精子生命大赛跑（2009）

从人的角度来看，这是一个非常愉快的过程
But let’s think about it from the point of view of the sperm.
但是我们从精♥子♥的角度来看
EERIE MUSIC
阴森恐怖的音乐
250 million genetic couriers are about to invade Emily’s body.
250万个遗传信使将进入Emily的身体
Within minutes most of them will be dead.
几分钟内，它们中的大多数将死亡
精♥子♥生命大赛跑
Millions of Glen’s sperm have just entered Emily.
Glen数以百万计的精♥子♥刚刚进入Emily
They are embarking on an epic quest to find and fertilise an egg.
它们正进行史诗般的旅程，寻找卵子受精
ALL: Arghhhh!
There can be only one winner
只有一个赢家
but what chance does an average sperm have of succeeding,
但是每个精♥子♥成功的机会都是均等的
and is there anything Glen can do to help his sperm along?
那么Glen可以做什么来帮助他的精♥子♥成功呢
To find out, we need to look more closely at the state of our seed,
为找到答案，我们需要更密切的关注我们精♥子♥的状态
a ritual men like Dr Allan Pacey have performed on themselves
Allan Pacey博士喜欢观察它们
since the invention of the microscope.
自显微镜发明以来
I was in my mid-20s and I was a researcher
在我20多岁的时候我还是个研究员之前
before I plucked up the courage
我鼓起勇气
to produce a sample of my own semen and look down the microscope.
收集了自己的精♥液♥样本，然后在显微镜里观察
I remember the first time,looking down a microscope,
我记得我第一次从显微镜里看精♥子♥的时候
I was just blown away.I almost fell off my chair.
我被震惊了，都快从椅子上掉下来了
I remember having to walk around the lab and go back
我记得我绕着实验室来回
and look down the microscope again.
“Has that really come from me?”
继续从显微镜里观察
“这真的是从我身体里来的吗？”
It was just an incredible sight.
这是一个让人难以置信的景象
The incredible sight of the sperm cell was officially discovered
精♥子♥细胞不可思议的景象
in 1677 by a Dutchman called Antoine van Leeuwenhoek.
是荷兰人Antoine van Leeuwenhoe在1677年发现的
The godfather of microbiology,
微生物学教父
Leeuwenhoek built some of the earliest microscopes,
列文虎克造出了最早的显微镜
offering him the first,if slightly unclear image,
开始他提供图像并不清晰
of what he called animalcules,which he theorised
他把看到的叫微生物
contained the nucleus of a human
包含了人类的细胞核
and had a tail equipped with joints,tendons and muscles.
并有一条包含关节，肌腱和肌肉的尾巴
Later, other early microbiologists believed they could see
后来，其他早期的微生物学家声称它们看到了
tiny fully-formed people stuffed into each sperm head.
在每个精♥子♥头部里有微小的完全形成的人
Modern scientists, of course,have a much clearer view.
当然现代科学家有更清晰的看法
But they might wish they didn’t
但是它们没有看到所想象的
because thanks to the quantity over quality nature of sperm production,
因为多亏了自然产生的精♥子♥数量超过质量
a long, hard look at anaverage ejaculate today
如今漫长，艰难的射♥精♥过程
gives us the first clues as to why men need so many sperm.
给我们第一条线索：男人为什么需要那么多精♥子♥
Of the many millions of sperm that are ejaculated,
数以百计的精♥子♥被射出
we’ve got a huge range of different types.
我们已经收集了不同类型的精♥子♥
If we were to look at them down a microscope, you would see some sperm
如果我们用显微镜来观察，你会看到一些精♥子♥
that were hardly moving at all, just twitching,
几乎没有移♥动♥，只是抽动
or some sperm that would appear dead and may well indeed be dead.
或者一些精♥子♥会出现死亡，可能确实是死亡了
If you looked at their shape yo would see sperm with large heads,
如果你看它们的形状你会看到大头的精♥子♥
you’d see sperm with small heads,you may see sperm with two heads.
你可能看到头小的精♥子♥，也可能看到两个脑袋的精♥子♥
In an average fertile man,
在平均能生育的男人中
only 18, 19, 20% maximum of his spermwill have a nice size and shape.
最多只有18,19,20%的精♥子♥有很好的大小和形状
The rest, the other 80%, really aren’t gonna get anywhere at all.
其余的80%的精♥子♥会原地不动
To succeed in the race,sperm must be as fresh
为了在比赛中取胜，精♥子♥必须足够的新鲜
and numerous as possible.
足够的数量
Any older ones won’t make it past the starting blocks.
任何不良的精♥子♥都不会让它通过起跑点
And as they decay,they will release substances
因为它们死亡后降释放物质
that can actually harm younger sperm.
实际上会伤害年轻的精♥子♥
What is inappropriate is the fact that the man may be denied by his
这个不合适是男人被妻子拒绝的事实
wife from ejaculating for three weeks prior to the fertile window in this
从射♥精♥前三个星期，通过这个奇特的方式
bizarre thought that they’re gonna be
它们会生成超级精♥子♥
super sperm and huge numbers of them.
That would be the wrong thing to do.
超级数量的精♥子♥，这将是错误的做法
So is the right thing to do to ejaculate as often as possible?
所以正确的事是尽可能经常射♥精♥吗
Apparently not.
显然不是
If a man is ejaculating too frequently, then the sperm production
如果一个男人过于频繁的射♥精♥
process and the sperm stores simply won’t contain enough sperm.
根本就没有产生和储存足够多的精♥子♥
So just how regularly should a couple have sex to make sure
那么一对夫妻应该如何定期发生性关系
his sperm are match-fit?
以确保他的精♥子♥合适呢
If a couple is having intercourse
如果一对夫妇发生性关系为
every two or three days throughout he month,
每一个月2到3天
then they will hit the fertile window at some point, and their
然后在某时候他们将到达可育
probability of conception is probably as good as it could be.
他们受孕的概率比较高
Now, ready or not, Glen’s sperm begin their quest for conception
现在，准备好了，Glen的精♥子♥开始它们的受孕
in the vagina.
在阴♥道♥里
Their objective,to find the entrance to the cervix,
它们的目标是到子♥宫♥颈找到入口
high above them at the vagina’s farthest reaches.
高过它们所能到达阴♥道♥的最远处
From the perspective of a sperm,
从一个精♥子♥的角度来看
the vagina is like avas mountain range.
女性的阴♥道♥就像是征服山脉
It’s an enormous and awe-inspiring place.
这是个巨大，令人惊叹的地方
Five miles deep and two miles wide,
4英里深，2英里宽
flanked with vast vaginal walls up to one mile high.
两侧巨大的阴♥道♥壁有1英里高
Leaving the thick semen armour that protected them for landing,
保护它们的是厚厚的犹如装甲般的精♥液♥
it’s time for Glen’s sperm to make a break for the cervix.
当Glen精♥子♥在宫颈处休息的时候
The great advance has begun.
伟大的向前已经开始了
But it’s not just the epic terrain in the vagina or even
但不只阴♥道♥内险要的地形
their own physical failings that now pose a mortal threat to sperm.
现在甚至自己身体缺陷也对精♥子♥构成致命威胁
Everything in the vagina is working against sperm’s survival.
阴♥道♥内的所以东西都在阻止精♥子♥的生存
There’s only a matter of minutes between sperm’s arrival
从精♥子♥到来和潜在的死亡之间
and potential death.
只有几分钟的时间
Sperm face attack from every angle.
精♥子♥面对各个角度的攻击
The use of intimate lubricants and even saliva here can render
使用亲密的润滑剂，甚至唾液
a sperm lifeless in minutes.
都会使一个精♥子♥在几分钟内死亡
Worst of all, thanks to the female immune system, the vagina is coated
最糟的是，由于女性的免疫系统，阴♥道♥内全是
with deadly acid.
致命酸
The acids are there to kill any invading force,
酸可以杀死任何入侵者
and I think that’s a really important point to recognise.
我认为这是一个非常重要的认识观点
Cos as far as the female is concerned,
对女性而言
sperm are an invading force.
精♥子♥是入侵者
They’re foreign cells.They could be there to cause damage,
它们是外来细胞，它们可能会造成损坏
they could be there to spread infections.
它们可能会在那里传播感染
They’re foreign cells to her,
对她来说它们是外来细胞
and as far as her immune system is concerned, they need to be destroyed.
而对她的免疫系统而言，它们必须摧毁
Within 30 minutes of entering the vagina, over 99% of sperm
在30分钟内，进入阴♥道♥超过99%的精♥子♥
will be dead or dying.
会死亡或濒临死亡
For our sperm people,it would be a scene of devastation.
对于我们的精♥子♥人，这将是一个巨大的灾难场景
A few million survivors press on into the dark side of the vagina.
几百万幸存者到达阴♥道♥黑暗的一面
Desperate to somehow escape death by reaching the cervix high above them.
不顾一切的以各种方式到达宫颈的高处逃过死亡
But the entrance is out of reach.
但是入口是遥不可及的
Now, to avoid total annihilation,
现在，为了避免横扫千军
Emily’s body needs to come to the rescue.
Emily的身体需要施以援手
To understand how, meet Zita West.
我们请到Zita West帮助理解怎样做
Zita is a midwife who specialises in helping couples conceive
Zita是帮助夫妇怀孕的助产士
using natural methods.
使用自然的方法
And she knows the odds of any sperm at making it past the vagina
她知道任何精♥子♥在通过阴♥道♥生还的几率
are slim at best.
是最渺茫的
For most of the month, these sperm aren’t going anywhere, you know?
对于大多数月份，这些精♥子♥几乎不动，你知道吗
The female body isn’t allowing them to.
女性的身体是不会让它们进入的
Her cervix will be shut and there will be a plug of mucus there
她的子♥宫♥颈会关闭，届时这里将有黏液塞住
that’s stopping any sperm getting through.
阻止任何的精♥子♥通过
But there will be an opportunity when a lifeline is given to enable
但是实际上会有机会为精♥子♥
the sperm to actually reach the egg.
提供生命线使其到达卵子处
And that lifeline is the egg itself.
这条生命线就是卵子本身
The cervix is usually sealed to protect the inside of the body
宫颈通常是密封的，以保护身体内部
from anything nasty.
防止发生任何危害
But as ovulation approaches,oestrogen surges through the female
但是随着排卵期的临近，通过女性身体的雌激素激增
body, causing the body’s mucus to undergo a radical transformation.
造成身体的黏液接受一个彻底转变
So this is what the sperm will be hoping for, it’s the same consistency
因此这就是精♥子♥的希望，这是相同的
as cervical secretions.
和宫颈的分泌物
And these secretions will be coming from the cervix into the vagina,
这些分泌物将从宫颈进入阴♥道♥
forming channels for the sperm to be able to swim up.
为精♥子♥的游泳提供了渠道
Now, these secretions are alkaline and they contain salts and sugars
现在，这些分泌物是碱性的，含有盐和糖
which will nourish the sperm and give them energy on their journey.
将滋养精♥子♥，为它们的旅途提供能量
This is the first sort of fitness test, if you like, for the sperm.
如果你喜欢，这是为精♥子♥进行的第一类体能测试
Not all the sperm will be able to swim up here.
并不是所以的精♥子♥都可以在这里游泳
It will depend on the healthiest, the fittest, the fastest swimmers.
这将取决于最健康，最合适，游泳最快的