People are used to treating pregnancy as the only way to have children. However, it is possible that already in this century artificial uterus will appear, carrying embryos better than real women - and without harm to health. This will mark a turning point in human history.
Many science fiction books and films describe a society of the future, in which people abandon natural pregnancy and use various technical devices to procreate. For example, in Aldous Huxley's famous novel Brave New World, children grow up in bottles. And in the film trilogy "The Matrix", the machines that enslaved people gather new people in huge factories.
Today, such scenarios remain fiction. However, advances in science and technology will make artificial wombs and fetal incubators a reality sooner than we think, Medical Futurist said. And then the development of humanity will change forever.
The first step towards this is the development of transplantology. More than a dozen children in the USA, Sweden and Serbia have already been born to mothers with a donor uterus received from their closest relatives.
The development of an artificial uterus also does not stand still. In the spring of 2017, a research team led by Emily Partridge demonstrated a lamb embryo resurrection device - a transparent plastic container filled with nutrient fluid. It maintained the life of eight embryos for four weeks, ranging in age from 105 to 115 days, which corresponds to a 23-week-old human fetus. Researchers from Japan have successfully carried out similar experiments.
Experiments with an artificial uterus and animal embryos will continue for another two years, after which the device will be tested on extremely premature human embryos.
For example, infertile or same-sex couples will be able to have children without resorting to the services of surrogate mothers. Perhaps some women who may become pregnant will also choose artificial bearing. This will relieve them of many of the difficulties associated with pregnancy - from excess weight gain to postpartum depression.
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In the most optimistic version of the technology development, the artificial uterus will become a tool for continuous monitoring of the fetus' health. With the help of artificial intelligence systems, she will assess his needs and adjust the system settings accordingly. And doctors and nurses will have access to complete information about the unborn child - from his genome to health risks.
Nevertheless, there are a number of problems that must be solved before humanity even partially abandons the natural birth of children. For example, it should be ascertained whether children from an artificial uterus would be physically and intellectually different from ordinary children and whether it would be traumatic for them to enter the environment.
If an artificial uterus is essential for caring for premature babies, then an artificial stem cell placenta is an important scientific model that will tell scientists how pregnancy goes and why miscarriages occur. Specialists from different countries are working on its creation - for example, Great Britain and Austria.
Sergey Kolenov