Thank you for your helpful replies. I actually had a surprisingly constructive meeting with my female supervisor yesterday, that'll teach me not to assume things about people, she can empathize with how I'm feeling due to previous experience! My male supervisor is just typically male and doesn't want to hear about 'women's problems'! Cloudofash, I think I'll be doing something along these lines for now to see if I start enjoying the phd at all, because if I gave up now to try to conceive and couldn't what would I be left with then, no kids and no phd! Many thanks

Hi,
Although in a different area this is my current experience.
11 years after doing my BSc I returned to uni to do a full time Msc in the same topic - Animal science. I loved the MSc even though it was extremely intense and hard work, towards the end a Phd came up that looked potentially interesting I applied and was successful, there was an overlap between finishing the msc diss and starting Phd of about a month. In hindsight I should have taken some time out in between to decide what I wanted to do because I am 12 months into the phd now and I'm not enjoying it much at all. A phd is very very different to structured taught courses and a big commitment, just be sure its what you want first as it will take over your life, judging by your post above a Masters of research sounds like the sensible option!! Especially as I've just read a post on here about how having a phd can make you overqualified for lots of jobs- so if you not intent on pure academia think carefully about a phd! Hope that helps a bit?

Hi Everyone, I'm newly registered on here but have been reading similar threads (Quitting dilemmas) for a few months now.
I am just entering my 2nd year of a 3 yr phd. I came back to education after 11yrs, did a MSc then got offered this phd before the MSc had finished so the two overlapped for a while. To say I felt frazzled was an understatement, I really enjoyed the MSc but almost as soon as I started the phd I was having doubts however, I kept persevering.
In July a health problem developed into an emergency and I had to have surgery and 8 weeks off, since returning I really feeling really depressed and am struggling to want to be here at all, let alone get any work done. The illness has left me with the possibility of not being able to have children, so now on top of the doubts about doing the phd, I am faced with the dilemma of leaving trying to have children until after the phd by which time I will be 36/37 yrs old or trying now which the consultant has recommended as this will give me more time to try alternatives if I have problems. My heart/mind is basically saying I would be more gutted to not have children than to not have a phd especially as i am really not enjoying academia and have no desire for a career in it afterwards. I've heard staff in this institute saying that a woman can't have a career and family it has to be one or another and my supervisor is very much for her career and has no kids so I'm not sure if i can talk to her about it, the other supervisor is male and has made it quite clear he doesn't want to know about my illness/problems!
I realise some people have children whilst doing a phd but I'm living 240 miles away from my partner to do this phd so that wouldn't be an option!!
If anyone has any advice/thoughts I would really appreciate them as i don't really have anyone to talk this through with here (I'm not in the university I'm in a small research institute). Thanks