Fertility is more than the ability to conceive a child. In essence, fertility is the ability to create—to create new life, a new idea, a piece of artwork, relationships, etc. The impulse of fertility is the spark of life, both literally and figuratively. Understanding this broadened concept of fertility is important when we look at enhancing fertility with Asian medicine.

We are each born with a finite amount of essence or “jing”. Jing is the deep substance that finances our creativity/fertility. The strength of a woman’s jing is what determines her ability to conceive and carry a child.

While women in their 20’s are in the best physical condition to carry a pregnancy to term, many women delay having children into their 30’s and early 40’s. In our society often women first go to school, start a career, find a partner and create a financially stable atmosphere before looking to get pregnant. All of these activities take jing.

How do we support jing and fertility?

Asian medicine provides guidelines for proper diet and exercise and modalities such as acupuncture, herbal formulas and heat therapy to support jing and thus boost fertility. According to an individual’s specific needs, each of these treatments are individualized by a skilled practitioner. For example, we all know that a good diet is essential for health and fertility. But, through Asian medical diagnosis you can find out if you need to focus more on eating specific protein sources, limiting cold and raw foods or increasing your intake of detoxifying nutrients.

This perspective on fertility gives us a way to become both healthier and more fertile. By living well (i.e. according to our own constitution) and preserving jing, we can increase our creative potential. Ultimately fertility is a lifelong process, rather than an event.