男性胎兒在孕期比女性胎兒面臨更多危險大綱

Boys are 14% more likely to be born premature than girls, and even at the same gestational age boys have a higher risk of death and complications because girls develop faster in the womb, new global research shows.

'一項新的全球範圍的研究發現，男孩的早產機率比女孩高14%，而且孕齡相同的情況下，男孩的死亡風險和出現併發症的危險也更高，因爲女孩在子宮內發育的更快。

'The findings from six studies published Thursday in the journal Pediatric Research quantify for the first time what neonatologists have long observed.

'《兒科研究》(Pediatric Research)雜誌近日發表的六項研究的結果首次將新生兒學家長期觀察到的現象進行量化。

''Throughout development, girls are a little bit ahead of boys. Girls walk before boys, they talk before boys and it's also true in utero,' said Joy Lawn, a neonatologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and team leader of the studies.

'倫敦衛生與熱帶醫藥學院(London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)的新生兒學家、上述研究的團隊領導者勞恩(Joy Lawn)說，在這個發育期，女孩都領先男孩一點，女孩比男孩更早會走路，比男孩更早會說話，而在母親的子宮內情況也是如此。

'And for babies born before 37 weeks, which researchers call preterm, 'being even a little bit more mature brings an advantage,' Dr. Lawn said.

'勞恩說，對於懷孕37周之前出生的嬰兒來說，就算多成熟那麼一點點也是一個優勢。研究人員將37周之前出生的嬰兒稱爲早產兒。

'The research, funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, involved 50 researchers in 35 institutions. It found that despite progress in many countries, about 15 million babies are born preterm world-wide each year, out of around 135 million total births.

'來自35家研究機構的50名研究人員參與了這項由比爾及梅林達・蓋茨基金會(Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)提供資金的研究。研究發現，儘管很多國家都有進步，全球每年出生的1.35億名嬰兒中，仍有1,500萬名嬰兒早產。

'More than one million babies die due to prematurity, and an estimated three-quarters of those babies could have been saved with even modest interventions such as antibiotics. Babies born before 37 weeks are 10 times as likely to die in low-income countries than in high-income countries, the research found.

'每年有逾100萬名嬰兒死於早產，而據估計，即便是最簡單的干預（比如使用抗生素）也能令其中四分之三的嬰兒獲救。研究發現，相比之下，低收入國家的早產兒的死亡風險是高收入國家的早產兒的10倍。

'Disabilities related to prematurity, including blindness, cerebral palsy and brain damage linked to breathing problems, are responsible for nearly 10% of the global burden of disease all around the world, the studies found.

'上述研究發現，與早產相關的殘障，包括失明、腦性麻 以及呼吸問題相關的腦損傷，幾乎佔全球疾病總量的10%。

'For boy babies, addressing the higher risks they face is difficult because scientists are still trying to understand what makes them more vulnerable.

'對男嬰來說，應對他們面臨的較高風險這一問題非常困難，因爲科學家們仍在試圖理解，是什麼原因讓他們比女嬰更容易受到傷害。

''Boys face a triple whammy,' said Dr. Lawn. 'They are more likely to be born preterm, and if they are, they have a greater risk of death, disability or blindness. And even when they are full term, they have a higher risk of birth complications such as jaundice and infection.'

'勞恩說，男孩面臨着三重魔咒：他們更有可能早產，而且如果早產，死亡、殘障或失明的風險更高；而且即便他們沒有早產，出現黃疸和感染等併發症的風險也更高。

'Separate new research from Scandinavia suggests that women carrying boys have a higher rate of problems in the placenta -- the sacks that surrounds and nourishes fetuses, Dr. Lawn said.

'勞恩說，斯堪的納維亞地區進行的其他新研究表明，懷男胎的孕婦胎盤出現問題的可能性更高。胎盤包裹着胎兒，爲胎兒提供營養。

'One theory is that some mothers mount an autoimmune response to male tissue, which creates inflammation in the placenta and compromises its ability to deliver oxygen and nutrition to the fetus, according to Marianne Legato, founder of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine in New York, who wasn't involved in the new research.

'紐約“性別特異性醫學基金會”(Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine)的創始人萊加託(Marianne Legato)說，一種理論認爲，一些母親會針對男性組織啓動自動免疫反應，這會刺激胎盤發炎，損害其向胎兒輸送氧氣和營養的能力。萊加託沒有參與這項新研究。

'Male hormones known as androgens may also delay lung maturation. Two-thirds of fetuses with immature lung development are male, writes Dr. Legato in her 2008 book, 'Why Men Die First.'

'萊加託在她2008年出版的書《男人爲什麼先死》(Why Men Die First)中寫道，雄激素也可能延緩肺的成熟過程。肺發育不成熟的胎兒有三分之二是男性。

'Nearly twice as many boy babies are conceived as girls, but they are much more likely to miscarry, and by birth, the ratio is roughly 105 boys to 100 girls.

'在受孕階段，男嬰的數量差不多是女嬰的兩倍，但男嬰的流產率要高得多，而到生產的時候，男女嬰的比例大致是105 ：100。

' Most boys do catch up, and in some societies girls are more likely to die after the first few months of life because they get less attention and medical care, the study authors note.

'研究的作者們還指出，誠然，大多數男孩後來都會跟上，而且在某些社羣中，女嬰在出生後最初的幾個月裏死亡的可能性更高，因爲女嬰得到的照顧和醫療護理更少。

'That men eventually grow bigger and stronger than women 'is probably evolutionary,' adds Dr. Legato. 'The genes that create higher height and stronger muscle are favored in terms of survival.'

'萊加託補充說，最終男性體型更大、更強壯這一事實可能是演化的結果，從存活的角度來說，能夠導致更大體重、更強壯的肌肉的基因會被優先選擇。

'The release of the new research, timed to coincide with World Prematurity Day on Sunday, is part of an effort by more than 50 organizations to combat premature birth.

'這份新研究的發佈時機正好趕在11月17日的世界早產日(World Prematurity Day)之前，是逾50個組織爲了對抗早產兒進行的努力的一部分。

'In the meantime, says Edward McCabe, chief medical officer of the March of Dimes, 'the key thing is to provide the best possible care-for boys and girls.'

'慈善組織March of Dimes的首席醫療長麥凱布(Edward McCabe)說，與此同時，最關鍵的是儘可能提供最好的照料，不管是男孩還是女孩。