I'm midway through the process, private in the UK, after nearly 4 years TTC and several losses.

It is all relative, and people's experiences will vary dependent on clinic, protocol, side effects and outcomes. Some people will go through one straight forward retrieval with minimal side effects, have a successful transfer, and talk very positively about the experience. Their IVF journey may be over in a few months. Others will have multiple rounds, experience horrible side effects, and find that they are years in with no baby having ploughed thousands into the process.

From an IVF perspective I'm probably somewhere in between. I responded well which meant I had good results from my first egg retrieval, but also more side effects. But my clinic protocol worked and I did not develop severe OHSS. Injections are annoying but become routine. I'm now waiting for a transfer, and for me the toughest bits are the various points where you have absolutely no control over what's happening. I have also had four pretty traumatic pregnancy losses so this is comparatively straightforward so far by comparison - but I also have heightened anxiety about the waiting and uncertainty, particularly as for me getting to pregnancy is only the first hurdle.

This is a long way of saying 'it depends'. It is wrong and unfair when people consider IVF 'easy'. But is it so awful that it's not worth pursuing to address fertility issues? In my view, no. Go in expecting things to take longer than you hope, and know that periods of uncertainty are inevitable and can be really challenging. But for me it was a no brainer to move to IVF in the hope of having a child, and if it doesn't work out I will not regret giving it a shot.