日本妇女很少服用避孕药.doc

日本妇女很少服用避孕药.doc 14 日本妇女很少服用避孕药 Few Women Use the Birth Control 1)Pill in Japan Amy Bickers Tokyo 20 Jun 2001 09:57 UTC Two years after Japan's government 2)legalized the sale of the birth control pill, few women are taking it. Health experts say that concerns over possible side effects and other 3)obstacles have 4)dampened the pill's popularity. In Japan, the birth control pill was approved for use two years ago 5)amid great publicity. Japan 6)lagged decades behind other industrialized nations and only acted after its approval of the new 7)anti-impotence drug Viagra sparked angry complaints that women's sexual and health needs were being 8)sidelined. But the pill, which prevents 9)pregnancy through the use of 10)synthetic 11)hormones, is far from a hit in Japan. A recent poll conducted by the 12)Mainichi newspaper indicates that less than two-percent of adult Japanese women use it compared to 15 percent in the United States. So why aren't women here using it? Masako Byrd is a 34-year old 13)Tokyo housewife. Like the majority of Japanese women, she says "she is fearful of how the pill would affect her health and its potential side effects." Kunio Kitamura is a 14)gynecologist at Japan's Family Planning Association in Tokyo. He says that some physicians have a deep-rooted bias against this and other drugs which change the body's hormone balance. He says "some specialists still have misconceptions about the pill, and they are reluctant to 15)prescribe it." The 16)contraceptive pill was introduced in many countries nearly 40 years ago after being 17)deemed generally safe. In fact, medical studies show that while some versions of the pill may have some 18)unwanted side effects, such as mood swings and weight gain, it may also help prevent certain types of cancers. In an effort to improve public information on the birth control pill, a 19)consortium of Japan's 11 approved manufacturers of the drug opened a telephone hotline last year. But very few calls came in and the hotline was closed down within months. Sociologist Yuko Kawanishi of Temple University Japan, says a lack of understanding by Japanese women continues to 20)hinder the pill's acceptance. "The lack of education and publicity about the pill. I would say this is the reason for this drug not spreading as widely as expected," Kawanishi said. But ignorance is not the only factor. Ms. Kawanishi says she and many in the health field believe Japan's male-dominated government 21)bureaucracy is not only indifferent to the issue, but would prefer not to advertise contraceptive methods given the country's falling 22)birthrate. Officials are concerned that if the birthrate declines further it will impact Japan's economy by creating a labor shortage and lower tax 23)revenue. Dr. Kitamura of Japan's Family Planning Association finds this attitude 24)frustrating. He says "it is 25)ridiculous for politicians to worry that introducing the pill will lower the birth rate. He adds that the pill is used to prevent unwanted pregnancies, which he believes is a matter of an individual's rights," Dr. Kitamura said. Expense is another factor behind the pill's lack of popularity. It costs a steep $83 a month and is not covered by insurance. In addition, women have to go through several medical examinations before they can obtain a prescription. Few Japanese women visit gynecologists in the first place due to 26)shyness and cultural 27)taboos. Mie Mizuno is a 29-year old student who reflects the feelings of many Japanese women. She says she is "hesitant to visit a gynecologist because many of them are male and they make her uncomfortable." Health officials agree that wider use of the pill could cut down on Japan's high 28)abortion rate. But Dr. Kitamura says this argument carries little weight, since abortion is generally accepted in Japan. "Unlike in the West, abortion has no 29)religious significance in Japan." Dr. Kitamura adds that "this could be another reason why so few women take the pill, even if they are risking an unwanted pregnancy." Changing the pill's unpopular image in Japan is a challenge, both for the drug companies which distribute it and for those who view it as a positive step forward for women's health. Ms. Kawanishi of Temple University is hopeful that 30)accessibility will increase. "I think the awareness of the pill is spreading slowly at this point. But if there is more publicity and eventually as time goes on, women will be more educated and will slowly catch up," Ms. Kawanishi said. The Mainichi newspaper poll shows that while few women take the pill, up to fifteen percent want to see the drug used more widely. 注释: (1) pill [ ,,, ] n.药丸, 口服避孕药, 弹丸 (2) legalize [ ,,,,,,,,,, ] vt.使得到法律认可, 公认, 使合法化 (3) obstacle [ ,,,,,,,, ] n.障碍, 妨害物 (4) dampen [ ,,,,,,, ] v.使潮湿, 使沮丧 (5) amid [ ,,,,, ] prep.在...中 (6) lag [ ,,, ] vi.缓缓而行, 滞后 vt.落后于, 押往监狱, 加上外套 (7) anti- [,,,,,] [前缀]表示“反对, 抵抗”之义 impotence [`,,,,,,,,] n.无力, 虚弱, 无效, [医]阳萎 (8) sideline [ ,,,,,,,,, ] n.副业, 边界线, 兼职, 附带销售的货物, 局外人的观点 adj. 倾斜的 vt.迫使退出 (9) pregnancy [ ,,，,,,,,,, ] n.怀孕 (10) synthetic [ ,,,,,,,,, ] adj.合成的, 人造的, 综合的 (11) synthetic [ ,,,,,,,,, ] adj.合成的, 人造的, 综合的 (12) mainichi 每日新闻 (13) Tokyo [ ,,,,,,,, ] n.东京(日本首都) (14) gynecologist [,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,] n.妇科医生 (15) prescribe [ ,，,,,,，,,, ] v.指示, 规定, 处(方), 开(药) (16) contraceptive [ ,,,,,，,,,,,,,, ] adj.避孕的 n.避孕品, 避孕用具 (17) deem [ ,,:m ] v.认为, 相信 (18) unwanted [ ,,,,,,,,,, ] adj.不必要的, 空闲的, 多余的, 讨厌的, 有害的 (19) consortium [ ,,,,,,,,,,, ] n.社团, 协会, 联盟, (国际)财团, [律]配偶的权利, <美>大学联盟协定 (20) hinder [ ,,,,,, ] adj.后面的 v.阻碍, 打扰 (21) bureaucracy [ ,,,,,，,,，,,, ] n.官僚, 官僚作风, 官僚机构 (22) birthrate [,,,,，,,,] n.出生率 (23) revenue [ ,，,,,,,,: ] n.收入, 国家的收入, 税收 (24) frustrate [ ,，,,,,，,,, ] v.挫败, 阻挠, 使感到灰心, 阻止 (25) ridiculous [ ，,,,,,,,,,, ] adj.荒谬的, 可笑的 (26) ,,,,,,, n.羞怯, 胆怯 (27) taboo [ ,,,,,: ] n.(宗教)禁忌、避讳, 禁止接近, 禁止使用 adj.禁忌的, 忌讳的 vt.禁忌, 避讳, 禁制, 禁止 (28) abortion [ ,,,,,,,, ] n.流产, 堕胎, 失败, 夭折, 中止, 早产 (29) religious [ ，,,,,,,,, ] adj.信奉宗教的, 虔诚的, 宗教上的, 修道的, 严谨的 (30) accessibility [ ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ] n.易接近, 可到达的