Parental Education
Published under Evelette, Rebirth X October 3rd 2026
INTRODUCTION
As artificial womb technology & alternative methods of childbirth are on the rise, its increasingly important for parents to stay educated. Fertility as a field is broad, and many suffer from infertility or similar ailments that stand to benefit from this technology. Its best to understand the underlying cost, general populous use, and any side effects that may result from use of artificial wombs or similar alternatives to childbirth before making a decision. This piece will explore the implications of this technology and important factors for aspiring parents to monitor.
ARTIFICIAL WOMBS
Regarding artificial wombs being used by the public, it is currently not ready for such use. Researchers are still actively working on translating the technology for human fetuses, and the only documented cases used lamb and mice. While it has shown to work and proved beneficial for animals, there’s no sign of quite yet of it working in humans [1]. Scientist continue to remain optimistic regarding its potential, and it may be ready for public use within a decade or so. Regarding cost, once it has been approved for use on humans, it will likely remain expensive. In a few years following being approved for human use, it will still likely remain an experimental treatment keeping the cost high. Parents looking into pursuing this pathway may want to set aside funds for when it opens as an experimental treatment.
While the side effects on the mother are not clear at this time, its still to say this treatment will likely come with risks and side effects. Women may need to go through egg extraction, and men may have side effects as well. Do not take our word on the side effects as certain, as this technology has not yet been tested on humans. The implications are still not quite clear at this time.
SURROGACY & SPERM/EGG DONATION
Surrogacy among the outlined options poses the least risk to the biological mother. Though, paying for surrogacy is often a difficult task and not many women are willing to be surrogates. Surrogate rates vary, but embryo implantation and other procedures can absolutely be costly. For more career oriented couples, this may be a desirable option to minimize impact on their working life. But again, risks are prevalent. Surrogates may be unwilling to hand over the child, there can be complications during the birth, and the element of risk is still present.
When it comes to sperm and egg donation, it is an alternative for some variations of infertility. Women who are infertile due to egg quantity or quality are able to use egg donation and have a standard pregnancy. Should a male spouse be infertile, sperm donation is a suitable alternative. This method is one of the cheapest, but again— for infertile couples this may not resolve all issues. Some women’s bodies are unable to handle the physical toll of pregnancy, so this would not be feasible. There are dozens of reasons why a person can be infertile, and this realistically only solves a handful [2]. As for risks, this one is one of the most dangerous. The mother herself is taking the toll of raising a child, impacting her career, body, and having to undertake significant risks that come with pregnancy. Another side effect is the egg/sperm injection procedure, which can leave scarring and other physical side effects.
IVF (In vitro fertilization)
IVF, otherwise known as In Vitro Fertilization, is a common alternative to standard childbirth. It helps combat some cases of infertility, but unfortunately has a low success rate and involves a painful egg retrieval procedure. Nonetheless, its an effective practice responsible for many childbirths.
The process begins with taking fertility medicine to boost egg production, later retrieved in a surgery; this helps combat some cases of infertility, encouraging the release of eggs. Later, the higher quality eggs are surgically inseminated, and placed in a control environment for initial development. 3-5 days later following a successful retrieval & insemination, the egg is transferred to the woman’s womb where it continues through standard development. [3]
Some pros to IVF is a controlled pregnancy date (as you can select the date of the egg transfer as far as 30-40 years post operation) and gender selection of the fetus, but its to note some other aspects of the procedure may be quite invasive and painful. Egg transfer is done through a catheter inserted up the woman’s vagina, and going into surgery may not be feasible. When deciding to go with IVF, please consider these risks delicately and plan accordingly.
CONCLUSION
There are many alternatives to standard childbirth, and its important for parents to educate themselves accordingly on the methodology and various risks that may come with each procedure. Family planning is a notoriously difficult task, so couples facing infertility issues or looking into alternative methods of childbirth should handle the task with care. These methods are getting increasingly advanced alongside technology, so options may later expand and grow less invasive over time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bashier, Lubna et al. “Artificial Womb Technology: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Evidence and Implications for Neonatal Viability and Intensive Care.” Cureus vol. 18,1 e101144. 9 Jan. 2026, doi:10.7759/cureus.101144
Patel, Nayana Hitesh et al. “Insight into Different Aspects of Surrogacy Practices.” Journal of human reproductive sciences vol. 11,3 (2018): 212-218. doi:10.4103/jhrs.JHRS_138_17
“In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007279.htm. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.
