Every road is different
Real stories
from the
long road
These are not statistics. These are people — at every stage, in every outcome — sharing what IVF actually felt like from the inside. Reading someone else's story won't change yours. But it might make you feel less alone in it.
“I found this community at 2am after my second negative result. Reading someone else's words made me feel like I could breathe again.”— Community member, Cycle 3
A gentle note: Some stories here involve pregnancy loss, failed cycles, and difficult emotions. Stories that contain these themes are clearly marked. Please take care of yourself — you can filter by stage of journey below, or come back when you're ready.
Filter by stage of journey — find stories from people where you are right now
Three rounds, two losses, and the moment I stopped apologising for how I felt
What no one tells you about grief that comes in waves — and how one member found steady ground again.
A member of our community
Cycle 3 · Anonymous
The grief that doesn't have a name
What nobody prepared me for was the silence after. The world keeps moving and you're standing completely still.
ClaireD
Cycle 2 · Sheffield
What it's like to watch someone you love go through this
I couldn't take the injections for her. I couldn't make the embryos grow. I had never felt so useless in my life, or so in love.
JamesT
Partner · Cycle 1–3
The moment we decided to try — and everything that came before it
We sat with the idea of IVF for eight months before we said yes. This is what that decision actually looked like from the inside.
SaraM
Considering · Manchester
Fourteen days in which time stopped making sense
I have never watched a clock the way I watched it during the TWW. I documented every hour of it. Here's what that was like.
AnnaB
Cycle 1 · London
Your story matters
Share what your
road has looked like
Every story on this page was submitted by someone who decided their experience was worth sharing — not because it was inspiring or had a happy ending, but because it was real.
You don't need to have a resolution. You don't need to be okay. You just need to have lived it.
Tell us your story
You can also email a longer piece to stories@longroadtomaybe.com — we're happy to work with you on it.
The community in numbers
Stories that have made someone feel less alone
Every number here is a person who decided to share. Every reader who found comfort in a story they recognised.