A Real Concern?

Hi friend,

Read enough articles about Silicon Valley’s obsession with fertility tech, and you’ll come away with the distinct impression that some people think they can optimize — and perhaps, even perfect — baby-making. The Washington Post calls it a push “to breed super babies.”

But life is messy, and when it comes to pregnancy, things can and will go wrong. No matter how much money or advanced technology is involved.

This week, Wired has a long and disturbing article about a venture capitalist named Cindy Bi who hired a surrogate, then, when her baby did not make it, decided to harass, dox, and otherwise make life hell for the surrogate. (This ChatGPT-generated Instagram caption gives you a taste of what you’re in for.)

Here are a few things Bi did, as detailed by journalist Emi Nietfeld: Disclosed sensitive health info about the surrogate on Facebook groups without her permission or knowledge; texted the surrogate incessantly about insurance matters; immediately contacted attorneys after talking to the surrogate when she was just out of an emergency c-section; “hired psychics to give her answers”; hired a private investigator to dig into the surrogate; “called the FBI 12 times”; reported the surrogate, the agency, and the hospital to “more than a dozen state and federal regulators and numerous professional organizations”; and posted the surrogate’s name, picture, address, employer, mortgage info, and son’s name online. It goes on and on, much like the plot of a futuristic horror movie.

Amidst all her expensive legal wrangling, and as part of a search for meaning, Bi began attending Epic Church, which was mentioned in this Vanity Fair story about Christianity being the “new religion” in Silicon Valley. If you were wondering how her religious beliefs square with her behavior…this article provides helpful context.

“Many of the issues Bi and her surrogate encountered on their ‘journey’ are likely far more common than you’d ever imagine,” writes Nietfeld. “A stark power differential means that intended parents often have the means to file lawsuits and wage yearslong campaigns, while surrogates who feel screwed are forced to rely on free legal help and GoFundMe.” Bleak.

Part of what fertility tech startups promise is that you can control for bad outcomes. As Orchid Health’s Noor Siddiqui told The Washington Post, “For something as consequential as your child, I don’t think people want to roll the dice.” This is misleading. It’s no surprise, then, that Bi was under the belief that, “Surrogacy is supposed to be the safest route.” But as the Wired piece points out, surrogacy can actually increase risks. “A 2024 survey found that naturally conceived pregnancies carry about a 2 percent risk of several adverse maternal events,” says Nietfeld. “A surrogate pregnancy increases that to almost 8 percent.” 

Moving on to another bodily issue, and the subject of this week’s feature: inflammation! Read on for that, plus some recommendations for your weekend.

Bye,
Your friends at Gloria

Inflammation has been a hot health topic for years. On TikTok, it explains everything from brain fog to fatigue to bloating and weight gain. In the wellness world, it starts a conversation that usually ends in a pitch for a supplement or detox regimen. It appears, vague and looming, in casual conversations. But what is inflammation? And how do we know when it’s something to be concerned about?

This piece is for anyone who’s ever Googled “chronic inflammation symptoms” at 2 a.m. and closed the tab more confused than before. I spoke to two experts — Dr. Karen Adams, a clinical professor at Stanford and menopause specialist, and Dr. Camille Vaughan, a geriatrician at Emory — to get grounded, evidence-based answers about what inflammation is, how it shows up during menopause, and what we can (and can’t) do about it.

What exactly is inflammation, and why does it matter?

Inflammation is our natural defense system at work. “It’s your body’s response to an illness, injury, or invader like a bacteria, virus, or toxic chemical,” explains Dr. Karen Adams, the director of the Stanford Program in Menopause and Healthy Aging. “It’s a normal, critical process for healing.” This type of inflammation is called acute inflammation. It’s short-term and helpful in fighting off threats and repairing tissue.

Concerns arise with chronic inflammation, when the body continues sending inflammatory signals without an immediate threat. Over time, this can damage healthy tissue and contribute to disease. “A good example of something that is a chronic inflammatory condition is rheumatoid arthritis,” Adams says, “where inflammatory cells and substances start attacking the joint tissue.”

Why is “inflammation” suddenly everywhere?

Inflammation has become a buzzword, often reduced to a catch-all explanation for fatigue, pain, brain fog, and more. Dr. Camille Vaughan, the division director for Geriatrics and Gerontology at Emory Medical School, acknowledges the confusion. Inflammation “is kind of thrown out there and is more broad, [but it is] a hallmark of some of the features that happen as our bodies age.”

This happens when people conflate serious inflammatory conditions — like Crohn’s disease or lupus — with the lower-grade, systemic inflammation that can accompany aging or hormonal changes. “The treatment of inflammatory chronic conditions is not what we’re talking about when we’re talking about the general processes, particularly around aging,” Vaughan says.

How is inflammation connected to menopause and perimenopause?

The transition into menopause is a time of profound biological change, and inflammation does play a role. “Estrogen is highly, highly anti-inflammatory,” says Adams. “When we go through our menopausal transition and our estrogen levels decline, inflammation can increase in all kinds of different places in the body.”

This can account for common midlife maladies such as joint stiffness, dry eye, and skin issues like eczema. Musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause, which can manifest as joint pain, loss of muscle mass, and lowered bone density, will affect about 70 percent of women who go through menopause. (It is very responsive to estrogen treatment, however, says Dr. Adams.) 

Dr. Vaughan echoes that this phase of life overlaps with ordinary aging processes, making it difficult to tease out the exact cause. “The intersection of aging, which is also associated with some inflammation, and menopause, which may have some temporary effects, makes dissecting what’s aging and what’s menopause a little difficult.”

What are the risks of chronic inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is linked to a wide range of health issues, including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even cognitive decline.

“If you have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, Type 2 diabetes — then you should definitely be paying attention to managing those chronic conditions,” Adams says. “And as part of that treatment, try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet and minimize the things that would trigger inflammation in your body.”

There’s also increasing interest in how inflammation affects brain health. “If we have chronic inflammation, it can lead to this thing called leaky gut,” she said. “Bacteria can enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain.” Over time, that may impact the protective blood-brain barrier and increase risk for conditions like dementia or Parkinson’s disease.

Can you test for inflammation?

There’s no simple yes-no blood test to determine if you’re inflamed. In medical practice, inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are sometimes used as clues. Still, they’re not definitive and are usually ordered for specific diagnostic reasons. 

“It’s a symptom-driven diagnosis,” Adams says. “It’s really about what you are experiencing and what’s happening in your body.” 

Is inflammation always harmful? Should I try to eliminate it altogether?

We have more in-person events than ever this fall, and we are trying to nail a clean, not-overdone beauty look. A few things that have been helping: This liquid bronzer, which gives the most natural effect (you can tap it over the points of your face that’d be hit by the sun, or apply all-over); this glowy tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, which offers a nice amount of coverage, and is good for more “mature” skin; and this mascara, which we always return to for the best lengthening and definition. #partner

TO WATCH Three very different romantic dramas are landing in theaters today, and they all look really good. In Jay Duplass’s comedic The Baltimorons, an emergency tooth repair leads to an unexpected, later-in-life romantic connection. In the Oscar-worthy tear-jerker Preparation for the Next Life, an undocumented immigrant falls for a veteran with PTSD. And Love, Brooklyn captures the challenges of dating in NYC with a mix of romance and humor.

TO GET Get high-quality American meat and seafood delivered to your door with Good Chop. Choose from 100+ cuts, including 100% grass-fed beef, USDA Prime steaks, wild-caught seafood, organic chicken, and more! For a limited time, Gloria readers get free chicken breasts with every order for the life of membership! Shop it here. #partner

TO TRY If you have been unhappy with the way you look in photos, perhaps give this photo-taking advice (found via the A Thing or Two newsletter) a try.

TO LISTEN The first track of David Byrne’s quirky and upbeat new album, Who Is The Sky? (recorded with the 12-piece Ghost Train Orchestra), would be just perfect playing over the credits of a pleasant indie film. Right?

TO EAT These beans really came in handy this summer, and are perfect for nights when you don’t want to cook. We tried the Tomato Alla Vodka cannellini beans tossed over pasta with pesto and the Enchilada black beans with rice and a fried egg. Both were ready in under 10 minutes and were extremely satisfying. We grabbed them at a gourmet grocer, but you can also find them on Amazon or at Whole Foods.

This is nice! • How summer’s trashy hit, the Hunting Wives, made it to Netflix. • “The beauty side-effect boom: When tweakments spawn more tweakments.” • Related: It’s hard not to squirm while reading this story about all the women getting deep-plane facelifts.

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