A Thing or Two about Pregnancy Part 1

Some people want to have children but are unable to have one. Yet some without that eagerness  accidentally got conceived. Some traditional folks bear the responsibility of continuing their family name. Some are willing to cost an arm and a leg  just to produce an offspring. Is pregnancy predetermined by nature(gene) or can it be achieved through efforts ?

First of all, let us explore this issue from a physiological perspective. As long as a male's reproductive system does not suffer from major malfunctions or diseases, it will continuously produce mature sperm from the testicles every three months until the day you die. The quantity and mobility of the sperm may be affected by age, but in theory, even an elderly man can still have reproductive ability.

However, things are quite different for females. The number of ova carried throughout their lifetime is a fixed value. After the first meiosis, the limited quantity of ova becomes half-prepared and enters a dormant state until a woman's first menstrual cycle, when they gradually mature into their full form. With a fixed total amount, the number of ova will only decrease with age. As an old saying  goes, "At the age of 40 , the Yin Qi is halved." Without extra enhanced supplementation, body functions will decline by half at the age of 40 ! Therefore, it is more difficult for women to get pregnant at an older age.

In ancient times or during war, food was scarce, and most people were undernourished, making it difficult to obtain sufficient energy for oneself, let alone enough energy to support a new life. Therefore, the primary strategy for traditional Chinese medicine in assisting pregnancy during those times was to supplement Qi and blood, such as using Ba Zhen Tang, which  is like installing a high-capacity battery into an almost-worn-out gear to create a favorable environment for new life.

However, times have changed. Thanks to peace and prosperity, obtaining  foods has become an easy thing. With high-calorie, high-sugar, and high-salt processed foods readily available at convenience stores, fast-food restaurants 24-7. As a result, the consumption of overwhelming excessive energy knocks out our bodies, leading to what traditional Chinese physiology calls a "Phlegm-Damp" body constitution." It is like a highway jammed with cars during holidays, where the original speed of over 100 km/hr is reduced to only 50-60 km/hr. Some patients with "Phlegm-Damp" body constitution may also have difficulty conceiving and require treatment with some Chinese herbs such as Cang Zhu and Huo Xiang to eliminate dampness and phlegm.

With progress in gender equality, women's socio-economical status has significantly grown in modern times, and remaining single or marrying late have become a common thing. For couples who wish to have children at a rather older age, we Chinese physicians would prefer prescriptions containing  kidney-nourishing herbs, such as Du Zhong and Xu Duan. After all, regardless of gender, one's body functions will decline by half after the age of 40, and in the perspective of traditional Chinese physiology, the kidney is responsible for reproductive functions.

Better not  smoke if you want to have children, men and women alike. Smoking is extremely harmful to fertility, and not only does it damage the respiratory system, it also increases the probability of developing many chronic diseases, and significantly reduces both the quantity and activity of sperm. If pregnant women smoke, the probability of causing fetal malformations will also increase. For the sake of your own and your children, quit smoking now!