between them a healthy child or children.
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