Brave New Womb

This week, Ariana braves sugar withdrawals Upstate, Emily has seasonal allergies in BK, and Susana is…present? We investigate the world of designer babies, polygenic embryo screening, and the companies helping parents rate their embryos as hot or not. Is this lifestyle flex tiptoeing the ethical yellow caution tape between “wanting what’s best for your kid” and eugenics? If you’ve dropped thousands on frozen egg [commodity] futures or wondered if your future kid could beat your ex’s LSAT scores…this one’s for you.+++SOURCES + REQUIRED READINGPfizer ends development of weight-loss pill danuglipron (Reuters, April 2025)Novartis Press Release on US R&D pledgeCofertility’s radical model for women: Freeze your eggs for free by donating half of them (Techcrunch, April 2025)Should Human life be optimized (NYT, April 2025)How to make a superbaby - start by screening your embryos (The Times, July 2024)An IVF Alternative Could Make Having Babies Less Onerous (Wired, April 2025)Embryo Screening and the Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering (Nature, 2008)US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ (The Guardian, October 2024)Updates in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) (Journal of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2024)Who Broke the Sperm Bank (FT, March 2025)How the unregulated sperm market is creating an online baby book (Newsweek, March 2025)Episode Art Egg: The Substance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworriedwellpod.substack.com