If your thought of pregnancy involves the word "dread" then the experience is not likely to be better than you imagine. Even people who loved being pregnant really have to admit there's an element of body horror to all that.

So the two options are surrogacy and adoption. Neither of those is cowardly.

Since LW feels that adoption is generally unethical then I'd ask if LW has any friends or family who would want to carry a child for them. That might go down more easily to LW than paying a stranger.