《千金方》曰∶妇人之病，比之男子十倍难疗。经言妇人者，众阴所聚，常与湿居，十四以上，阴气浮溢，
百想经心，内伤五脏，月水去留，前后交互，瘀血停凝，中道断绝，其中伤堕，不可具论。或便利于悬厕之上，
风从下入，便成十二痼疾。妇人所以别立方也。然女人嗜欲多于丈夫，感病倍于男子，加以爱憎嫉妒，所以为病
根深，疗之难瘥也。
慎斋按∶以上一条，序妇人病之难疗也。
《脉经》曰∶尺脉滑，血气实，妇人经脉不利。尺脉来而断绝者，月水不利。寸关如故，尺脉绝不至者，月
水不利，当患少腹痛。肝脉沉，月水不利，主腰腹痛。
《素问》曰∶女子七岁，肾气盛，齿更发长，二七而天癸至，任脉通，太冲脉盛，月事以时下，故有子。
七七任脉虚，太冲脉衰少，天癸竭，地道不通，故形坏而无子。丈夫八岁，肾气实，齿更发长，二八肾气盛，
天癸至，精气溢泻，阴阳和，故能有子。八八则齿发去，五脏皆衰，筋骨懈惰，天癸尽矣。故发鬓白，身怯，
行步不正而无子。
慎斋按∶以上经论一条，序男女有子，本于天癸至，而肾气盛实之候也。昔人论种子，必先调经。故妇人调
经一门之后，即继以嗣育之道。若《良方》与《济阴纲目》序调经经闭证后，遂编入妇人血崩带下，与中风诸
疾，未免序次不伦矣。
*Qianjin Fang* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) states: Women's diseases are ten times more difficult to treat than men's diseases. Medical classics state that women are the gathering place of all yin, and often dwell with dampness. After the age of fourteen, yin qi floats and overflows; various thoughts enter the heart, internally injuring the five zang organs. Menstruation may stay or go, alternating irregularly; blood stasis stagnates and coagulates, cutting off the middle pathway. The injuries and miscarriages involved cannot be fully discussed. Or, while defecating on a suspended toilet, wind pathogen enters from below, forming twelve types of chronic stubborn diseases. This is why women's diseases are established as a separate category. However, women have more desires than men, and are affected by pathogens twice as much as men. Added to this are emotions of love, hate, and jealousy, so the root of disease is deep-seated, making it difficult to cure.
Shen Zhai's Note: The above passage narrates the difficulty in treating women's diseases.
*Mai Jing* (Pulse Classic) states: A slippery chi pulse indicates abundant blood and qi, leading to unfavorable menstruation in women. If the chi pulse comes and then cuts off, it indicates unfavorable menstruation. If the cun and guan pulses remain normal but the chi pulse is absent, it indicates unfavorable menstruation, accompanied by lower abdominal pain. A sunken liver pulse indicates unfavorable menstruation, primarily manifesting as waist and abdominal pain.
*Sù Wèn* (Basic Questions) states: At seven years old, a girl's kidney qi becomes prosperous; her teeth change and hair grows. At fourteen (two sevens), tian gui arrives, the Ren Mai vessel becomes unobstructed, and the Chong Mai vessel becomes full; menstruation arrives on time, thus she can conceive. At forty-nine (seven sevens), the Ren Mai vessel becomes deficient, the Chong Mai vessel declines, tian gui is exhausted, the earthly pathway becomes blocked, thus her form deteriorates and she cannot conceive. At eight years old, a boy's kidney qi becomes solid; his teeth change and hair grows. At sixteen (two eights), his kidney qi becomes prosperous, tian gui arrives, essence and qi overflow and discharge; when yin and yang harmonize, he can conceive. At sixty-four (eight eights), his teeth and hair fall out, the five zang organs all decline, sinews and bones become slack and lazy, and tian gui is completely exhausted. Thus his temples turn white, his body becomes weak, his gait is unsteady, and he cannot conceive.
Shen Zhai's Note: The above classic discussion narrates that the ability of both men and women to conceive is based on the arrival of tian gui and the signs of prosperous and solid kidney qi. In the past, discussions on seed-conception always began with regulating menstruation. Therefore, after the section on regulating menstruation for women, the principles of fertility follow immediately. If works like *Liang Fang* (Good Prescriptions) and *Ji Yin Gang Mu* (Outline and Key Points of Gynecology) list leukorrhea and metrorrhagia, as well as stroke and other diseases, immediately after discussing menstrual regulation and amenorrhea, the sequence is unduly chaotic.