The key difference between primary and secondary infertility is that primary infertility is the situation where a married couple faces difficulties in getting pregnant for more than one year for the first time while secondary infertility refers to a condition where a married couple faces difficulties for one year or more after the first childbirth for the second pregnancy.
A dream of a married couple is to have a child or children. However, it is not easy for every couple to become successful in this scenario. Similarly, infertility is one such difficulty. We can define it as not being able to successfully conceive, or get pregnant, after one year of unprotected sex. The three main categories of causes for infertility are female factors, male factors, and undetermined factors. Primary and secondary infertility are two types of infertility conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Primary Infertility
3. What is Secondary Infertility
4. Similarities Between Primary and Secondary Infertility
5. Side by Side Comparison – Primary vs Secondary Infertility in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Primary Infertility?
Primary infertility is the condition when a woman is unable to become pregnant or give birth to a healthy offspring without ever having given birth to a child.
Figure 01: Pregnancy Test
Therefore, a woman like this most probably will have a stillborn child or face spontaneous miscarries.
What is Secondary Infertility?
Secondary infertility is the condition when a woman is unable to become pregnant or carry a pregnancy to a live birth following the previous live birth of a child. In simple terms, secondary infertility can be defined as the inability of a couple to have their second child even after having one year of unprotected sex. Secondarily infertile woman can also show miscarriages or stillbirths.
However, the happy thing about a secondary infertile couple is that they have a kid to address them as mommy and daddy, unlike primarily infertile couple.
What are the Similarities Between Primary and Secondary Infertility?
- Both primary and secondary infertility are types of infertility.
- The diagnosis procedure of both conditions is after trying to become pregnant having sexual intercourse without using any forms of contraceptives at least for one year.
- The same reasons cause both primary and secondary infertility.
- Treatments are the same for both conditions.
What is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Infertility?
Primary infertility is one type of infertility that a couple would be diagnosed with when they are unable to have a child at all. A childless couple faces this condition. On the other hand, secondary infertility is the second type of infertility that a couple would be diagnosed with not getting pregnant with their second child.
Summary – Primary vs Secondary Infertility
Primary and secondary infertility are two different types of infertility. A childless couple faces the primary infertility problems while a childbearing couple faces secondary infertility. The causes of both infertility conditions are due to the same factors, and their treatments are also the same. This is the difference between primary and secondary infertility.
Reference:
1.“Infertility Definitions and Terminology.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 21 Oct. 2016. Available here
2.“Infertility: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’Pregnancy Test’By Badassfeline – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia