What color is lochia?

Women always have this kind of situation after giving birth. They all went through the postpartum lochia period. Postpartum lochia can usually be discharged within 2-3 weeks, but for some women it may take a month. During this period, we can carefully observe the changes in the color of postpartum lochia to judge the recovery status of the woman's body. So what color is the postpartum lochia?

What color is postpartum lochia?

Lochia generally refers to the substance discharged through the vagina with the shedding of the uterine decidua, especially the decidua of the fetal appendages, containing blood, necrotic decidua and other tissues after delivery. From the color of the lochia, we can also judge the stage of lochia discharge, and we can also guess whether the vagina is infected based on the color of the lochia.

Generally speaking, the color of postpartum lochia changes. As the color changes, we also divide postpartum lochia into three types: bright red lochia, serous lochia and white lochia. The colors of these three types of lochia are very different.

1. Bright red postpartum lochia

In the first week after giving birth, the amount of lochia is relatively large, the color is bright red, and it contains a lot of blood, small blood clots and necrotic decidual tissue. It is called bright red lochia. Stubborn lochia lasts for three to four days, the amount of abnormal uterine bleeding gradually decreases, the serum increases, and it changes into serous lochia.

2. Light red serous lochia

After one week to within ten days, the amount of blood in the lochia is small, and the main components are necrotic decidua, cervical mucus, female secretions and bacteria, which cause the lochia to become a light red slurry. The lochia at this time is called serous lochia. Serous lochia lasts about ten days, the serum level gradually decreases, the white blood cells increase, and the lochia becomes white lochia.

3. White lochia

After a dozen days to three weeks, the lochia no longer contains blood, but contains a lot of white blood cells, atrophic decidua, epidermal cells and bacteria, making the lochia more viscous and white in color, so it is called white lochia. The white lochia lasted for three weeks without any bleeding.

Does the color of lochia change during the postpartum period?

Because the health conditions of each pregnant woman are different, the amount and duration of postpartum lochia will also be different. Generally, the lochia will stop 3 to 4 weeks after giving birth. If it continues to drip for more than three weeks, it may be that the lochia is not clear. It is best to go to the hospital for medical treatment immediately to avoid delaying the condition. It is very necessary for female friends to learn more about postpartum lochia in order to be prepared. Below we discuss how the color of postpartum lochia changes.

The first stage is 3-6 days after giving birth. Because the lochia contains more blood, just like most of the menstrual period is blood and uterine wall tissue, it is bright red and is called stubborn lochia.

The second stage is 7-14 days after giving birth. During this period, the lochia contains less blood and is mainly composed of necrotic decidual tissue and mucus. It looks more and more like serous fluid, so it is light pink and is called serous lochia.

The third stage is 2-3 weeks after giving birth. There should be only a small amount of milky white or yellowish secretion. The lochia contains a lot of white blood cells, epidermal cells and some decidual tissue, which is milky white and is called white lochia.

The color of lochia can be said to be a weather map of women's physical and mental health, which can directly reflect the quality of their health. In addition, the lochia of the parturient should be properly handled. It is necessary to use some soft and strictly disinfected lochia pads to avoid infection, and maintain cleanliness and good air circulation. Pregnant women should also pay attention to keeping warm and prevent catching cold, otherwise it will affect the discharge of postpartum lochia. It should be noted that during the lochia period, pregnant women must maintain a happy mood to prevent some bad mental states from causing excitement in pregnant women and affecting postpartum recovery.