健康小貼士：揭秘「最佳生育年齡」(雙語)

For women who want to have children, planning the right time is a difficult decision. In recent years, many women have opted to put off having kids until their late 20s and well into their 30s — focusing on finishing school, building their careers, traveling, and maybe even paying down their student loans before taking the leap into parenthood. Statistics show that women are waiting longer and longer to have kids — the current average age of first-time moms is up to 26.3, up from 24.9 just 15 years ago.

　　對於想要孩子的女性來說，合適的時間是一個艱難的決定。近年來，很多女性選擇在20歲末甚至30多歲才要孩子，主要原因是她們忙於完成學業、發展職業生涯、旅行、甚至選擇在為人父母之前償還助學貸款。數據表明，女性的生育年齡越來越晚——生第一胎的平均年齡從15年前的24.9歲上升到現在的是26.3歲。

　　The choice to have children is extremely personal and of course there』s no wrong answer when it comes to being ready to be a mom. But according to Dr. Gillian Lockwood, medical director at the Midland Fertility Clinic in the UK, there is an ideal age when our bodies are best suited to pregnancy. Can you guess what it is?

　　要孩子的選擇是一個非常私人的話題，選擇什麼時候做母親都沒有錯。但是英國米德蘭生育診所的醫學主任Gillian Lockwood表示，我們的身體有一個最佳的生育年齡。你能猜到是多少歲嗎？

　　I』ll give you a hint: it』s when many of us have a quarter-life crisis. Also: when it finally becomes affordable to rent a car.

　　提醒一下：最佳的生育年齡是在大多數人的「青年危機」時，也是我們終於能租得起車的時候。

　　Yep. According to Lockwood, the ideal age to get pregnant is 25.

　　Lockwood表示，是的，最佳的生育年齡是25歲。

　　Unfortunately, says Dr. Lockwood, it』s also the age when motherhood is low on many women』s list of priorities. She explained in the Evening Standard:

　　Lockwood醫生說，不幸的是，對很多25歲的女性來說，成為母親並不在她們的優先任務清單上面。Lockwood醫生在《倫敦標準晚報》上解釋說：

　　「Age 25 is exactly the time when today』s young women have left university, are trying to get off on a good career, trying to pay back their student loans, trying to find someone who wants to have babies with them and trying to get on the housing ladder.」

　　「25歲的當代年輕女性剛剛大學畢業，事業起步，忙於償還助學貸款，找男朋友，努力買房。」

　　Dr. Lockwood also had some harsh words about fertility treatments being marketed as a viable option to women over 40. 「The bleak reality is that the chance of IVF working with your own eggs once you are 40 is absolutely abysmal,」 she said. 「Would we let, yet alone encourage, patients to pay for an elective operation with a less than five percent chance of working?」 While that may be Dr. Lockwood』s opinion, plenty of wannabe parents may be happy to take those chances.
Lockwood醫生還批判了向40多歲女性推銷不孕療法的行為。「事實很殘酷，如果你超過了40歲，用卵子進行體外受精的成功幾率非常低，」她說。「誰會允許甚至鼓勵病人做成功幾率低於5%的擇期手術？」這是Lockwood醫生的觀點，但仍有很多想要孩子的父母很願意抓住這些機會。

　　It』s worth reiterating that there are so many factors that inform the choice to have kids and only you can decide when — and IF — you want to become a mother. Whether you choose to have kids at 20, 30, 40, or beyond; biologically, through a surrogate, or via adoption, always listen to your own body and make the decision that makes sense for your own life. You know what』s right for you.

　　特彆強調的是，很多因素會影響要孩子的時間，只有你自己可以決定是否想成為一位母親。不管你是在20歲、30歲、40歲甚至更大的年齡要孩子，是自己生、代孕還是收養，你都要聽從自己的身體，做出對生活有意義的選擇。你知道什麼是最適合自己的。