Part 1 – Preconception

Deciding to have a child is a mammoth and exciting step in your life. Children bring so much joy, and they are phenomenal teachers for us as their parents. Being the best parent you can be starts from this point – you will, no doubt, want to “get it right” every step of the way.

The first step is about ensuring the health of both parents. The health of both mother and father determines the quality of the egg and sperm and lays the foundation for the duration of the pregnancy and the life of your little bundle of joy. So, what do you do?

Seek the help of a qualified and registered Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist for this preparatory stage.

Chinese medicine is a complete system of health that has been around for two thousand years. In Chinese medicine, we view the body somewhat differently to “modern” medicine. There is much that can be done to assist in becoming pregnant, supporting the pregnancy and taking care of the health of all the members of the family.

Chinese herbal medicine is particularly important in the pre-conception stage.

In Chinese medicine, menses is often referred to as “Tian Gui” (heavenly waters). An ideal period should occur around every 28 days, last for 5-7 days, be of good colour, contain no clots and not be accompanied by any pain or premenstrual symptoms. If you are already there, well done! Most women have a gamut of premenstrual symptoms that they consider “normal” because they have experienced them for so long. For the majority of women, there is some work to be done to regulate the menses.

The next step is ensuring that ovulation is taking place regularly.

The uterus is going to be the first home of your little one. It needs to be like a perfect house – everything just right. It needs to be warm, but not too hot, as too much heat disturbs the growing baby. It needs to be well-nourished so that the little one has everything it needs.

The uterus (and the rest of the body) is very much affected by excessive emotions, especially stress; poor diet; unbalanced lifestyle and poor sleep. It is important to begin working on all of these factors as much in advance as possible.

There needs to be enough Qi (energy) and blood to nourish the uterus – correcting your diet and supplementing this with herbs in the lead-up, will make the pregnancy a whole lot better. Both mother and foetus need to be able to draw on the resources stored within the mother’s body throughout the pregnancy, as well as in childbirth.

A skilled herbalist will be working towards restoring balance and harmony at every level of the body.

This is also the case for the dad-to-be.

“When a man’s essence is robust and the woman’s menses are regular, then a child will appear” (Orthodox Gynaecology).

Men also need to address harmony within their bodies. Their healthy contribution is vital.

Sperm are numerous – approximately 500 million are released on ejaculation – of the 50% that survive the pH level of the vagina, very few actually reach the fallopian tubes.

Thus, the number the sperm that potentially may fertilise the egg are low, so it is imperative the health of these sperm is high.

Sperm count, morphology and motility are adversely affected by drinking alcohol and smoking. Clearly, then, men, too, need to avoid both of these activities in order to ensure the best opportunity for their bub-to-be.

Part 2 will look at some dietary and lifestyle factors that are important in preconception…