In a planet like Africa where childbearing is a thing of necessity, couples with problems due to complications of fertility might be under fire because of the family and societal orientation. When two married people are unable to have a child after certain period of time, it would become a tough issue for both the husband and even tougher for the wife.
In many cases, the extended family steps in to intervene and this leads to internal discord within the marriage after the man’s being advised to take on another wife or concubine. This have thus ruined many marriages. In western societies, there would be situations whereby couples get married with mutual or legal agreement of not procreating. Although technologically advanced and well developed in scientific researches than the African environment, there were still civilised ways of handling such things.
In many situations, a man or woman might have the problem of having babies or getting pregnant or it could be the man that has the problem but without prior knowledge of this, the ignorance continues and this ruins the marriage little by little. Based on the African societal philosophy, its believed that kids or offsprings are the next generation that carry on the lineage of the family. The family might get scared of their lineage stopping because of the fact that their own descendants are refusing or unable to continue the lineage.
Although there have been said to be many issues causing infertility and many things resulting from the complication. But in other cases, Women might have serious or life threatening situations if they are to carry a baby in them and so medical advise might be given never to carry one. Because of the necessities placed on childbearing as a golden ticket to marital success, there might be some issues here.
Child adoption became Paramount at a point during the 20th century although the government advises this based in many legal backing and this in a way helped sustained many families. Even average families that could still afford some cash would opt for this and other kind families would like to add a number or two to their number of children.
There would be many cases where women would be advised not to carry babies due to the preceding dangers lying ahead of the road to childbirth. In situations of “Sickle Cell Diseases” this advise could be said depending on the level of severity anyway.
Other damages due to initial abortions could be said to be another trouble. The cases is thus becoming so important among couples as its well discussed and figured out. Some situation of men with endospermial (Low sperm count) time might be needed and lots of medical attention. So in a word, there are hundreds of reasons causing childbearing complication.

Science

had always stepped in many cases like this in advanced countries and since 1978, many people have being opting for the scientific alternative to childbearing

Surrogacy.

Back in the year 1977,  couple named Lesley and John Brown opted for a procedure called “In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)” because of their inability to have babies. Well, the procedure was successful though the Medical Doctors (Patrick Edward &  Roberts Steptoe) who handled the case never actually informed both parents of the fact that he was trying somewhat an “Experimentation” because cases of the procedure he was trying had never been done or if it has, none had been successful. To cut the story short, a beautiful child was delivered and she was called Louise Brown. Now 37 and feeling alright with her own two babies which she conceived all by herself. Now, after the case of the Browns in 1978, there were many cases of this practise and its been legally accepted in many countries making it a possibility for almost every parent seeking to have a child but unable to. Lest its forgotten, Lesley who was Louise Brown’s mom actually did had complications from blocked fallopian tube which was the reason for the IVF procedure. Later on, she had her second child Natalie Brown who was also born out of the process but surprisingly, Natalie became the world Fortieth baby and the first to deliver her own kids by herself. Leaving the Browns, Lucy Liu a Chinese-American actress announced the delivery of her own child via the same Process “Gestational Surrogate”.  Michael Jackson’s child Blanket was born of surrogacy. This is to say that the practise is worldwide and is practised almost by everyone.
In complex situations, parents would be advised for such practise so as to make things not going out of hand within the parenthood.
Now, taking Surrogacy as the topic here, it might be better to talk about it in a more open manner. So this is it.

Surrogacy & Surrogate in childbearing:

Based on simple English definition, Surrogacy is the process of being a surrogate.  While surrogate itself is defined as the substitute, putting in place of another. What this could mean in the real sense is that a parent is put in place of another parent or simplify it as a parent becoming the parent of a child. With this, The process becomes a reality and the intending parent becomes the real parent of the intending baby…As simple as that?
Based on scientific researches, there could be ways by which this could done either by the Straight Surrogate or Gestational surrogate. Either way,  there are both psychological and legal effect it has based on country and regions.
To cut it down shorter, it could be better to categorized it as follows

Types of surrogacy and or Surrogates:

Gestational Surrogate:

This is the situation whereby a surrogate is implanted with an embryo created by In Vitro Fertilization IVF. The resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate. Right under this topic are other subtopics which could he out listed as follows:

Gestational surrogacy with embryo from both intended parents:
A surrogate is implanted with an embryo created by IVF, using intended father’s sperm and intended mother’s eggs.

Gestational surrogacy using egg donation :
A surrogate is implanted with an embryo created by IVF, using intended father’s sperm and a donor egg where the donor is not the surrogate. The resulting child is genetically related to intended father and genetically unrelated to the surrogate.

Gestational surrogacy using donor sperm:
A surrogate is implanted with an embryo created by IVF, using intended mother’s egg and donor sperm. The resulting child is genetically related to intended mother and genetically unrelated to the surrogate.

Gestational surrogacy and donor embryo:
A donor embryo is implanted in a surrogate; such embryos may be available when others undergoing IVF have embryos left over, which they opt to donate to others. The resulting child is genetically unrelated to the intended parent(s) and genetically unrelated to the surrogate

This way, conception takes place totally in an artificial manner whereby there would be no inseminations via the natural means. The surrogate mother is usually the one that carries the pregnancy of the prepared baby with the powerful  IVF procedure and this makes intending couples to be the parents of the resulting baby.  The gestational surrogacy had been quiet successful and helpful to same sex marriages who yet intended to have babies. Surrogacy thus bridges the gap between the natural child conception complications with having a real baby without breaking the neck.

Traditional Surrogacy and or Surrogate
This being the second type of surrogacy would be the method whereby there is insertion of sperm in the natural manner or artificial ways using IUI . There are artificial or deliberate manners where a man inseminates into the surrogate who carries the baby for the intending mother. A brief story back in the 20th century, there had been cases whereby couple had babies via surrogacy. This way, if it was the man that has the problem of fathering a child, he and his wife based on Medical advises takes the natural means since the IVF methods hasn’t been successful. This way, another Surrogate ejaculates in the woman and she would conceive the baby of the unknown man. This is usually done in such a way that both who had the sexual encounter wouldn’t even know or see one another. This way, the father and the mother owns their child. Another might in the donation of sperms by the man which is done using the IUI artificial insemination directly into the woman’s uterus.
To explain the sperm donation as a means of surrogacy more, it would be that… the Traditional surrogacy with donor spermdenotes  the artificial insemination of donor sperm using ICI, IUI or IVF. An ICI insemination may be performed privately by the parties without the intervention of a doctor or physician. The resulting child is genetically unrelated to the intended parent(s) but is genetically related to the surrogate. Although based on country legal terms on this case, there might be the need for adoption papers because such could be termed in some cases as adoption.

Quick facts about Surrogacy

To ease off divorce, the Babylonian law allowed for surrogacy so far as it is legally and well arranged between the intending parents and surrogate. This way, the practise could he said to have been in existence since the olden days. Although the first use of artificial methods started back in the 1930s in the U.S., when pharmaceutical companies Schering-Kahlbaum and Parke-Davis started the mass production of estrogen until the first baby born of IVF Louise Brown and until now.

Should I opt for Surrogacy?

This would well defined by the medical personnel and physician who would determine whether surrogacy would be an option. Depending on the long lists of legal issues, Surrogacy would be quiet a tough choice as if not well and legally backed up with lots of paper works, things might be on the other way round. Like the case of “Baby M” whose surrogate mother refused to cede custody back in the 1986.

Legal situations

Since 2013, there have been locations where a woman could legally be paid to carry another’s child through IVF and embryo transfer included India, Georgia, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine and a few U.S. states. The practise is banned out in China, in some parts in the middle East and parts in Europe and North America. Though this hasn’t been legally practised in African countries though in South Africa, the practise of Surrogacy in general is gainful and its altruistic forms are legal.
Depending on the intending parent’s desperation, there could be lots of paperwork’s in African countries where the practise is not really Legally practised. Many a times, rich intending couples do travel to places where those practices are legal and have had a successful situation of Surrogacy