Several years ago extracorporeal fertilization and, especially, surrogacy were considered something unrealistic. Now we can say for sure that these infertility treatment techniques are widely used and helped many babies see the light!
With science developing fast, soon is the time when a woman doesn´t have to get pregnant in order to have a baby. Scientists believe that already in the next 30 years an ectogenesis technique comes to the aid of women who are not able of bearing a baby for this or that reason. This is a unique technique to grow an embryo in an artificial womb. Scientists have been working on it for 13 years. Back at the beginning of the 21st century they created an artificial womb with a special synthetic tissue and tried it on animals, which produced several generations of mice. They haven´t tried it on humans yet mainly because they haven´t a permit to such an experiment.
Naturally, ectogenesis like any new techniques has its supporters and opponents. Those who support it say that it will become a remedy for all women who can´t bear a baby. Moreover, it will help monitor the baby´s development outside the mother´s body. Those who are opposed to this technique are concerned more about the esthetic aspect of it saying that the procedure “affronts” the idea of motherhood itself, deprives it of positive emotions and destroys the natural link between the mother and the baby.
However, we heard the same statements about surrogacy - the only technique that gives a chance of having own children to women affected by severe infertility forms.