The lochia is not clean and it feels like menstruation

In the first month after giving birth, mothers have to deal with lochia, and some new mothers will enter the menstrual period soon after giving birth. This makes mothers feel confused. Is the lochia lasting too long, or is the menstrual period coming early due to poor body recovery? In fact, lochia and menstruation can be distinguished, and the color of lochia will also change. You will understand it soon after you understand it.

The difference between postpartum lochia and menstruation:

Lochia: It is the whole process of necrotic decidua, blood, cervical secretions and other tissues remaining in the uterus after childbirth, which slowly fall off and are discharged.

Postpartum lochia is a normal physiological phenomenon. It usually has a fishy smell, but it is not smelly, and the amount is not likely to exceed the menstrual volume.

The key to postpartum lochia is divided into three parts:

Stubborn postpartum lochia - serous postpartum lochia - white lochia. Within one week after giving birth, there is the stubborn lochia, which is bright red or dark red blood clots with a slight fishy smell and lasts for 3-4 days; then, the lochia will gradually become lighter, containing only a small amount of blood, as well as more necrotic decidual tissue, cervical mucus, intrauterine fluid, and bacteria. This is the serous lochia, which lasts about 10 days;

After the lochia comes out, it gradually turns milky white or yellowish white, similar to vaginal secretions. The lochia of parturient women usually lasts for about ten to 20 days and then disappears, but there are individual differences. If the lochia lasts for more than 2 months, or there is a lot of blood, lasts for a long time, has a foul odor, is dark brown in color, is dirty, and contains membrane or meat-like substances, these are abnormal manifestations of lochia and you should seek medical attention immediately.

Postpartum menstruation:

Generally, mothers who do not breastfeed will resume their menstruation 6 to 10 weeks after giving birth, and ovulation will resume about 10 weeks after giving birth. If you are a breastfeeding mother, the delay in menstruation is, on average, 4-6 months after giving birth to restore the ovulation period.

There are also individual differences in the recovery time of menstruation. Some mothers don't get their period until a year after giving birth, while others get their period after the child is one month old. This is mainly related to whether the mother breastfeeds after giving birth, the length of breastfeeding, the mother's age, and the recovery ability of the ovaries.

If the white lochia disappears for a period of time, and then bleeding occurs again, and the amount is the same as the previous menstrual flow or more than the previous amount, and there is no other discomfort, then it is very likely that the menstruation has resumed.

What causes irregular menstruation after childbirth?

Menstrual disorders during breastfeeding are mainly due to the fact that the baby has just been born. The hormones in the body will fluctuate greatly. In addition, it takes time for the uterus and ovaries to recover, so it is normal for the menstrual period to become irregular.

Generally, after a few menstrual periods or after weaning, the body's hormone secretion gradually becomes regular, and the menstrual period will gradually become regular.

In addition to menstrual disorders, postpartum menstruation may also experience increased bleeding or less menstrual flow.

This is also normal. As long as you are still breastfeeding, irregular menstruation, heavy or light menstruation are generally normal.

When the menstrual period is too long or too little, some mothers are very worried that it is "irregular menstruation" and want to take some measures to regulate it. Don’t panic! Only when there are at least 3 irregular periods in 6 months can it be considered a real “menstrual disorder”. Most mothers have menstrual disorders after giving birth, but this does not mean that they have irregular menstruation.