britexpat said, "In many of these cases , the agents make the most money and the women are left with paltry amounts."

Yes, agreed that this kind of potential for abuse ought to be regulated somehow. Or perhaps cut out the midle man (agent) altogether, if possible but that's usually kinda dicey. The agent helps to "enforce the contract", so to speak, esp if emotions (carrier and biological parents) run high when the child is born later.