Wiley A S
Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (SUNY) 13902-6000, USA.
J Biosoc Sci. 1998 Oct;30(4):457-80. doi: 10.1017/s002193209800457x.
The existence of very low rates of fertility among non-contracepting human populations has intrigued researchers in demography and reproductive ecology. Long inter-birth intervals, driven primarily by the lactational amenorrhoea associated with breast-feeding, have been shown to be important determinants of low natural fertility in several populations. Other reports have suggested that sterility brought about by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) might also explain low fertility in some populations, especially in Africa. This report presents an analysis of 1981 Indian census data that documents low natural fertility in Ladakh, a high-altitude region of the Himalaya in north India. In Ladakh, there is evidence for low rates of marriage among women that may be attributable to the practice of polyandry, but also high rates of primary and secondary sterility within marriage, resulting in low completed parities for post-reproductive age married women. Age-specific fertility rates derived from the number of current births are also unexpectedly low. Hypotheses to explain very low fertility in Ladakh are considered from among the likely proximate determinants and evaluated using two supplementary sources of information derived from fieldwork in Ladakh in the early 1990s. The most likely explanations for low marital fertility include sterility from STDs, high rates of fetal loss, and possibly nutritional contraints on ovarian hormone status.
非避孕人群中极低的生育率现象引起了人口统计学和生殖生态学领域研究人员的兴趣。在一些人群中，主要由母乳喂养相关的哺乳期闭经导致的生育间隔延长，已被证明是自然生育率低的重要决定因素。其他报告表明，性传播疾病（STD）导致的不育也可能解释一些人群中生育率低的现象，尤其是在非洲。本报告对1981年印度人口普查数据进行了分析，该数据记录了印度北部喜马拉雅山脉高海拔地区拉达克的低自然生育率情况。在拉达克，有证据表明女性结婚率低，这可能归因于一妻多夫制，但婚内原发性和继发性不育率也很高，导致生育后期已婚妇女的生育子女数较低。根据当前出生人数得出的年龄别生育率也出乎意料地低。从可能的直接决定因素中考虑了解释拉达克极低生育率的假说，并利用20世纪90年代初在拉达克进行实地调查获得的两个补充信息来源进行了评估。婚内低生育率最可能的解释包括性传播疾病导致的不育、高胎儿流失率，以及可能存在的对卵巢激素状态的营养限制。
