What is the reason for postpartum lochia?

We all know that after giving birth, some secretions will flow out of the mother, which is what medical students call lochia. This is a normal situation, but some mothers experience unclean lochia after delivery, and no one knows what is going on. Below we will introduce the basic situation about postpartum lochia, I hope you can understand it.

After the fetus is delivered, bloody secretions will continue to flow out of the mother's vagina for a certain period of time. This is what is medically known as lochia. Normal lochia has a bloody smell, not a foul odor. It includes blood discharged from the uterine cavity, necrotic decidual tissue, mucus and bacteria in the birth canal. The content of lochia varies at different times after delivery, and we can observe whether there are any abnormalities by looking at the content of lochia at different times. Generally there are three different types of lochia.

(1) Bloody lochia, also known as red lochia, is secretion discharged from the first to fourth day after delivery. It is bright red and contains a lot of blood. The amount is also relatively large. It is generally similar to normal menstruation, or slightly more than menstrual flow, and sometimes contains blood clots.

(2) Serous lochia is light red in color and contains a small amount of blood, mucus, and a larger amount of vaginal secretions, as well as bacterial growth. It is discharged about 4 to 6 days after delivery.

(3) White lochia is white or light yellow lochia that is discharged one week after delivery.

It contains white blood cells, decidual cells, epidermal cells and bacteria. Its shape is similar to leucorrhea, but it is more than usual. Although every parturient has lochia, the amount discharged is different for each person, with the average total amount being about 500 to 1000 ml. The duration of discharge varies from woman to woman. Normal women usually need 2 to 4 weeks, while a few women can last 1 to 2 months.

When a child is breastfeeding, sucking the nipple can cause reflex uterine contractions, which is beneficial to the discharge of lochia in the uterine cavity. For a small number of women, even under normal circumstances, lochia can continue to 1 to 2 months after delivery. For most women, lochia stops after one month. If the lochia is still leaking three months after delivery, it is considered as unclean lochia and there must be pathological factors. Common causes include uterine cavity infection, the presence of pregnancy products such as placenta, decidua, fetal membranes and other tissues in the uterine cavity, poor uterine involution, and the most serious complication is choriocarcinoma. These are pathological phenomena that cannot be ignored. Therefore, if you encounter persistent postpartum lochia, you need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

If after one month, the lochia is not clear and is accompanied by a foul or putrid odor, or is accompanied by abdominal pain and fever, it may be an infection in the uterus, appendages (fallopian tubes, ovaries), or vagina; if the amount of lochia increases day by day, the color becomes redder and darker, or bruises appear, these are all abnormal phenomena, and there may be uterine bleeding, vaginal trauma, or infection. These situations should be paid attention to in time and go to the hospital for examination and treatment.

The above specifically introduces some basic situations about postpartum lochia. From the above introduction, we can know that if lochia is not clean, we must seek medical attention immediately and do not delay. I hope I can help you in life, and I wish you all a happy life!