Niklas Thenstedt, a 38-year-old biomedical analyst from Örebro, has spent three years and a 750,000 kronor bank loan pursuing parenthood through international surrogacy after finding that Swedish healthcare and adoption routes offered no viable path for him as a single gay man. His journey through the Colombian surrogatmarket with the clinic Celagem highlights the complex intersection of global fertility networks, ethical debates, and personal longing, even as new medical setbacks and investigative findings complicate his path to fatherhood.
Surrogacy is not permitted within Swedish healthcare, though it is legal to undergo the process abroad and bring a child home. Public opinion and political parties remain deeply divided on the issue. Statens medicinsk-etiska råd (SMER) notes that commercial surrogacy risks exploiting women and turning children into commodities, while half of its members argue that women can make genuine, informed decisions to carry a child for others. Parties such as Moderaterna, Centerpartiet, and Liberalerna have opened up to allowing voluntary surrogatarrangemang in Sweden, whereas Sverigedemokraterna call for a total ban, and Vänsterpartiet, Kristdemokraterna, and Socialdemokraterna remain opposed.
The Path to Colombia and the Guaranty Program
Faced with long adoption queues and strict international rules that largely exclude single homosexual men, Niklas Thenstedt turned to the Israeli surrogacy group Tammuz in Stockholm in 2023. He purchased a “guaranty program” covering all necessary attempts to secure a child. Drawn to Colombia for its established market and lower prices, he selected profiles through the agency Celagem based on specific criteria including physical traits. His initial embryos were transferred in Bogotá, leading to a pregnancy in late 2025 that ended in bleeding before a planned ultrasound in March 2026 revealed no remaining heartbeats, prompting the clinic to replace the surrogate and require a new egg donor.
Did You Know? Before pursuing international surrogacy, Niklas Thenstedt spent years as a sperm donor after starting his journey at an IVF clinic at age 23, noting that he wanted to help others since he knew he would eventually need assistance to become a parent himself.
Revelations Concerning Anonymous Egg Donors
While Niklas Thenstedt’s process was underway, an investigation revealed that dozens of anonymous egg donors listed across roughly 200 profiles at Celagem and other networks have ties to the live sex industry, with about sixty donors identified as selling sexual services online. Marketed outwardly as university students donating for altruistic reasons, the donors’ compensation depends on egg appearance and maturity. Upon learning of these connections, Niklas Thenstedt stated that he felt misled and questioned the transparency of the recruitment process, while maintaining that his fundamental desire to become a parent remains unchanged.
What May Happen Next in the Process
Following the termination of the pregnancy in March 2026, the clinic in Bogotá is expected to assign a new surrogate whose body is deemed fit for implantation. Niklas Thenstedt will also need to select a replacement egg donor from the agency’s catalog before any further embryo transfers can take place. Because he holds a guaranty program that covers all necessary attempts regardless of time, the financial agreement remains in place for subsequent medical cycles in Colombia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is surrogacy legal in Sweden?
Surrogacy is not allowed within Swedish healthcare, but it is not illegal to travel abroad to complete a surrogacy process and bring the child home to Sweden.
Which clinic is managing Niklas Thenstedt’s surrogacy?
The practical surrogacy process is carried out by the Colombian clinic Celagem, through a contract originally initiated with the Stockholm-based surrogacy group Tammuz.
How did the egg donors’ backgrounds come to light?
Media investigations provided access to over 200 anonymous donor profile pictures from the Colombian network, uncovering that roughly sixty of those individuals have ties to the online live sex industry.