高齡婦女生育的醫療處遇與社會偏見之反思

Medical Treatments and Social Prejudice of Women Giving Birth After Thirty-Five: A Reflection

本研究針對高齡婦女生育的醫療處遇與社會偏見進行反思，並藉此發展有關高齡婦女生育的積極論述，以提供延遲生產婦女正向思維與支持力量。

 

本研究分兩部分：一、針對國內成立最久、成員最多的懷孕、育兒交流網站「BabyHome」及研究者成立的臉書社團中，有關高齡生產的討論進行觀察；二、針對15位生產年齡超過35歲的婦女進行訪談。

 

研究發現，高齡生產被建構為一個具高度風險，必須仰賴醫療介入與監控的過程，而這些論述透過醫生、媒體及日常人際網絡的傳輸，成為多數婦女對高齡生產的常識，並在整個孕程中進行自我監視與規訓。此外，在日常生活中，高齡母親也經常面對社會異樣眼光，造成另一種高齡生育的焦慮與障礙。然而，訪談亦發現，高齡產婦實際生產與育兒經驗，恰能緩解高齡風險的迷思，建立正面論述。

 

本研究認為，年齡並非生育的主要問題，重要的是個人的身體、心理和社會條件。如何營造積極、友善的醫療和社會環境，才是在高齡生育的趨勢中應該思考的問題。

This study aims to explore the issues of advanced maternal age and seeks to critically examine the social prejudice and medical situations of pregnancy and childbearing for women after age thirty-five. Based on women’s actual experiences of giving birth over thirty-five, this study attempts to develop positive discourses of midlife pregnancy and childbearing, offer alternative viewpoints of delayed motherhood, and hopes to empower those who decide to delay their pregnancy for any consideration. This study was completed in two parts: an ethnographic observation of discussions on a social media site, and fifteen interviews with mothers who gave birth after thirty-five. Past research has shown that pregnancy and childbearing at a more advanced age is constructed as a high-risk process that involves more complex medical interventions. These discourses, permeated by gynecologists, the media, and personal networks, have become “common knowledge” for most women and has led to more self-monitoring and self-discipline. Moreover, in everyday life, older mothers are often seen as peculiar, which causes another anxiety and obstacle for women giving birth over the age of 35 or older. This study suggests that building active and friendly medical and social environments is the most vital issue in this trend of advanced age motherhood.