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Huangdi asked: Why do women cease to bear children when they grow old? The answer is: It is due to excessive sexual intercourse, which damages the Zang-Fu organs; or because Tian Gui (the substance promoting reproductive maturity) is blocked, and the uterus harbors cold; or because the man indulges in lust, resulting in weak Yang and scanty essence, where the clear and cold essence cannot be ejaculated, and union occurs without achieving the state of Ji Ji (balance of Yin and Yang), thus causing infertility. If a woman has just given birth and abstains from intercourse for six or seven years, remaining childless for several years, why is this? It is also due to the woman suffering from the aforementioned ailments, leading to physical exhaustion and disharmony of the meridians. Even if conception is possible, it is weak and difficult to retain the Yang essence. Moreover, marital union should follow proper timing; offspring born from such unions will be strong, intelligent, and long-lived. Ancient diagrams suggest selecting months for conceiving sons. Wang Yinjun stated that in Spring one should select Jia and Yi days, in Summer Bing and Ding days, in Autumn Geng and Xin days, and in Winter Ren and Gui days, with the last eighteen days of each season being Earth-waning days. One should select Wu and Ji days as prosperous and auspicious days, as well as Tian De (Heavenly Virtue) and Yue De (Monthly Virtue) days. Regarding hours, one should select the appropriate thirty Shi Chen (two-hour periods) after the woman's menstruation ends. The verse says: "Thirty Shi Chen make two and a half days, calculate twenty-eight or twenty-nine carefully. When red drops cover the ground, it is the best time; when Jin Shui (Metal and Water/Yin blood) passes, chaos ensues." Wasting effort during chaos is futile; one must look for residual redness under trees and bushes. As long as one understands that flowers blooming can bear fruit, why worry that cinnabar cassia will not form a grove? This refers to the time when the woman's menstruation has just stopped and Jin Shui (initial generation of kidney Yin/menstrual blood) begins to grow. At this moment, the uterus is open, which is the time for fertilization and conception, a moment of harmonious integration. Human actions should accord with this to avoid violating the principles of creation. After this optimal period, the uterus closes and cannot accept conception. However, before menstruation completely stops, some women are clean in two and a half days, others in three, five, or seven days. The standard is whether stale blood is gone and new blood has just begun. Wipe with white cloth. If bright red, blood is not finished; if pale, too much time has passed. If the new blood appears golden, it is the right time, and intercourse will surely lead to pregnancy. Furthermore, intercourse on the 1st, 3rd, or 5th day after cleaning may result in a boy, while even-numbered days may result in a girl. It is best to have intercourse after Zi hour (11 PM–1 AM), encountering Tian De and Yue De or other auspicious times, avoiding filth, and choosing a clean place. This invites blessings and wisdom, ensuring the child is spiritually refined and superior in intelligence. It is also said that if the man ejaculates towards the left, the woman bends her left foot and lies on her left side, a boy will be conceived. After conception, continuous intercourse should be avoided; quiet rest is best to ensure a full-term delivery of a blessed and long-lived child. Someone asks: Conception is a natural law for women; why is it considered so difficult? The answer is: Great indeed! Human life depends on the subtleties of Yin-Yang creation. The virtue of endless generation of Yin and Yang is rooted in Qian and Kun for all things, and in Essence and Blood for humans. Thus, although there is the wonder of Dao, practical application requires seizing the opportunity. From a common perspective, even ordinary people know this; from a variable perspective, even scholars may fail. Therefore, in terms of substance, it is Yin-Yang Essence and Blood; in terms of function, it is the combination of Yin and Yang. When Essence and Blood are abundant and timing is correct, this is the norm. Regarding variations, one must understand the principles of change. Wise gentlemen should pay attention during times of change. Seeking offspring involves studying the profound truths of sages to assist the mechanism of creation. Those who know how to apply this will see the signs of numerous descendants (Zhong Si). Bestowing eternal lineage completes the earth's nurturing work, far more than a small benefit. In俗 custom, men with insufficient essence and women with unregulated menstruation engage in union prematurely, leading to consumption and deficiency in men, and metrorrhagia and leukorrhea in women. Although one cannot marry as early as the ancients suggested (men at 30, women at 20), one must wait until men undergo the Capping ceremony and marry, and women reach their hairpin age and wed, to naturally conceive and deliver safely without fear. With flourishing offspring, what disease would there be?

Infertility in women should not be generally attributed to uterine deficiency-cold and closure, nor treated universally with warming herbs. Some women are thin and suffer from Qi stagnation, with internal fire scorching Yin blood and body fluids dry. For them, only nourishing Yin and blood, combined with clearing heat, is effective. If warming herbs are used exclusively, Yin blood will further deplete, leading not only to infertility but also to other diseases, with disaster following swiftly. Pulse diagnosis: Deep and choppy indicates Qi stagnation; Surging and rapid indicates internal fire; Fine and slow indicates deficiency-cold. Weak, fine, and choppy pulses indicate dual deficiency of Qi and Blood, causing infertility in youth and cessation of reproduction in middle age. Six pulses stopping, yet slippery and harmonious, indicates pregnancy.

Main Formula (for Men): Qiu Shi (Lithium Salt, 4 liang), Lu Jiao Shuang (Deer Horn Frost, 4 liang), Ren Shen (Ginseng), Gou Qi Zi (Goji Berry, from Gansu), Shan Zhu Yu Rou (Cornus Fruit Flesh), Mai Dong (Ophiopogon Root), Tian Men Dong (Asparagus Root), Du Zhong (Eucommia Bark, stir-fried with ginger until fibers break), Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia Root, raw), Shu Di Huang (Rehmannia Root, prepared with wine, 2 liang each). Grind into powder, make pills with old rice flour paste, size of wutong seeds. Take 50 pills per dose, with plain warm water on an empty stomach. One month later, wait for the woman's menstruation to end and Jin Shui to regenerate. The man takes half a cup of Che Qian Zi Tang (Plantago Seed Decoction) on an empty stomach, followed by nocturnal union to achieve pregnancy. Adjust and take the previous formula as needed.

Main Formula (for Women): Xiang Fu Zi (Cyperus Rhizome, 1 jin, processed four ways: Spring/Autumn 3 days, Summer 2 days, Winter 7 days; dried, powdered, sifted to remove coarse powder, using 0.5 jin of medium powder), Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis, soaked in wine), Bai Zhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome, stir-fried with soil, 3 liang each), Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum Rhizome), Bai Shao Yao (White Peony Root), Shu Di Huang (Prepared Rehmannia Root), Sheng Di Huang (Raw Rehmannia Root), E Jiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin), Dan Pi (Moutan Cortex), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root, stir-fried), Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus Herb, 2 liang each). Grind into powder, make pills with vinegar paste, size of wutong seeds. Take 60 pills per dose, with light vinegar water on an empty stomach, followed by dry food.