How did we get fertility so wrong? | Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi

Transcriber:

Biologically speaking,

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Bruce Sung

從生物學角度來說，

I am right in the middle of my reproductive age.

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，

That's the years between 15 and 49,

when most people with ovaries are able to have children.

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，

Socially speaking, that means I'm right in the middle

在這大約三十年的時間，

of roughly 30 years' worth of public commentary,

我的生育能力會受到大眾 評論、建議，和評斷。

suggestions and judgments about my fertility.

Whether it’s regular pleas from my mum to give her grandchildren,

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，

or depictions of desperate females in movies and TV,

it's a reality that is hard to escape.

都是難以逃避的現實。

And let's not forget about the ads

忘記了還有廣告，

that have been following me around the internet

從我大約二十五歲之後 就在網路上跟著我，

since the age of roughly 25, promising to track my ovulation,

保證可以追蹤我的排卵、

confirm a pregnancy

確認是否懷孕，

or let me know about places nearby where I can freeze my eggs.

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

為什麼我的男性朋友 或者約會對象通通都不用

or the guys I've dated been exposed to this same pressure?

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,

從歷史資料可以得知，數世代以來，

research into fertility has focused on poking and prodding uteruses,

生育相關研究都著眼著手在子宮上，

while our understanding of male fertility has continued to lag behind.

而對於男性生育能力的 了解卻持續落後。

For example, in the US, there was a 50-year gap

例如：在美國，落差高達五十年，

between the founding of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1927

美國婦產科學委員會 成立於 1927 年，

and the formation of the American Society of Andrology in 1975.

美國男性醫學協會 則成立於 1975 年。

And today in the US,

現在在美國，

there are an estimated five reproductive endocrinologists

估計有五名專門治療女性 病患的生殖內分泌專科醫生，

who mostly specialize with female patients,

for every one male fertility specialist.

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.

男性生育能力的研究要到了 1990 年代才開始興風作浪。

And since then, research has started to chip away at the persistent myth

從那時起，研究才開始 一點一點破除長久以來

that a man's sperm is viable over his entire life.

男性精子一輩子 都有生育能力的迷思。

A study from 2013 found

2013 年，有研究發現， 男性在三十四歲之後，

that there is a big change that happens in male fertility after the age of 34.

生育能力會有重大改變。

At age 35, their sperm count begins to drop.

三十五歲時，精子數量會開始下降。

At 40, the sperm concentration,

四十歲時，精子濃度

as well as the percentage of sperm with a normal shape, begins to decline.

及形狀正常的精子比例 都會開始下降。

At 43, sperm motility decreases,

43歲時，精子活力下降。

And from the age of 45, semen ejaculate volume begins to go down.

從四十五歲開始，

射精量會開始下降。

What all of this means is that from the age of 34,

上述這些意味著，從三十四歲開始，

there is a declining likelihood

男性透過性交得子的 機率可能會下降。

that a man will father a child through intercourse.

And that probability continues to decline as they get older.

且，隨著年紀的增長， 機率還會繼續走下坡。

Crucially, that decline exists

重要的是，這機率的下降

independently of the age of their female partner.

與女性伴侶的年紀無關。

Because of research like this,

因為像這樣的研究， 有越來越多醫生主張

a growing number of physicians are arguing that men have biological clocks, too.

男性也有生理時鐘。

This is really important

這點相當重要，

because most fertility research did not control for the age of the father.

因為大部分的生育能力研究 都沒有控制父親的年齡。

What this means is that so much of our understanding

這意味著我們在了解

about how women in their late 30s are struggling to get pregnant

近四十歲的女性有多難懷孕時，通常

has not taken into account

都沒有考慮到

that many of them are trying to get pregnant with men in their 40s.

很多人試圖懷孕的對象 是四十多歲的男性。

Imagine the other fertility breakthroughs

想像看看，若有更好的研究， 還會有多少生育能力上的突破——

that could come about with even better research --

and the effect that all of that would have on our culture and our behavior.

以及這些突破對我們的文化 及行為會有什麼影響。

Young couples might be able to better prepare when to have children.

對於何時要生小孩， 年輕夫妻可能會有更好的準備。

Guys would be hounded by ads on when to freeze their sperm,

男性會被何時要 冷凍精子的廣告給糾纏，

and I would have even more reason to continue to date young hot men.

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.

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。

Now it's time for research to give both partners equal billing.