In order for any human to be able to safely give birth and raise a child at any age, I believe the following technologies will need to be developed:
Artificial wombs
For men and women who don't have wombs.
Status: Current artificial wombs can help increasingly early preemies, but cannot support a full egg to baby pregnancy yet.
in vitro gametogenesis
For anyone who doesn't have viable gametes of their own.
Status: Eggs and sperm can be developed from somatic cells in mice. However, the technology doesn't not work in humans yet. Also the viable child rate is low ~5% vs ~60% for natural births.
Robonannies
For parents who are too ill / elderly to take care of their infants. Elderly parents are often sick, demented, and weak. Robonannies can take of children when the bioparents are incapacitated.
Status: Exist in primitive form, but you probably wouldn't want to leave your kid in the care of one.
Godparents Network - Elderly parents might die before the child grows to adulthood. Therefore, children will need Godparents (friends and family) willing to provide advice, financial support, and love throughout their life.
Status: Godparents exist today, but they're not common, nor is much expected of them.
Meet Your Child’s New Nanny: A Robot
"Robots that can care for children would be a godsend to many parents, especially the financially strapped. In the U.S., 62 percent of women who gave birth in 2016 worked outside the home, and day care costs are often exorbitant. In California, for instance, the annual cost for day care for a single child averages over $22,000. The price is lower in some states, but it still accounts for a hefty chunk of the typical family's budget.
"We're talking about the Holy Grail of parenting," says Zoltan Istvan, a technology consultant and futurist. "Imagine a robot that could assume 70 percent to 80 percent of the caregiver's role for your child. Given the huge amounts of money we pay for childcare, that's a very attractive proposition."
Both China and Japan are on the leading edge of employing specially designed social robots for the care of children. Due to long work schedules, shifting demographics and China's long-term (but now defunct) one-child policy, both countries have a severe shortage of family caregivers. Enter the iPal, a child-sized humanoid robot with a round head, expressive face and articulated fingers, which can keep children engaged and entertained for hours on end. According to its manufacturer, AvatarMind Robot Technology, iPal is already selling like hotcakes in Asia and is expected to be available in the U.S. within the next year. The standard version of iPal sells for $2,499, and it's not the only robot claimed to be suitable for childcare. Other robots being fine-tuned are Softbank's humanoid models Pepper and NAO, which are also considered to be child-friendly social robots."
Design and experiment of online monitoring system for long-term culture of embryo
"In the study of embryo development process, the morphological features at different stages are essential to evaluate developmental competence of the embryo, which can be used to optimize and improve the system for in-vitro embryo culture. In this paper, an online monitoring system was designed for long-term culture of embryos, based on a monitoring strategy of low-magnification search and high-magnification observation. Three optical modules of 4× phase contrast, 10× and 20× Hoffman modulation phase contrast were configured in this system to meet the requirements of different fields of view, especially when the size of the embryo increases during the culture. Using an optomechanical system matching design, an error control and alignment test, the resolution of optical imaging was guaranteed, and a relief stereoscopic imaging with high contrast of embryos was obtained. Through low-magnification field of view to identify and locate embryos and high-magnification field of view to capture the details, the system realized online tracking and monitoring of embryos. In addition, we developed and verified an embryo identifying and locating algorithm based on image contour area and definition evaluation. The online monitoring system of in-vitro embryo culture proposed in this paper can track and record the morphological features of embryos without affecting the embryo development, providing a basis for the assessment of embryo development and the optimization of in-vitro culture system."
Mammalian in vitro gametogenesis
"Germ cells differentiate into sexually dimorphic gametes, oocytes, and spermatozoa, which unite to form new individuals. Accordingly, germ cell development entails intricate regulations of genome functions for genetic and epigenetic inheritance. The past decade has seen considerable advances in in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which aims to recreate germ cell development from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in culture. Mouse PSCs can be induced into functional oocytes and spermatozoa, whereas human PSCs can be induced into early oocytes and prospermatogonia, promoting mechanistic understanding of mammalian germ cell development. The prospect for inducing human gametes with appropriate functions has been heightened, and such advances will create possibilities in reproductive medicine, including modeling infertility to explore remedies. The use of IVG-derived gametes for human reproduction will require careful legal and ethical discussions."
The embryo is just a year younger than the mother who birthed her
"The longest known frozen human embryo to result in a successful birth was born last month in Tennessee.
Emma Wren Gibson, delivered November 25 by Dr. Jeffrey Keenan, medical director of the National Embryo Donation Center, is the result of an embryo originally frozen on October 14, 1992.
Emma’s parents, Tina and Benjamin Gibson of eastern Tennessee, admit feeling surprised when they were told the exact age of the embryo thawed March 13 by Carol Sommerfelt, embryology lab director at the National Embryo Donation Center."
"Scientists from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) have elucidated a promising technique to treat infertility, that could be used by women of advanced maternal age or those who cannot produce viable eggs due to previous treatment for cancer or other causes. This also could make having children who are genetically related to both parents in a same-sex relationship possible.
The OHSU team performed in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), in a mouse model through the preliminary steps of a technique that relies upon transferring the nucleus of a skin cell into a donated egg whose nucleus has been removed. The researchers were able to programme the skin cell’s nucleus to reduce its chromosomes by half, so that it could then be fertilised by a sperm cell to create a viable embryo."
Dr. Eli Adashi on in vitro gametogenesis: ‘It’s time for the public to get a sense of the possible’
"It’s only a matter of time before technology will allow scientists to take cells from a person’s mouth or skin and, using a process called in vitro gametogenesis, turn those cells into human eggs or sperm. Which means, says Dr. Eli Y. Adashi, a professor of medical science at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School, that those eggs and sperm can then be fertilized to create an embryo — all in a lab.
In fact, it’s only a matter of time before scientists will be able to use a person’s cheek cell to custom-create any kind of cell, said the former medical school dean at Brown."
Successful geriatric pregnancies:
The Society for Ethics for Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS)
”SEEDS is a nonprofit organization, founded by a group of egg donation and surrogacy agencies, whose purpose is to define and promote ethical behavior by all parties involved in third party reproduction.”
Gift of Surrogacy Foundation
"Gift of Surrogacy Foundation is a 501c3 providing education around the process of and access to surrogacy. Our goal is to gift a grant that covers the full cost of a surrogate journey to someone with a medical diagnosis that prevents them from having children on their own and would not otherwise be able to afford one."
Men Having Babies
"Unbiased surrogacy parenting advice and support for gay men worldwide!"
Carrot Fertility
“Carrot Fertility is a company that provides comprehensive fertility and family-building benefits to employees through employer-sponsored programs.
Carrot Fertility aims to make fertility care and family-building more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for employees across various industries and locations.”
Progyny
”Progyny is a company that specializes in providing comprehensive fertility, family building, and women's health benefits. Established in 2016, it aims to support individuals and couples through various stages of family planning, from preconception to menopause.”