What to do if lochia does not stop after cesarean section? How long will it take to clear?

Some mothers are not in good health, and due to various factors, they have to undergo caesarean section, which causes great damage to their body and mind. It takes a long time to recover. So what should we do if the lochia does not stop after caesarean section? How long will it take to be discharged?

What to do if lochia does not stop after cesarean section

Netizen's answer: I also had a cesarean section. I had been having red lochia repeatedly. When I went to the hospital on the 42nd day, it just turned yellow again. The B-ultrasound was fine and the doctor didn't say anything. But when I got home, it turned red again. I also bought two boxes of motherwort and took them, but it didn't work. Two months later, I went to the hospital and the doctor prescribed hemostatic and anti-inflammatory drugs. I took them for a few days and now it seems to be gone...

Expert’s answer: There may be some bloody vaginal discharge in a short period of time after a cesarean section, which is a normal phenomenon. However, you still have abnormal discharge more than a month after the operation, so you may have an infection.

It is recommended to have a B-ultrasound examination of the uterus. The secretions need to be taken for testing. If there is an infection, penicillin should be chosen for treatment.

Types of postpartum lochia

White sticky lochia: After half a month to three weeks, the lochia no longer contains blood, but contains a large number of white blood cells, degenerate decidua, epidermal cells and bacteria, making the lochia sticky and white in color, so it is called white lochia. White lochia lasts for three weeks.

Red bloody lochia: In the first week after delivery, the amount of lochia is large, bright red, and contains a large amount of blood, small blood clots, and necrotic decidual tissue, which is called red lochia. Bloody lochia lasts for three to four days, the amount of uterine bleeding gradually decreases, the serous fluid increases, and it turns into serous lochia.

Serous light red lochia: After one week to half a month, the amount of blood in the lochia decreases, and there are more necrotic decidua, cervical mucus, vaginal secretions and bacteria, which makes the lochia turn into light red serous fluid. The lochia at this time is called serous lochia.

How long does it take for postpartum lochia to be discharged?

Physical differences: The duration of lochia discharge after delivery may vary from person to person. Under normal circumstances, the lochia will be cleared in about 3 weeks.

About half a month: Under normal circumstances, lochia has a bloody smell, but it is not smelly, the amount does not exceed the menstrual volume, the color is transparent, shiny, not dark, and not dirty. After about half a month to 20 days, it will be clean.

Private part infection: If the lochia is still not clean one month after the caesarean section, and is accompanied by a foul or rancid odor, or is accompanied by abdominal pain, fever and other symptoms, then there may be an infection in the uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina, or ovaries.

Examination and treatment: If the amount of lochia increases day by day, the color becomes redder and darker day by day, or some bruises appear, or there is uterine bleeding, vaginal trauma, or symptoms of infection, etc., which causes the lochia to continue to be unclean, go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time.

Causes of unclean lochia: If the lochia is still dripping and unclean after more than 2 months after delivery, it should be considered as unclean lochia. Common causes of unclean lochia include some infections in the uterine cavity, some remnants of pregnancy materials such as placenta, decidua and other tissues in the uterine cavity, and the uterus has not fully recovered.