女人在一起住月經真的會同步嗎
A 1971 study claimed that the dates of housemates' periods move, then align - but that long-held belief is being challenged by evidence and new studies
一個1971年的研究聲稱，室友的月經期會變，然後統一 - 但是，這種觀點被新的研究和一些證據推翻了。
You know what happens when women live together. They start to menstruate together. Suddenly everyone craves chocolate and runs out of tampons at the same time. Not only that, but the chosen cycle often seems to belong to the most assertive woman. Well that's biology for you - it must be pheromones or the lunar cycle or something. Evolutionary anthropologists have suggested that synchrony would prevent any one woman being monopolised by a single dominant male.
你知道，當女人住在一起會發生什麼。她們都會來月經。突然，所有人都渴望巧克力，並在同一時間用完衛生巾。不僅如此，最後大家的的月經週期似乎往往會和最自信的室友同步。既然這是生來就被賦予的 - 它必須是信息素或月球週期有關。進化人類學家認爲，同步將防止任何一個女人被一個占主導地位的男性壟斷。
Ever since Martha McClintock, a psychologist from Harvard University, published her 1971 study of 135 female undergraduates living in a college dormitory together, it has been an accepted truth that menstrual cycles synchronise when women live together. Her study, based on an analysis of about eight cycles per woman, found that roommates and close friends saw the average number of days between the starts of their periods fall from eight or nine to five days.
自從瑪莎麥克林托克，哈佛大學的心理學家，在1971研究並出版了關於135位一起住在大學宿舍女大學生的課題，它一直是一個公認的真理，即女人住一起月經週期會同步。她的研究基於對每名婦女大約八個週期的分析，研究發現，室友和密友親歷了她們月經持續的平均天數降到八，九直至五天。
A control group of randomly chosen women had cycles that remained 10 days apart from each. A study in 1999 found that 80% of women believed in the synchronising phenomenon with 70% saying that it was a pleasant experience. It's a powerful concept after all - that the empathy of women can make their periods fall in line. But is it really true?
隨機選擇的對照組的女性，她們月經週期都是相隔10天。在1999年的一項研究中發現，80％的女性相信同步現象， 70％的人說這是一次有意思的經歷。畢竟這是一個震撼的概念， - 女性的共鳴可以使她們的月經週期統一。但是否真的如此嗎？
The solution
解決辦法
Well if you are one of the 80% of women who believes in synchronicity - brace yourself. It isn't a thing. Since McClintock's study there has been enough research with negative results to move menstrual synchronicity into urban mythology. Many studies have tried to replicate McClintock's findings - some have succeeded, but more have not.
那麼如果你是這相信月經同步說的80％女性中的一員一 - 振作起來。這是不是一個物品。由於麥克林托克的研究後，有更多的研究給出了否定的結果，讓月經同步說變成了城市童話。許多研究都試圖複製麥克林托克的發現 - 一些成功了，但更多的還沒有。
A study of Dogon women in west Africa, who were segregated into menstrual huts, found no synchronicity over 763 days and no effect of the moon on periods (and these were ideal test conditions, as there was no electricity).
西非的多貢婦女，被分組到月經木屋，研究歷時763天卻無同步現象，並且月亮對於月經沒有影響（而這些測試條件很理想化，因爲沒有電）。
A study of 186 women in China who lived together for a year also found no synchronicity. But the researchers pointed out that the start of periods varied for women, and cycles were often variable, which could give the false impression of synchronicity. Menstrual cycles can vary from between 21 to 35 days. Stress, weight loss or illness will all disrupt periods. A study of 26 lesbian couples found no synchronicity but did find individual menstrual cycles varied by up to 10 days. So despite the internet refusing to let this myth die - you are the owner of your menstrual cycle and no friend, however close, can control it.
經過對186名住在一起的中國女性爲期一年的研究發現，月經週期沒有同步。但研究人員指出，月經的的開始時期各不相同，週期也不相同，它可以給人同步的假象。月經週期可能從21天到35天各不相同。壓力，體重減輕或生病都會打亂週期。 對26對女同性戀情侶的研究發現，沒有同步，但確實發現個體月經週期會有10天左右的變化。所以儘管互聯網不想讓這個神話消失 - 但你是你的月經週期的主人，沒有任何朋友可以控制它，不管你們多親近。
