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After and before menstruation, the pulse is soft as usual. Although the Cun (Inch) and Guan (Bar) pulses are harmonious, if the Chi (Cubit) pulse is absent or weak, it causes intestinal pain. If the pulse is deep and slow with weakness in the lower part, one must guard against excessive menstrual flow. If the pulse is slightly deficient leading to difficult menstruation, what harm is there in having it once every two months? If the three positions show intermittent stopping between floating and sinking, or if the pulse is slightly slow and choppy, this is called "Ju Jing" (menstruation occurring once every three months), due to insufficient Qi and Blood; if it exceeds three months, amenorrhea becomes hard to endure.

If Heart and Spleen diseases manifest, the Guan position is hidden while the Cun position floats (this is due to mental insufficiency, where the left Cun pulse is deep and knotted). Shaoyang disease presents with a humble and deep pulse, Shao Yin disease with a fine pulse. Pre-menstrual edema caused by Water Fen disorder is easy to cure. A deep and rapid Cun pulse, a slightly wiry Fuyang pulse, and a deep and slippery Shao Yin pulse indicate Blood Fen disorders, which are worrying. A floating and weak Cun pulse leads to tidal fever, vexation, and sweating. A surging, deficient, and rapid Cun pulse indicates Fire moving causing consumptive disease. A floating and choppy Fuyang pulse causes acid regurgitation and Qi stagnation. Abdominal pain and fullness with a floating and tight pulse, when seen in the Shao Yin position, indicate hidden Hernia and Jia masses within. Leukorrhea and Metrorrhagia typically present with a floating pulse; a deficient and slow pulse indicates a favorable prognosis, while an excess and rapid pulse indicates severe condition. A slippery and rapid Shao Yin pulse suggests Qi Lin (dysuria) or Yin sores; a wiry pulse indicates Yin pain or prolapse of the uterus/intestine.

Generally, women's pulses being more soggy and weak than men's is normal. If the pulse is normal, even if menstruation comes early or late, in large or small amounts, or is absent for a month, it does not constitute a Menstrual Disorder. Only when the Cun and Guan pulses are normal but the Chi pulse is absent or weak, indicating accumulation in the lower abdomen and intestines, pain rushing to the heart, and irregular menstruation, is it pathological. If the pulse is deep and slow, it indicates lower deficiency and heavy menstruation. Conversely, a slightly deficient and obstructed pulse without sweating indicates menstruation will come in two months, commonly called "Jian Yue". If all three positions show intermittent stopping, and the Cun/Guan pulses are slightly choppy, slightness indicates Stomach Qi deficiency, and choppy indicates deficiency of Jin Ye (Body Fluids) and Blood. A slight and slow Chi pulse indicates lack of Essence and cold in the Yin, known as "Ju Jing" (menstruation every three months). Although flow may decrease and stop, in women who have had abortions or many births, this is called "Blood Dryness". The Classic states: "Diseases of the Two Yang (Stomach and Large Intestine) originate from the Heart and Spleen; those with unspoken grievances do not menstruate." This is due to mental distress causing Spleen failure to transform food, leading to Lung Metal losing nourishment, Qi stagnation, Kidney Water failing to flourish, and Blood drying up. Initially, menstruation is irregular and dripping; if Spleen and Stomach decline severely, it turns into loose stools and edema. Untreated, it becomes severe Jia masses, Lao disease, or Chuan Shi (infectious wasting disease).

Shaoyang pulse humble, Shao Yin pulse fine, irregular menstruation, blood transforming into water, stasis and water blocking the Bao Men (uterus gate), named "Water Fen", where edema precedes amenorrhea, is easier to treat. Deep and rapid Cun pulse: rapid indicates Yang excess, deep indicates Yin knotting. Slightly wiry Fuyang pulse: slight indicates no Stomach Qi, wiry indicates difficulty breathing. Deep and slippery Shao Yin pulse: deep indicates interior, slippery indicates excess; deep and slippery interacting means blood knotting at Bao Men and meridian blockage, named "Blood Fen", where amenorrhea precedes edema, making it difficult to treat. Floating and weak Cun pulse: floating indicates Qi deficiency, weak indicates Heat in Blood Fen, causing tidal fever and spontaneous sweating. In men, a deficient and rapid Chi pulse with deep and slight Cun pulse indicates Lao disease; in women, a deficient and rapid Cun pulse with deep and slight Chi pulse also indicates Lao disease. Lao disease presents with sweating, tidal fever, and cough, similar to male Yin deficiency with Fire moving.

Floating and choppy Fuyang pulse: floating indicates Qi stagnation, choppy indicates Cold, causing abdominal fullness, acid regurgitation, belching, and downward Qi movement leading to cold abdominal pain. Floating indicates bowel sounds and abdominal fullness; tight indicates abdominal pain. Floating and tight Shao Yin pulse indicates Hernia, Jia, and abdominal pain. Floating and moving Shao Yin pulse: floating indicates deficiency, moving indicates pain, possibly metrorrhagia/leukorrhea or vaginal prolapse. Slippery and rapid Shao Yin pulse indicates Qi Lin or painful/itchy Yin sores. Wiry Shao Yin pulse indicates severe Yin pain, called "Chang Ting" (intestinal prolapse).

At early pregnancy, the Cun pulse is slight with five beats per breath, three positions are balanced, and long pressing does not weaken. At three months, Yin pulses beat upon Yang pulses, Qi declines and Blood flourishes, pulse is appropriate. Liver Qi is horizontal and Lung Qi weak, Heart pulse is slippery and surging, Chi pulse is slippery with dispersion, becoming stronger with long pressing. If Guan pulse is slippery and large, with frequent Dai (knotted) stops, thirst, and slow pulse, the fetus is likely injured. At four months, gender can be distinguished: right female, left male, or floating/sinking, rapid/large/excess combined. Both sides flourishing indicates twins; further examination of meridians confirms Yin/Yang. As long as the pulse is rapid but not dispersed, at five months of pregnancy, too tight or too slow indicates swelling or leakage disaster. At six/seven months, pulse prefers solid and long; deep, slow, and choppy warns of miscarriage. Wiry pulse with chills/fever requires warming the Zi Fang (uterus). At eight months, wiry and solid is good, deep and thin is bad. Slight and tight Shao Yin pulse in twins indicates one dead, one alive. Labor, fright, or falling makes fetal blood hard to contain. Rushing to the heart with stifling pain and blue complexion ensures death. At term, chaotic pulse is auspicious.

Early pregnancy pulse is peaceful and deficient, Cun slightly small, five beats per breath, floating/sinking equal, unbroken pressing, amenorrhea without other illness indicates pregnancy. Only after three months does Chi become rapid; if only Cun/Guan are harmonious and Chi is absent, it is a menstrual disorder. Su Wen says: "Yang pulses beat distinctly from Yin, called having a child." This refers to strong movement in Shao Yin at Cun/Chi, with additional Yang pulse beating the fingers, as Heart governs Blood vessels and Kidney is the Bao Men. Blood is Yin, Qi is Yang; Blood flourishing and Qi declining is the meaning of Yin beating on Yang. Thus, the verse says: Liver is Blood, Lung is Qi; Blood is Ying, Qi is Wei. Yin and Yang pairing without error, both organs harmonious are similar. Blood deficient and Qi flourishing definitely no pregnancy; Blood flourishing and Qi declining implies pregnancy. Slight Cun, slippery Guan, rapid Chi with flowing movement and Sparrow-pecking pulse. Children's pulse shows form, yet months of pregnancy remain unnoticed. Also: Both hands Guan slippery and large correspondingly, formed fetus is in previous words. He Su divided Qi/Blood flourishing by Left Liver/Right Lung, and by Cun/Chi; Slight Cun is Qi deficiency, Rapid Chi is Blood flourishing. Slippery Guan means much Blood little Qi. However, slippery/rapid/dispersed/Dai Chi pulse like sparrow-pecking stopping indicates abundant Fetal Qi blocking. If thirsty with slow pulse, edema is desired; subsequent abdominal pain leads to miscarriage. Some doubt if this contradicts Mai Jue saying interrupted slippery Chi is menstrual disorder? Actually, menstrual slippery Chi carries slow/weak/slow/choppy qualities, whereas fetal slippery Chi is rapid and solid. Left Guan slippery/large is male, Right Guan slippery/large is female. Also: One stop per Guan movement is one month, two stops is two months, three/four stops is three/four months. Zhongchong corresponds to Foot-Yangming Stomach, governing 3-4 months. Shaochong corresponds to Hand-Taiyang Small Intestine, governing 5-6 months. Taichong corresponds to Hand-Yangming Large Intestine, governing 7-8 months. At four months, form is complete. Left hand rapid/solid/large is male, right hand rapid/solid/large is female, both sides rapid/solid/large are twins. All Yang pulses indicate male, all Yin pulses indicate female. Verse: Left hand Taiyang floating/large is male, right hand Taiyin deep/thin is female. Mai Jing says: Left floating/large male, right floating/large female; Left deep/solid male, right deep/thin female; Chi left biased large male, right biased large female; Both sides floating/large powerful two males, both sides deep/thin powerful two females; All Yang are floating, all Yin are deep; All floating/large/slippiy/rapid Yang pulses are male, all deep/thin Yin pulses are female. Yang pulses in Yang meridians are male, Yin pulses in Yin meridians are female; If Yin/Yang mixed, female acts as male, male as female. Verse: Left hand Zong (vertical) two sons, right hand Heng (horizontal) two daughters; Left hand Ni (counter) three sons, right hand Shun (smooth) three daughters; Cun/Guan/Chi all corresponding, one son one daughter distinct forms. Left Zong means, e.g., Heart deep, Liver floating, Kidney slow, Husband overcoming Wife pulse, vertical view, smooth flow, abundant Qi/Blood, thus two sons. Left Heng means, e.g., Lung wiry, Spleen deep, Kidney fine, Wife overcoming Husband pulse, horizontal push, full finger no gap, abundant Qi/Blood, thus two daughters. Left Ni means, e.g., Heart wiry, Liver slippery, Kidney slightly floating, Child overcoming Mother pulse, overflowing bottom to top, smooth flow, extreme Qi/Blood abundance, thus three sons. Right Shun means, e.g., Lung slow, Spleer surging, Kidney wiry/long/slippy, Mother overcoming Child pulse, flowing top to bottom, rapid flow, extreme Qi/Blood abundance, thus three daughters. Strictly speaking, Zong is Left Taiyang floating/large male, Heng is Right Taiyin deep/thin female; Ni is Left deep/solid male, Shun is Right deep/thin female. Five-month pulse likes rapid but not dispersed; too tight/rapid causes leakage; too slow causes abdominal distension/wheezing; floating causes edema. Six/seven-month solid/large/tough/wiry pulse indicates birth; deep/thin/choppy warns miscarriage; if Dantian Qi warms and fetus moves, it can be saved; if fetus cold as water, hard to treat. Wiry pulse with fever/chills, fetus protruding, abdominal pain, lower abdomen like a fan, Zi Zang closed, use hot herbs to warm. Slight and tight Shao Yin pulse, insufficient blood nourishment, twin one dead one alive. Fetus movement due to inversion, fright, labor, hot food, or intercourse; light leakage, heavy bleeding like menstruation, blood dry fetus dies. Qi without Blood restraint rushes to heart/abdomen with stifling pain, blue face/lips/tongue, mother and fetus both die. This applies not just to 7-8 months but all ten months; 7-8 month solid/large/wiry pulse survives, deep/thin dies. Term fever and chaotic pulse is auspicious.

Approaching labor, six beats per breath, pulse called Li Jing (Departing from the Channel). Or deep/thin/slippery, if absent immediately gives birth. Floating/large difficult birth, frequent chills/fever, this is ominous, urgently check color signs. Cheeks/lips/tongue, avoid black and green; red face mother lives, son life tilts. If fetus in abdomen, mother and son return to darkness.

Six beats per exhalation, or one beat per exhalation, is called Li Jing. Jing means constant. Human breathes 13,500 times a day/night, pulse travels 81 zhang, cycling back to start from initial Jing. Now due to fetus falling, Stomach pulse departs from normal collateral location, not restarting from original Jing, hence Li Jing. Deep/thin/slippery pulse is Kidney organ pulse formed; if pulse deep as if absent, immediate birth; floating/large difficult birth. Heavy body, body heat, frequent chills/fever, this is ominous syndrome. Urgently check face/tongue color, expel fetus save mother. Face is Heart flower, tongue is Heart sprout; green indicates Liver deficiency unable to store Blood, premature membrane rupture, fetal sac dry/stiff unable to rotate; black indicates Kidney Water overcoming Fire, thus mother and fetus both die. Only red face green tongue indicates Heart Blood circulation, mother lives fetus dies. If dead fetus not out, mother life also dangerous.

Postpartum slow/slippery, deep/thin also suitable; solid/large/wire/tough, choppy/rapid all dangerous.

Postpartum relies on Stomach Qi; slow/slippery means Spleen/Stomach harmony; solid/large/wiry/tough means Wood overcoming Earth. Deep/thin suitable because postpartum great deficiency, pulse matches symptom; choppy/rapid disordered means much Blood loss and Heart exhaustion.