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Secondary Infertility

Could Secondary Infertility Happen to You?

By Pat Dimmig

"We've tried an ovulation calculator/calendar," she says. "We tried the 10/20 method, which is making love every other day from cycle day 10 through 20. We've tried a saliva OPK [ovulation predictor kit], which I found difficult to read and stopped using after two weeks. We've tried monitoring cervical mucous in order to detect ovulation. I am currently taking my temperature daily and using the Clear Plan Easy Ovulation Sticks. They are relatively inexpensive. You pay around $20 for five sticks and a pregnancy test."

Megan Millimaki of Katy, Texas, began having problems after the birth of her first child. She had a myomectomy – the removal of a fibroid tumor outside the uterus – and became pregnant. Unfortunately, Millimaki miscarried on Mother's Day. She had a D&C the next day. From that point on, her periods have been very irregular, varying from 21 to 29 days, rarely being the same for two consecutive months. She was, however, still optimistic after the pregnancy loss. "I [was] confident we [would] be able to conceive again after the new year," she says.

Millimaki also purchased the ovulatory predictor stick kits, but found they did not work for her. She then purchased the Clear Plan Fertility Monitor ($189), which was effective in helping them to conceive the following February. In addition to the use of the monitor, Megan's husband "consulted with his doctor because of his asthma and a sciatic nerve problem that causes his lower back and leg to go numb at times," she says. "Although he has no problem obtaining and keeping an erection and ejaculating on his own, he was given a prescription for Viagra to give him slight assistance in relieving the physical and psychological pressures of completing the 'task' on target dates if he wasn't feeling well."

Want to see more?

• The Infertility Marketplace: How Success Rates Are Advertised
• The Facts to Relax: Coping with the Stress of Infertility
• Dollars and Sense: Affording Infertility Treatment
• Check out our Article Library.
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