Bryan Johnson has added a new biological sample to his freezer: his girlfriend’s menstrual blood. The 48-year-old tech entrepreneur, who says he is on a quest to reverse his biological age and become the healthiest person in the world, shared a picture of Kate Tolo, 30, on X with the caption: “Kate’s period blood is in my -80 °C freezer. Around 10 mL.”
A controversial collection
Johnson, an enthusiastic oversharer, has previously collected bodily fluids from loved ones. A few years ago he boasted about infusing himself with a liter of his “blood boy’s” plasma — the nickname for his son Talmage, who was 17 at the time. He has also donated a liter of his own blood to his father.
Last year, Johnson posted data comparing his own and his teenage son’s nocturnal erection metrics, writing: “Nighttime erection data from my 19-year-old son ... and me,” tagging Talmage. “His duration is two minutes longer than mine. Raise children to stand tall, be firm, and be upright.”
What does he plan to do with it?
Johnson says the menstrual blood will be studied. “Menstrual blood is valuable and underutilized … It’s a non-invasive look into the uterus,” he explained on X. Tolo and Johnson intend to examine the blood for everything from endocrine disruptors to microplastics. “I like that Kate is a science experiment with me,” he added.
Tolo appears on board, replying: “Thanks for looking after me bby.” Johnson says she is collecting “14 million data points on her menstrual cycle,” a “world first for female health.” Her protocol involves “100+ tasks a day” and “50+ devices,” monitored by a “12 person medical team.” Tolo takes regular urine samples, swallows a temperature pill, and blows into a metabolism tracker. At exactly 9.42 pm, Johnson writes, she has to “insert techno tampon device.” When the Independent asked for more information about the techno tampon, Johnson said: “We will be sharing more on that soon.”
A ‘world first’ for female health?
In mid-July, Tolo was featured in a Wall Street Journal piece titled “Bryan Johnson’s girlfriend wants to share her body with the world,” where she said she was doing all this data-tracking for the good of womankind: “I’m really doing it because I think that this is our path toward women being understood in the world and being seen.” Tolo has said she has polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome and hopes to find treatments for her symptoms. The Journal’s piece includes a photo of Tolo looking intently at a small tampon-shaped device that would track her blood-flow variations.
Johnson has said: “Women are not well understood medically.” It wasn’t until 1993 that US Congress passed a law requiring women and minorities to be included in clinical research. Menstruation has also been understudied: until 2023 there had been no published study testing period products like tampons using human blood — saline solution had been used instead. This “medical misogyny” has affected the quality of care women receive and meant women’s pain is often not taken as seriously as men’s.
Skepticism is warranted
Though the initiative helps break down the stigma around menstruation and raises awareness about women’s health, some skepticism is in order. As the caption noted: “It’s important to remember that Tolo (who has a background in fashion) and Johnson (whose background is in tech) are not exactly highly credentialled medical researchers.” They own a company called Immortals that sells supplements. According to the Journal: “The company is on the verge of launching products for women.” That makes the whole project feel like a marketing campaign — and the techno tampon might end up boosting Immortals’ balance sheet.
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Matt Damon's stunt double
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The week in pawtriarchy
With the Trump administration slashing environmental research funding, cash-strapped scientists are getting creative. An OnlyFans account called OnlyMarms promises “unfiltered yellow-bellied marmot content from the Rockies!” It is G-rated. “We’re not trying to sexualize marmots,” marmot researcher Daniel Blumstein said. “Although I was just at an international conference and three people came up to me and said: ‘Oh, you have to have more pictures of Marmot feet.’” So far the site has raised about $3,000 — hopefully it builds marmentum.
