雙語|男人也有生殖生物鐘：科學家建議35歲前冷凍精子

大家都知道高齡母親所面臨的生育困難和生育風險，但很少有人會去考慮高齡父親對孩子的影響。

新研究發現，其實男性也有生育年齡極限，高齡父親不僅生育能力會下降，而且所育的子女患先天性心臟病、自閉症、癲癇等併發症的風險也更高。

那麼多少歲會被定義為高齡父親呢？答案可能會讓你大吃一驚。

It』s usually women who are burdened with the biological clock concept, but new research suggests men may also have a time limit on having children.

人們通常認為女性才會被生殖生物鐘所累，但新研究指出，男性也有生育年齡極限。

According to a new study published in the journal Maturitas, men should consider banking their sperm before reaching 「advanced paternal age」, which has been variably defined as above the age of 35 or 45 in medical fields.

根據發表在《歐洲更年期雜誌》期刊上的新研究，男性應考慮在到達「生殖高齡」前冷凍精子，醫學界將男性生殖高齡定義為35歲或45歲以上。

This is because men older than this may experience decreased fertility, the study states, and put their female partners at higher risk of a number of pregnancy and birthing complications, such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and preterm birth.

研究指出，這是因為超出生殖高齡的男性生殖能力會下降，並會增加女性伴侶孕期和分娩併發症的風險，比如妊娠糖尿病、先兆子癇和早產。

Additionally, infants born to older fathers may also be at higher risk of a number of conditions, such as congenital heart disease, newborn seizures and low birth weight.

此外，高齡父親所育的嬰兒患上先天性心臟病、新生兒癲癇和出生體重過低等多種疾病的風險也更高。

The study also found that some of these children were more likely to develop certain cancers and cognitive disorders, such as autism.

研究還發現，父親年齡偏大的一些孩子更容易患上某些癌症和自閉症等認知障礙疾病。

The study reviewed 40 years worth of research to reach its conclusions on the effects paternal age had on fertility, pregnancy and health of children.

該研究回顧了40年間的研究成果，最後總結出了父親的年齡對生殖能力、懷孕和子女健康的影響。

Lead author Gloria Bachmann, director of the Women』s Health Institute at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, commented: 「While it is widely accepted that physiological changes that occur in women after 35 can affect conception, pregnancy and the health of the child, most men do not realize their advanced age can have a similar impact.」

研究報告的首席作者、羅格斯大學羅伯特伍德約翰遜醫學院的女性健康研究所所長格洛麗亞·巴赫曼評論說：「儘管人們普遍認為女性在35歲後的生理變化會影響受孕、懷孕和胎兒健康，但多數男性沒有意識到自己年齡偏大也會產生相似的影響。」

"In addition to advancing paternal age being associated with an increased risk of male infertility, there appears to be other adverse changes that may occur to the sperm with ageing.

「父親年齡過大不僅和男性不育風險增加有關，男性變老似乎還會對精子產生其他負面影響。」

"For example, just as people lose muscle strength, flexibility and endurance with age, in men, sperm also tend to lose 『fitness』 over the life cycle.」

「例如，正如人們變老後肌肉會失去力量、柔韌性和耐力一樣，精子也會在這一過程中變得越來越虛弱。」

As for the reasons behind this, Bachmann suspects it』s down to the natural decline in testosterone levels man experience as they age, in addition to a reduction in semen quality.

至於這一現象背後的原因，巴赫曼懷疑是因為男性變老時睾酮水準隨之自然下降，與此同時精液質量也降低了。

When men age they become more predisposed to sperm degradation, the study found, which, during conception, can lead to heredity mutations in the DNA cells of the offspring that prompt a number of disorders.

研究發現，當男性變老時，精子退化的傾向進一步加強。精子退化會在受孕時導致後代的DNA細胞發生遺傳突變，從而引發多種病症。

"Although it is well documented that children of older fathers are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophre年 – one in 141 infants with fathers under 25 versus one in 47 with fathers over 50 – the reason is not well understood,」 adds Bachmann.

巴赫曼補充說：「儘管有翔實的文獻記載，高齡父親的子女更可能被診斷出精神分裂症——年齡不到25歲的男性生育的孩子患病率為141分之一，而年過五十的男性生育的孩子患病率為25分之一。不過人們對其中的原因還不是很了解。」

"Also, some studies have shown that the risk of autism starts to increase when the father is 30, plateaus after 40 and then increases again at 50.」

「此外，一些研究顯示，男性年過三十後，所生育子女的自閉症風險開始增加，年過四十後，所育子女的自閉症風險趨於平穩，年逾五十後自閉症風險又繼續攀升。」

Bachmann also pointed out that women tend to be more active with their reproductive health than men, who rarely consult a physician unless they have an obvious fertility issue.

巴赫曼還指出，女性對自身的生殖健康一般持有更積極的心態，而男性只有在出現明顯的生育能力問題時才會去看醫生。

In light of the findings, Science Daily reports the obstetrics and gynaecology specialist recommends that men who plan on delaying fatherhood consider banking sperm before their 35th birthday to decrease the chances of health complications down the line.

每日科學網站報導稱，鑒於這些研究結果，產科和婦科專家建議計劃延遲生育的男性考慮在35周歲之前冷凍精子來降低後代出現併發症的幾率。

Bachmann』s study follows a similar one published in November 2018 conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

在巴赫曼的研究發布之前，史丹佛大學醫學院的研究人員在2018年11月也發表了一個類似的研究報告。

The research found that fathers older than 35 were at a higher risk for complications such as low birth weight and seizures.

該研究發現，男性年齡超過35歲時生育出的子女患上出生體重過低和癲癇等併發症的風險更高。

英文來源：獨立報

翻譯&編輯：丹妮

「立足亞洲，面向世界」

傳遞論壇最新動態，促進亞洲深度合作

全球重要對話的傳達者，亞洲共同發展的瞭望者。