Fertility expert shares the truth about surrogacy as celebrity couples face backlash for growing their families this way

For most new parents, announcing the birth of a child is one of the most joyful occasions, but for Lily Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell it was far from that. 

The couple went through surrogacy to have their daughter Tove and faced plenty of backlash from people online – something McDowell addressed in a follow-up comment on the post. 

The comments were awful, but it's also kicked off some new discussions about surrogacy, and fertility expert Dr Manny Mangat said there are still a lot of stigmas around the process. 

"In Australia, couples would choose that option if it is their last resort or their only option to have a family," she told Today Extra's Sylvia Jeffreys and David Campbell. 

Watch the video above. 

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Collins and McDowell haven't spoken about why they turned to surrogacy, and Campbell asked whether families in Australia are going down this road because they have no other options.

"That's correct," Mangat said. 

"Medical surrogacy is legal in Australia, and the main reasons for people seeking surrogacy here would be anatomical, so they're born without a uterus.

"Now, some women go through surgery and actually have their uterus removed after a big bleed post childbirth or cancer. 

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"We've heard about a couple of brave women who've gone through the complicated process of uterine transplantation to carry their own pregnancy, but some people have life-threatening medical conditions, and that stops them from carrying a pregnancy.

"And I think we need to remember that same sex men need surrogates to have a family too." 

Jeffreys noted that it's different overseas, particularly in America, and a lot of high-profile celebrities like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Rebel Wilson have opened up about their experiences of using surrogacy. 

"Many people are accusing these women out there, without knowing the full story, of being driven by maybe vanity or ambition. What do you make of that?" she asked Mangat. 

"I think that's a little bit unfortunate," Mangat said. 

"Because we don't really know why a couple has chosen to go through surrogacy and a lot of those reasons, as I mentioned before, should be supported. 

"I think the recent backlash has come from the implied concern that a more wealthy celebrity may be exploiting a less wealthy surrogate to carry a pregnancy for them just for convenience or to preserve their body.

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"However, there are many other reasons people need a surrogate." 

David pointed out that in Australia we have what's called altruistic surrogacy, where you cannot pay someone to be your surrogate, but wondered if the celebrity influence has led more people to go down that road to have their family. 

Mangat disagreed and believes more people are turning to surrogacy because they are more educated on the topic and because there are more ways to help couples through this really complex process.

"There are a lot of legal and psychological implications that need to be considered not just for the intending parents, but also for the surrogate," she added.

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