Get A Life: His & Hers Survival Guide to IVF

This is a brave and honest account of the rollercoaster ride that is IVF. Having been through something very similar to Rosie and Richard I found myself nodding along as I read what felt like every feeling and emotion my husband and I had experienced. It was refreshing and liberating to have our feelings validated after thinking that we were going mad by 'over-reacting' to the devastation of miscarriage and the physical and emotional slog of IVF. I also love that Rosie and Richard were able to inject some humour into what is a very difficult journey as sometimes you simply have to laugh at all the misfortune to simply alleviate the tension. I highly recommend this book to IVF first-timers as well as veterans like me. The medical information is invaluable and the advice of what and what not to get your knickers in a twist about will certainly help those of us who have spent hours pouring over Dr Google and sending ourselves loopy with worry. All in all a refreshing, honest, funny, informative and interesting read....with a happy ending!

This is quite possibly the best book out there on the 'IVF support market'. It brilliantly balances the scientific and very clinical aspects of infertility treatment with the emotional side of things, beautifully articulating how one might feel at each step of the process. Having been through 2 rounds of IVF, one unsuccessful and one successful, I found it incredible just how accurately Rosie's account and experiences echoed mine, so much so that I found myself thinking how she was almost speaking for me. Add to this Richard's side of things, sometimes harrowing, often very funny, and this really is a book that deals with everything. The authors' willingness to confront each and every aspect of their personal story adds real warmth to their writing. It's a delicate and skilled balance to be able tackle this so openly and emotionally whilst still being offering objective advice on the medical side of things - the fact that the foreword to this book and other factual contributions are written by a gynaecologist and fertility consultant at the Lister Clinic suggests how successful the authors are in achieving this balance. If you, or anyone you know in your family or circle of friends, is about to embark on IVF then this is essential reading. Huge congratulations to the authors on this warm and wise book.

I was really keen to read this after seeing Richard and Rosie on ITV's Lorraine show. They both came across as really lovely and funny but mostly really wanting to help others who were in the same situation so they could know what they both had found out during their time of doing IVF. I found the book really unputdownable - their journey to having their daughter was so full of ups and downs and one minute, you're laughing at the ridiculousness of situations they found themselves in and the next, you find yourself crying in empathy and sometimes even anger and disbelief at how difficult the process was made for them. What i found really useful was the questions to take with you if you're going through IVF and all the facts and figures which means your expectations are grounded in reality. This is a genuinely helpful survival guide but the intimate and brave story makes it so much more than that. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This is a really good book with loads of practical and useful advice, and some parts are hilarious too! Really engaging and humour is well balanced for a such a serious topic. I thought it was great that his perspective is also covered, and I’ve gone as far as making my husband read it (and he seems to be enjoying it thus far). The tear off pages with questions at the end of the book are really helpful when you’re a beginner and don’t really know what you should be asking your doctor. Really handy guide to refer to as you move forward with the process.

Great for light reading and a bit of a laugh. Some more informative parts. Nice personal perspectives from both partners (male and female partners in this book) but as my partner wasn’t interesting in reading the male perspective, I only got 50% use from it. Keep in mind that each IVF journey is different so this is their journey and yours may or may not be similar. I found IVF a breeze and others I talk to hated it from start to finish. The book is more of a comfort to know that other normal people also have to go through the annoyance of infertility. Infertility does not discriminate and this book shows that.

I bought this book for my friends going through IVF as I had heard such good things about it and I'm so glad I did. They've not stopped saying how funny, refreshing and downright useful it is - it's also been great for them as a couple to get such an honest account from both perspectives. If you have friends doing IVF or thinking about it, buy them this book, they will love you for it and it will open up the conversation for you all. Couldn't recommend it more.

I absolutely loved this book and finished it within days of its delivery!! Having already failed at IUI we are at the very beginning of our COVID postponed IVF process ourselves. It’s a devastating time for anyone going through IVF but the added complication of a worldwide pandemic means that men are not allowed to attend the appointments and therefore it’s lonelier than it already was. This book gave me a great insight into how HE is feeling and vice verse (he’s half way through as well). It’s brought us closer and given us a great insight into the entire ‘journey’. If you read any IVF book, this is the one!!

This book is absolutely amazing! I love that it gives helpful advice for both men and women. It's funny and very enlightening into the whole process of IVF, and let's face it. We all need a little bit more laughter and light heartedness during the process. It's also very relatable. There were times when both my husband and I thought, "Yes! That's us!" Although we have not actually started our treatment, I know my husband and I are both a little bit more prepared thanks to this book. I can't give it any more praise than that!

This was so so helpful to have as an IVF newbie. I definitely recommend reading this book. My husband found it helpful too and it makes the subject a bit lighter by having funny honest moments shared by the couples person experiences with the IVF process. It helped open dialogues between me and my partner. Only super relevant for male/female couples going through this though. LGBTQ+ couples will need to look elsewhere for a support book

Toller Begleiter für die IVF, leicht verständlich geschrieben, kann ich nur jedem Paar vor und während einer KiWu-Behandlung empfehlen, 5 Sterne!

Hilarious book that also educates during each step of the IVF process. The humor is especially geared for those who enjoy witty analogies and a well-placed cuss word! We bought this book because we wanted a relatively new book with real people talking about IVF in an informed way and how it went for them at each step. Yes, you can find all the technical information for IVF online, but what this book adds is a sense of humor and a real sense of the two people in this couple and their advice for you. We're a US-based couple but still love the book and the British slang :)

Der Frauenteil ist interessant geschrieben, hilft auch den Partner*innen dabei, sich in die Frau, die IVF durchläuft hineinzuversetzen. Der Männerteil ist leider eher flüssig geschrieben und wie ich finde weniger informativ.

Great read and very helpful.