People who know

On Sunday morning I went for coffee with a couple of people from one of the forums I go on. It was great - they're both further on in their treatments than I am and were a mine of useful information for me. We're all being treated at the same clinic, so were able to compare notes about the staff there (chief highlights being that we all agree the consultant is a man of few but well-chosen words who really knows his stuff, and the head nurse is an absolute star).

We talked about the clinic, the staff, the injections, the treatment regimes, our hopes, fears and concerns about our treatments, how our husbands were dealing with it all... We'd never met before, but our common experience enabled us to open up to each other instantly, and before we knew it two hours had gone by.

Some people don't tell any of their friends and family IRL that they're going through fertility treatment, and while that may be right for them, I could never keep quiet about such a major thing in my life. I've had some amazing support from most of my family and friends, and couldn't have got this far without them. I've also had my fair share of well-meaning but not very well-aimed comments, and a few that I couldn't even describe as well-meaning, but the people who made the latter comments are definitely out of my life now.

But being able to talk freely to people who are going through the same thing, and who really get it - that was amazing! I already can't wait for the next time we meet up.