Lochia

In the field of obstetrics, lochia is the vaginal discharge after giving birth, containing blood, mucus, and uterine tissue.[1] Lochia discharge typically continues for four to eight weeks after childbirth,[2] a time known as the postpartum period or puerperium. A 2016 review ties this "lochial period" to worldwide customs of postpartum confinement, a time for the new mother and baby to bond.[3]

Lochia is sterile for the first two days, but not so by the third or fourth day, as the uterus begins to be colonized by vaginal commensals such as non-hemolytic streptococci and E. coli.[4] The Cleveland Clinic recommends that pads be used instead of tampons to absorb the fluid as materials should not be inserted in the vagina soon after childbirth.[5]

  1. ^ Murkoff, Heidi; Eisenberg, Arlene; Hathaway, Sandee (2002). What To Expect When You're Expecting (3rd ed.). New York: Workman. p. 383. ISBN 0-7611-2132-3. This discharge of leftover blood, muscus, and tissue from your uterus, known as lochia, is normally as heavy as (and sometimes even heavier than) a menstrual period for the first three to ten postpartum days.
  2. ^ Oppenheimer, LW; Sherriff, EA; Goodman, JD; Shah, D; James, CE (July 1986). "The duration of lochia". Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 93 (7): 754–757. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.1986.tb08063.x. PMID 3755355. S2CID 221487083.
  3. ^ Sharma S, van Teijlingen E, Hundley V, Angell C, Simkhada P. Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16(1):147. Published July 5 2016. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0938-4
  4. ^ Hanretty, Kevin P. (2009). Obstetrics Illustrated. Illustrated by Ian Ramsden and Robin Callander (7th ed.). Churchill-Livingston. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-7020-3066-6. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Pregnancy: Physical Changes After Delivery". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 16 August 2024.