A Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner shares 5 tips for preparing for pregnancy; A gynecologist reveals the "latest day of conception" for having a baby.

With the Year of the Dragon approaching, many parents hope to have a dragon baby, but to successfully give birth to a "dragon baby," they need to calculate the auspicious date carefully to avoid missing the opportune moment! Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Chen Zhizhong recently shared information online, stating that the latest possible date for conception to conceive a "dragon baby" is before this date!

Recently, Dr. Chen Zhizhong posted on his Facebook page, "Dr. Zhong Ge Chen Zhizhong Doctor," reminding parents hoping to conceive a dragon baby that the latest possible date is before the Lunar New Year's Day next year is January 29th. He stated that for parents who want to "make a dragon comeback" in the Year of the Dragon, creating a dragon among men, having a dragon son or daughter, the due date is January 29th, and the conception date is May 8th of this year. If they choose to induce labor a week earlier, that is, at 39 weeks of pregnancy, the conception date can be postponed by another week.

Dr. Chen also stated that if one wants to give birth at full term before the Lunar New Year next year, excluding premature births, conception must be completed no later than May 15th of this year. He therefore jokingly said, "Parents, you'd better work hard during the Lunar New Year! I wish you all the best in your efforts!"

A Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor shares 5 tips for preparing for pregnancy.

To successfully conceive, in addition to trying to conceive, parents need to maintain good health and have a "fertile" constitution. Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Huang Jingjing shared five lifestyle habits for developing a "fertile" constitution in a recent interview with Topick.

1. Dietary control: Less oil, more vegetables, and less sugar.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sweet and greasy foods can easily cause dampness in the spleen and stomach. Poor spleen and stomach function can easily lead to symptoms such as obesity, acne, edema, and sticky stools. Once it turns into a phlegm-dampness constitution, it can make people feel tired and feel that their metabolism is slowed down. Women's ovarian function and men's sperm quality will decline. If you want to get pregnant, you should eat less oil, more vegetables, and reduce sugar.

2. Maintain a cheerful and relaxed mood.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that emotional distress can easily lead to imbalances in Qi and blood, menstrual irregularities, and difficulty conceiving. Modern medicine also points out that patients experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression before infertility treatment have significantly lower pregnancy rates, and stress can also affect male hormones, impacting sperm count and quality. Therefore, maintaining a cheerful and relaxed mood can greatly increase the chances of conception.

3. Weight Management

A healthy weight also has a certain impact on fertility. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that underweight women (BMI < 19) often suffer from liver and kidney yin deficiency, or spleen and stomach weakness due to prolonged illness, or are caused by excessive dieting. Underweight individuals often exhibit symptoms of spleen and kidney deficiency, leading to menstrual irregularities and difficulty conceiving.

Men with a BMI > 25 should also be concerned, as their sperm count is 1.46 times higher than normal. For both men and women, being overweight or underweight is detrimental to fertility; it's time to start aiming for a healthy weight.

4. Walk briskly or jog for 15 to 30 minutes every day.

Dr. Huang said that most people nowadays spend a lot of time using electronic devices while sitting or lying down, which is harmful to both blood and muscle. He suggested that people do 15 to 30 minutes of morning exercise every day, such as jogging or brisk walking, or follow online platforms such as YouTube to do some indoor exercises to actively strengthen blood circulation in the lower limbs and pelvis and increase the chances of conception.

5. Drink more hot water and avoid cold drinks.

Warm water can aid digestion, improve blood circulation, promote the excretion of metabolic waste, and even improve mood. Cold drinks, on the other hand, can accumulate cold, which can stagnate blood and qi. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis are not advised to drink cold or raw beverages. Even with fruit, Dr. Huang recommends consuming it at room temperature during the day. Furthermore, women with symptoms of yang deficiency or cold-induced blood stasis should pay attention to the amount of cold or raw food they consume.