It's never been proven.

這一點從未得到證實。

So there's no such thing as cycle syncing.

是以不存在循環同步。

Another myth that I hear is the menstrual cycle is a way to release toxins from the body.

我聽到的另一個說法是，月經週期是釋放體內毒素的一種方式。

Well, if we needed the menstrual cycle to get rid of toxins, then I have bad news for women in menopause and all of men, right?

好吧，如果我們需要月經週期來排出毒素，那麼我有一個壞消息要告訴更年期婦女和所有男人，對嗎？

Humans don't actually have toxins and the menstrual cycle doesn't remove things from our body in the same way that the liver and the kidneys do.

人類實際上並沒有毒素，月經週期也不會像肝臟和腎臟那樣將毒素排出體外。

It's a myth that just needs to die.

這是一個必須消亡的神話。

Historically, education about the menstrual cycle has been dismal.

一直以來，有關月經週期的教育都很糟糕。

It's all framed in context of pregnancy and preventing pregnancy, as opposed to about the menstrual cycle and what it means for a person's body.

與月經週期以及月經週期對人的身體的意義相比，這一切都是以懷孕和預防懷孕為背景的。

If we can't talk about it, if we can't share knowledge about it, then the implication is that it doesn't matter.

如果我們不能談論它，如果我們不能分享有關它的知識，那麼這就意味著它並不重要。

But we know that the menstrual cycle has a significant impact on the half the population that has it.

但我們知道，月經週期對一半人口的影響很大。

We want people to know how much blood is too much, how much pain is a concern, has your period started too late?

我們希望人們知道，多少血算多，多少痛算嚴重，月經來得太晚了嗎？

All these things are important to know about so you can advocate for yourself.

瞭解所有這些情況非常重要，這樣您就可以為自己爭取權益。

If you have a menstrual cycle, if you love someone who has a menstrual cycle, and I know that you came from someone who had a menstrual cycle, you should want everybody to be able to access the same level of care.

如果你有月經週期，如果你愛的人有月經週期，而且我知道你來自有月經週期的人，你應該希望每個人都能獲得同樣水準的護理。

Hi, my name's Dr. Jen Gunter.

你好，我是珍-岡特博士。

I'm a San Francisco Bay Area OBGYN and author and health communicator.

我是舊金山灣區的一名婦產科醫生，也是一名作家和健康傳播者。

And my latest book is

我的新書是

Blood, the Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation.

血，月經的科學、醫學和神話。

Relatively few mammals menstruate.

有月經的哺乳動物相對較少。

So there's humans and some great apes.

是以，這裡有人類和一些類人猿。

There are some bats.

有一些蝙蝠。

There is the spiny mouse and the elephant shrew.

還有刺鼠和象鼩鼱。

So it's kind of like this motley crew is species.

所以說，這群雜牌軍就像是物種。

Every other mammal has an estrous cycle, which is a little different.

其他哺乳動物都有發情週期，這一點有些不同。

The word menstruation comes from both a Latin and a Greek root, and it's for the word for monthlies, or a monthly occurrence.

月經一詞源於拉丁語和希臘語，是 "月經 "或 "每月一次 "的意思。

And so it reflects the idea that the menstrual period was expected to come about once a month, like the moon.

是以，它反映了人們希望月經像月亮一樣每月來一次的想法。

Many people have historically believed that the menstrual cycle was every 28 days.

許多人歷來認為月經週期是每 28 天一次。

There really is no scientific proof for that.

這確實沒有科學依據。

It might be an average at some ages, but there's actually quite a bit of variation, even cycle to cycle.

這可能是某些年齡段的平均值，但實際上變化很大，甚至是週期與週期之間的變化。

So it could be very normal for you to have a 26-day cycle for one cycle, and then the next one, it'd be 32 days.

是以，一個週期為 26 天，而下一個週期為 32 天，這對你來說是很正常的。

A menstrual cycle means that the lining of the uterus has undergone a change called decidualization.

月經週期意味著子宮內膜發生了名為蛻膜化的變化。

So the beginning of the cycle starts actually with the first day of bleeding.

是以，週期的開始實際上是從出血的第一天開始的。

And for humans, that happens after ovulation occurs, and is due to the release of progesterone.

對人類來說，這發生在排卵之後，是由於黃體酮的釋放。

Decidualization is a real physical change in the tissue.

蛻膜化是組織中真實的物理變化。

And if you wanna think about the decidua as kind of like a catcher's mitt in the uterus, it's all prepared and ready for an embryo.

如果你把蛻膜想象成子宮裡的捕手手套，它已經為胚胎做好了一切準備。

If there's no decidualization, implantation can't occur.

如果沒有蛻膜化，就無法進行植入。

When you have an estrous cycle, the trigger comes from the embryo itself.

當您進入發情週期時，觸發器來自胚胎本身。

So you don't have to have that catcher's mitt waiting there.

這樣，你就不用帶著捕手手套等在那裡了。

One analogy that I often use is with humans, it's like the restaurant's making a dish, whether or not you show up, it's gonna be made.

我經常用一個比喻來形容人類，就好像餐廳在做一道菜，不管你來不來，這道菜都會做好。

But with estrous, it's only making the dish if it's been ordered.

但對於雌性來說，只有點了菜，才能做這道菜。

Humans have an incredibly invasive placenta that has to be handled, or it could grow through the uterus and cause problems.

人類的胎盤具有極強的侵襲性，必須加以處理，否則它可能會穿過子宮生長，造成問題。

So humans have evolved to deal with that.

是以，人類已經進化到可以應對這種情況。

In addition, the decidua actually senses embryo fitness and is part of regulating which pregnancies actually take and which are incredibly early miscarriages.

此外，蛻膜實際上還能感知胚胎的健康狀況，並能調節哪些是真正的懷孕，哪些是令人難以置信的早期流產。

So what happens when you don't get pregnant in a cycle is that you have this big, thick tissue that's got nowhere to go.

是以，當你在一個週期內沒有懷孕時，就會出現這樣的情況：你有一個又大又厚的組織無處可去。

It can't be reabsorbed by the body.

它不能被人體重新吸收。

And so menstruation involves chemical changes that cleave the decidua from the uterus, opening up blood vessels that then push that fluid out with the decidua, the tissue, and then the cycle can start anew.

是以，月經是通過化學變化將蛻膜從子宮中剝離出來，打開血管，然後將液體和蛻膜、組織一起排出體外，然後新的週期就可以開始了。

There is this romanticization about nature, that nature has everything perfect.

人們對大自然充滿了浪漫情懷，認為大自然擁有完美的一切。

And I think that nature's motto is probably best summed up as just good enough, right?

我認為，大自然的座右銘最好概括為 "夠用就好"，對嗎？

You're half-dressed and slap your on the back and push you out the door, you're just good enough, gone, going out into the world.

你只穿了半件衣服，他們就會拍拍你的後背，把你推出門外，你就這麼乖乖地走了，走向了外面的世界。

Because evolution doesn't care about an individual person's suffering.

因為進化論並不關心個人的痛苦。

It cares, is this design going to work enough to perpetuate the species?

它關心的是，這種設計是否足以讓物種延續下去？

I often think that this is another reason for everybody to know about menstruation, because the pain and the problems associated with perpetuating the species have been uniquely born by half the population.

我常常想，這也是每個人都應該瞭解月經的另一個原因，因為與延續物種相關的痛苦和問題已經由一半人口獨特地承擔了。

There are a constellation of negative symptoms that can be associated with the menstrual cycle.

月經週期會帶來一系列負面症狀。

Premenstrual syndrome is a constellation of symptoms that happen only in the luteal phase, so after ovulation.

經前期綜合徵是指在黃體期（即排卵期之後）才會出現的一系列症狀。

And those can include breast tenderness, moodiness, feeling of hopelessness or anhedonia, and food cravings, which are really very common.

這些症狀包括乳房脹痛、情緒低落、無望感或厭食症，以及對食物的渴望，這些都是非常常見的症狀。

People can also get menstrual diarrhea, which again happens at the same time, either right before or during the menstrual cycle.

經期腹瀉也可能發生在月經週期之前或期間。

There's also pain that can happen with ovulation, which is middle schmerz, which we believe is actually more related to a muscle spasm that's triggered by the chemicals that are released with ovulation.

排卵時還會出現疼痛，即中度疼痛，我們認為這實際上與排卵時釋放的化學物質引發的肌肉痙攣有很大關係。

Then there are menstrual cramps, and those can vary in significance from being mild to being incredibly severe.

還有痛經，其程度從輕微到異常嚴重不等。

To put it in perspective, the amount of pressure generated when someone has menstrual cramps can be the same as the pressure generated in labor when you're pushing.

從這個角度來看，痛經時產生的壓力相當於分娩時用力產生的壓力。

And I'll add that some people have equated the pain in labor as equivalent to cutting a finger off without an anesthetic.

我還要補充一點，有些人把分娩時的疼痛等同於在沒有麻醉劑的情況下切斷手指。

We think that menstrual cramps exist as a part of the mechanism to stop bleeding.

我們認為，痛經是止血機制的一部分。

And among those chemicals that are produced are substances called prostaglandins.

在這些產生的化學物質中，有一種叫做前列腺素的物質。

Prostaglandins trigger pain.

前列腺素會引發疼痛。

They also trigger the uterus to contract.

它們還會引發子宮收縮。

So you have all this chemical soup to stop the bleeding.

所以就有了這些化學湯劑來止血。

You have things that cause vasospasms that cause those blood vessels to contract down.

血管痙攣會導致血管收縮。

The uterus cramps down in the same way that you put pressure on a wound to stop bleeding.

子宮收縮的原理與壓迫傷口止血的原理相同。

Cramping itself is painful.

抽筋本身就是一種痛苦。

The reduction in blood flow is painful.

血流減少會帶來疼痛。

And some of the chemicals that are reduced can also affect pain thresholds.

一些化學物質的減少也會影響疼痛閾值。

One of the most common treatments for menstrual pain are taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that we also call NSAIDs.

治療痛經最常見的方法之一是服用非甾體類消炎藥，也就是我們常說的非甾體抗炎藥。

And what these drugs do are they block prostaglandins.

這些藥物的作用是阻斷前列腺素。

However, when they don't help, that could be a sign there's something else causing your pain like endometriosis.

但是，如果這些藥沒有用，就可能是子宮內膜異位症等其他疾病引起疼痛的信號。

But also for some people, they just don't work well.

但對有些人來說，它們的效果並不好。

And we don't really understand why that is.

我們也不太明白這是為什麼。

But that is an evidence-based approach to treating menstrual pain, taking medications that block prostaglandins.

但這是一種以證據為基礎的治療痛經的方法，即服用阻斷前列腺素的藥物。

Prostaglandin seems like a troublemaker.

前列腺素似乎是個麻煩製造者。

Yeah, prostaglandin's my old foe.

是啊，前列腺素是我的老對手了。

But prostaglandins are important in our body in all different kinds of ways.

但是，前列腺素對我們的身體有各種不同的重要作用。

It's not just a menstrual cycle-related chemical.

這不僅僅是一種與月經週期有關的化學物質。

But we do think as far as menstrual pain and menstrual diarrhea, that they are the big troublemakers.

但我們確實認為，就痛經和經期腹瀉而言，它們是最大的麻煩製造者。

People use apps for their menstrual cycle in a couple of different ways.

人們通過幾種不同的方式來使用月經週期應用程序。

They may use them just as a tracker to see kind of what's going on.

他們可能只是把它們當作跟蹤器，看看發生了什麼事。

And they may also use them as part of a fertility awareness method.

他們還可能將其作為提高生育意識方法的一部分。

There's also a lot of talk on social media about athletes using their menstrual cycle to optimize performance.

社交媒體上也有很多關於運動員利用月經週期優化表現的討論。

And none of that is really grounded in good science.

而這些都沒有真正的科學依據。

There is no robust data there at all to support that.

根本沒有有力的數據支持這種說法。

Now, it is true that if you're trying to optimize your physical fitness, there may be times of the month where, for example, if your breasts hurt, you might not want to do upper body working, right?

現在，如果你想優化你的體能，每個月可能會有一些時候，比如，如果你的乳房疼痛，你可能不想做上肢運動，對嗎？

So you're listening to your body.

所以，你要傾聽自己身體的聲音。

Those are kind of intuitive.

這些都很直觀。

You don't need an app to tell you that.

你不需要一個應用程序來告訴你這些。

One of the issues, especially with menstrual tracking apps, is many of them can be quite inaccurate.

其中一個問題是，特別是月經跟蹤應用程序，很多都可能很不準確。

And there was a study where they looked at women who had tracked their cycles.

有一項研究，他們對那些跟蹤自己生理週期的女性進行了調查。

And what happened was when their period didn't come when the app predicted, the women blamed their bodies as opposed to blaming the app for being incorrect with the prediction, meaning the app made you less informed about your body than more informed.

結果是，當她們的月經沒有在應用程序預測的時間到來時，婦女們會責怪自己的身體，而不是責怪應用程序的預測不正確，這意味著應用程序讓你更不瞭解自己的身體，而不是讓你更瞭解自己的身體。

Also, there is a dark side of apps, whether you're using them to just track your cycle or if you're using them as part of a fertility awareness method, and that your data may not be secure.

此外，無論您只是將應用程序用於跟蹤您的生理週期，還是將其作為提高生育意識方法的一部分，應用程序都有其陰暗的一面，那就是您的數據可能並不安全。

And there is definitely a concern when you live in areas where not only is abortion illegal, but people who have miscarriages are prosecuted as having abortions, that this data could be abused.

在一些地區，墮胎不僅是非法的，而且流產的人還會被當作墮胎者起訴，在這種情況下，人們肯定會擔心這些數據會被濫用。

I don't think it's a stretch that in some places, this kind of data could lead to all kinds of problems down the road.

我認為，在某些地方，這種數據可能會導致各種問題。

So people just need to be very mindful about where we're going.

是以，人們需要對我們的發展方向保持高度警惕。

Ignorance about the menstrual cycle is clearly very common, even amongst medical providers.

對月經週期的無知顯然非常普遍，甚至在醫療服務提供者中也是如此。

Weaponizing this ignorance is becoming law.

將這種無知武器化正在成為法律。

And these are really troubling times.

這真是一個令人不安的時代。

This is when people need to actually know the facts so they can speak up, because we are definitely seeing a shift towards viewing women solely as breeders and that your life has less value than your role as basically carrying a pregnancy.

這時候，人們需要真正瞭解事實，這樣他們才能大聲疾呼，因為我們肯定看到了一種轉變，那就是把婦女僅僅看作是生育者，你的生命價值低於你的作用，基本上就是懷胎十月。

I don't think we can sound enough alarms about that.

我認為，我們應該對此敲響足夠的警鐘。