男性胎儿在孕期比女性胎儿面临更多危险

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.

'一项新的全球范围的研究发现，男孩的早产几率比女孩高14%，而且孕龄相同的情况下，男孩的死亡风险和出现并发症的危险也更高，因为女孩在子宫内发育的更快。

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

'《儿科研究》(Pediatric Research)杂志近日发表的六项研究的结果首次将新生儿学家长期观察到的现象进行量化。

''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.

'伦敦卫生与热带医药学院(London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)的新生儿学家、上述研究的团队领导者劳恩(Joy Lawn)说，在这个发育期，女孩都领先男孩一点，女孩比男孩更早会走路，比男孩更早会说话，而在母亲的子宫内情况也是如此。

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

'劳恩说，对于怀孕37周之前出生的婴儿来说，就算多成熟那么一点点也是一个优势。研究人员将37周之前出生的婴儿称为早产儿。

'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.

'来自35家研究机构的50名研究人员参与了这项由比尔及梅林达・盖茨基金会(Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)提供资金的研究。研究发现，尽管很多国家都有进步，全球每年出生的1.35亿名婴儿中，仍有1,500万名婴儿早产。

'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100万名婴儿死于早产，而据估计，即便是最简单的干预（比如使用抗生素）也能令其中四分之三的婴儿获救。研究发现，相比之下，低收入国家的早产儿的死亡风险是高收入国家的早产儿的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.

'上述研究发现，与早产相关的残障，包括失明、脑性麻 以及呼吸问题相关的脑损伤，几乎占全球疾病总量的10%。

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

'对男婴来说，应对他们面临的较高风险这一问题非常困难，因为科学家们仍在试图理解，是什么原因让他们比女婴更容易受到伤害。

''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.'

'劳恩说，男孩面临着三重魔咒：他们更有可能早产，而且如果早产，死亡、残障或失明的风险更高；而且即便他们没有早产，出现黄疸和感染等并发症的风险也更高。

'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.

'劳恩说，斯堪的纳维亚地区进行的其他新研究表明，怀男胎的孕妇胎盘出现问题的可能性更高。胎盘包裹着胎儿，为胎儿提供营养。

'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.

'纽约“性别特异性医学基金会”(Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine)的创始人莱加托(Marianne Legato)说，一种理论认为，一些母亲会针对男性组织启动自动免疫反应，这会刺激胎盘发炎，损害其向胎儿输送氧气和营养的能力。莱加托没有参与这项新研究。

'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.'

'莱加托在她2008年出版的书《男人为什么先死》(Why Men Die First)中写道，雄激素也可能延缓肺的成熟过程。肺发育不成熟的胎儿有三分之二是男性。

'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.

'在受孕阶段，男婴的数量差不多是女婴的两倍，但男婴的流产率要高得多，而到生产的时候，男女婴的比例大致是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.

'研究的作者们还指出，诚然，大多数男孩后来都会跟上，而且在某些社群中，女婴在出生后最初的几个月里死亡的可能性更高，因为女婴得到的照顾和医疗护理更少。

'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.'

'莱加托补充说，最终男性体型更大、更强壮这一事实可能是演化的结果，从存活的角度来说，能够导致更大体重、更强壮的肌肉的基因会被优先选择。

'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.

'这份新研究的发布时机正好赶在11月17日的世界早产日(World Prematurity Day)之前，是逾50个组织为了对抗早产儿进行的努力的一部分。

'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.'

'慈善组织March of Dimes的首席医疗长麦凯布(Edward McCabe)说，与此同时，最关键的是尽可能提供最好的照料，不管是男孩还是女孩。