Self-Care Routines to Boost Fertility

For ladies who are preparing for pregnancy or in the process of doing IUI or IVF, we introduce 2 self-care fertility routines where you can do at the comfort of your home during this circuit breaker period.

Together with a healthy diet, relaxed mind and leisurely exercise, incorporating these self-care fertility routines into your baby-making lifestyle that can help improve your body’s Qi and blood circulation as well as your egg quality.

1. Foot Bath

When to do it: Once a day, usually before shower.

Duration: 10 to 15 minutes

Soaking to be done in room temperature.

Soaking to be avoided during menstrual days.

What you need:

• A pail of warm to hot water (water level up to the calf or below knee)
• Optional: Salt or wormwood (Ai Ye herb 艾草)

How to do it:

• Soak both feet in the warm to hot water at your comfortable temperature (as high as possible). About 10 minutes later, you should start to feel body getting warmer and start to sweat. Some of you may feel your heart beating faster, especially if you are just started doing this foot bath.
• Stop soaking once you start to sweat, avoid staying in aircon room or windy place immediately after soaking, as you might easily catch cold when the skin pores are open.
• Change if your dress is wet to avoid catching cold. Shower about half an hour after the foot bath.

2. Moxibustion

When to do it: Few times a week, or as often as possible. Do it after shower, or any time of the day, but DO NOT touch water within 2 hours of the procedure.

Duration: 30 to 45 minutes each session.

What you need: Moxibustion stick, lighter, glass bottle extinguisher.

Acupuncture points and areas:

• Yong Quan 涌泉

• 1 palm area around umbilicus (including Zhong Wan 中脘，Xia Wan 下脘，Qi Hai 气海，Guan Yuan 关元，Tian Shu 天枢)

• Back area (Back Shu points 背俞穴, including Kidney Shu 肾俞，Ming Men 命门，Ba Liao Xue 八髎穴)

How to do it:

• Light up the moxaibustion stick about 2cm long, place it at 2cm above the skin, doing circular motion.
• Change to different areas when it is getting warm and slightly red, repeat for a few rounds.
• Be conscious about the ash, regularly dust off the ash to prevent it from dropping on the skin which might cause blister.
• Put the tip of the stick into the glass bottle, extinguish the fire by sealing off the opening.