Biologically speaking, I am right in the middle of my reproductive age. That's the years between 15 and 49, when most people with ovaries are able to have children. Socially speaking, that means I'm right in the middle of roughly 30 years' worth of public commentary, suggestions and judgments about my fertility. Whether it’s regular pleas from my mum to give her grandchildren, or depictions of desperate females in movies and TV, it's a reality that is hard to escape. And let's not forget about the ads that have been following me around the internet since the age of roughly 25, promising to track my ovulation, confirm a pregnancy or let me know about places nearby where I can freeze my eggs.
從生物學角度來說, 我現在正值生育年齡的中期。 生育年齡是從十五歲到四十九歲, 這個年齡有卵巢的人 通常都可以生孩子。 從社會的角度來說, 在這大約三十年的時間, 我的生育能力會受到大眾 評論、建議,和評斷。 不論是我媽媽經常 懇求我讓她當外婆, 或是電影和電視對於 女性渴望生子的描繪, 都是難以逃避的現實。 忘記了還有廣告, 從我大約二十五歲之後 就在網路上跟著我, 保證可以追蹤我的排卵、 確認是否懷孕, 或提供我附近可以冷凍 卵子的地方。但,精子呢?
But what about the sperm? Why have none of my male friends or the guys I've dated been exposed to this same pressure?
為什麼我的男性朋友 或者約會對象通通都不用 面對同樣的壓力?
[Am I Normal? With Mona Chalabi]
〔我正常嗎?〕 〔夢娜查拉比主持〕
Well, we know from historical data that for generations, research into fertility has focused on poking and prodding uteruses, while our understanding of male fertility has continued to lag behind. For example, in the US, there was a 50-year gap between the founding of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1927 and the formation of the American Society of Andrology in 1975. And today in the US, there are an estimated five reproductive endocrinologists who mostly specialize with female patients, for every one male fertility specialist.
從歷史資料可以得知,數世代以來, 生育相關研究都著眼著手在子宮上, 而對於男性生育能力的 了解卻持續落後。 例如:在美國,落差高達五十年, 美國婦產科學委員會 成立於 1927 年, 美國男性醫學協會 則成立於 1975 年。 現在在美國, 估計有五名專門治療女性 病患的生殖內分泌專科醫生, 才有一名男性生育能力專家。
Research into male fertility really only began to make waves in the 1990s. And since then, research has started to chip away at the persistent myth that a man's sperm is viable over his entire life.
男性生育能力的研究要到了 1990 年代才開始興風作浪。 從那時起,研究才開始 一點一點破除長久以來 男性精子一輩子 都有生育能力的迷思。
A study from 2013 found that there is a big change that happens in male fertility after the age of 34. At age 35, their sperm count begins to drop. At 40, the sperm concentration, as well as the percentage of sperm with a normal shape, begins to decline. At 43, sperm motility decreases, And from the age of 45, semen ejaculate volume begins to go down. What all of this means is that from the age of 34, there is a declining likelihood that a man will father a child through intercourse. And that probability continues to decline as they get older. Crucially, that decline exists independently of the age of their female partner.
2013 年,有研究發現, 男性在三十四歲之後, 生育能力會有重大改變。 三十五歲時,精子數量會開始下降。 四十歲時,精子濃度 及形狀正常的精子比例 都會開始下降。 43歲時,精子活力下降。 從四十五歲開始, 射精量會開始下降。 上述這些意味著,從三十四歲開始, 男性透過性交得子的 機率可能會下降。 且,隨著年紀的增長, 機率還會繼續走下坡。 重要的是,這機率的下降 與女性伴侶的年紀無關。
Because of research like this, a growing number of physicians are arguing that men have biological clocks, too. This is really important because most fertility research did not control for the age of the father. What this means is that so much of our understanding about how women in their late 30s are struggling to get pregnant has not taken into account that many of them are trying to get pregnant with men in their 40s.
因為像這樣的研究, 有越來越多醫生主張 男性也有生理時鐘。 這點相當重要, 因為大部分的生育能力研究 都沒有控制父親的年齡。 這意味著我們在了解 近四十歲的女性有多難懷孕時,通常 都沒有考慮到 很多人試圖懷孕的對象 是四十多歲的男性。
Imagine the other fertility breakthroughs that could come about with even better research -- and the effect that all of that would have on our culture and our behavior. Young couples might be able to better prepare when to have children. Guys would be hounded by ads on when to freeze their sperm, and I would have even more reason to continue to date young hot men.
想像看看,若有更好的研究, 還會有多少生育能力上的突破—— 以及這些突破對我們的文化 及行為會有什麼影響。 對於何時要生小孩, 年輕夫妻可能會有更好的準備。 男性會被何時要 冷凍精子的廣告給糾纏, 而我也會更有理由繼續 和年輕小鮮肉約會。
We've always known that it takes two to tango. Now it's time for research to give both partners equal billing.
我們都知道一個巴掌拍不響。 現在也該是研究 平等看待兩性的時候了。