How long does it take for menstruation to be clean after abortion?

Nowadays, abortion is no longer a rare thing. Many women have abortions when there are problems with the fetus or when they do not want to get pregnant. Abortion can completely remove the gestational sac in the uterus and will not affect a woman's future pregnancy. After an abortion, women will have lochia and other discharge from their bodies. This is a normal physiological phenomenon and will generally disappear after a period of time. So, how long does it take for menstruation to end after an abortion?

Lochia is the blood and mucus discharged from the vagina after childbirth or abortion. Generally speaking, lochia can be discharged within three weeks after abortion. If it continues to discharge after three weeks, it is called "retained lochia". Normal lochia has a bloody smell, not stinky. Lochia can be divided into three types.

●Bloody lochia. This is the secretion discharged within 1 to 4 days after abortion. It is large in amount, bright red in color, and contains blood, decidual tissue and mucus. It is similar to menstruation, or slightly more than menstruation, and sometimes contains blood clots.

●Serous lochia. This is discharged 4 to 6 days after abortion. It is light red in color and contains a small amount of blood, mucus, more vaginal secretions, and bacteria.

●White lochia. This is the white or yellowish lochia discharged one week after the abortion. It contains a large number of white blood cells, decidual cells and bacteria. It looks like leucorrhea, but there is more of it than usual.

Although every woman will have lochia after abortion, the amount discharged varies from person to person, with the average total amount being about 500 to 1000 ml. The duration of lochia discharge varies from woman to woman.

How long does it take for lochia to be clean after abortion? The reasons why lochia is not clean after abortion are as follows:

1. Tissue Residue

It may be due to uterine malformation, uterine fibroids, etc., or it may be due to the unskilled operation operator, resulting in incomplete removal of the pregnancy tissue, causing some tissue to remain in the uterine cavity. At this time, in addition to the unclean lochia, the amount of bleeding varies, with blood clots inside, and is accompanied by intermittent abdominal pain.

2. Uterine Infection

Uterine infection may be caused by taking a bath in a tub after an abortion, using unclean sanitary napkins, having sexual intercourse shortly after an abortion, or by the operator's failure to provide proper disinfection. At this time, the lochia has a foul odor, there is tenderness in the abdomen, and it is accompanied by fever. A blood test shows an increase in the total white blood cell count.

3. Uterine contractions

It may be due to failure to rest well after abortion, or due to poor health and illness, which may lead to weak uterine contractions and continuous lochia. Related reading: What are the clinical manifestations of artificial abortion syndrome?

Tips: Since symptoms vary, treatments are also different. By observing the nature, odor, amount and duration of lochia, you can understand the recovery of the uterus and whether there is any infection. If bloody lochia lasts for more than 2 weeks and the amount is large, it often indicates that the placenta attachment site is not recovered well or there are residual placenta and fetal membranes. If the lochia is not clear one month after the abortion and is accompanied by a foul or rancid odor, or is accompanied by abdominal pain and fever, it may be an infection of the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries. If it is accompanied by heavy bleeding and the uterus is large and soft, it often indicates that the uterus is not recovered well. Therefore, you should go to the hospital in time and ask the doctor to find out the cause of lochia and treat it accordingly.

Warm reminder: Women should pay attention to the following points after abortion to prevent lochia from continuing.

1. Observe the color, amount and smell of lochia every day after abortion. Normal lochia should be odorless but have a bloody smell. If an odor is found, it may be that there are fetal residues in the uterus and should be treated immediately.

2. Measure the degree of uterine contraction regularly. If you find that the contraction is poor, you should ask your doctor to prescribe uterotonics.

3. Keep the vagina clean. Because of the discharge of lochia, women should change sanitary napkins frequently to keep clean. It is best to temporarily refrain from sexual intercourse to avoid infection.

4. If lochia continues after delivery and if you suspect that there is placenta residue, you should go to the hospital immediately and receive treatment under the guidance of a doctor.