Brown discharge after childbirth. Green discharge after childbirth. What determines the duration of the recovery period?

Childbirth. This is considered the norm, since with them all the elements that were formed during labor leave the body.

Young mothers are always faced with the phenomenon of childbirth. This is considered the norm, since with them all the elements that were formed during labor leave the body.

The discharge can be different: bloody, brown, and even yellow. Each period has its own norm. Do not be afraid that the first time after the birth of the baby you will notice the release of an unusual secretion. This is primarily due to the severe trauma that childbirth represents. Brown and reddish discharge is not unusual in the first two months after giving birth. However, if the process of releasing blood secretions takes too long, you should definitely consult a specialist about this.

Moreover, a woman after childbirth should carefully monitor her feelings. If the discharge is abundant a month after childbirth, plus abdominal pain, weakness and nausea appear, you need to urgently consult a gynecologist and find out the reasons for this phenomenon. Normally this shouldn't happen. For a couple of months after birth, a brownish or reddish secretion is allowed, which should come out in small quantities.

How long should the discharge last after childbirth?

Even when the giving birth organism, secreting a brownish liquid, does this for too long, this should be a cause for concern. It must be taken into account that this phenomenon has limitations. The norm is considered to be a slight brownish secretion that leaves the female body over the course of 8 weeks. If the discharge does not stop for more than 2 months, this indicates the presence of a pathology that needs to be diagnosed and treated.

In addition, it is worth noting that the first time after the birth of a child there may be quite abundant red discharge, but this is quickly replaced by a scant brownish secretion. After a month, only a daub with brown impurities should be noticeable. This suggests that the body’s recovery process is proceeding as expected.

However, even when the discharge does not stop even after two months, there is no need to panic, since this does not mean that we are talking about the development of pathology. In order to understand the situation, you need to visit a gynecologist and undergo diagnostics. After conducting a series of tests, a specialist can determine whether this situation is pathological or the reason lies in the characteristics of the patient’s body.

The duration may be influenced by factors such as difficult childbirth and problematic pregnancies. If a young mother has postpartum complications, this may affect the body’s recovery time, meaning it will take longer. The duration of vaginal secretion also depends on the intensity of uterine contractions. In turn, this process is influenced by breastfeeding. If a woman is breastfeeding, the brown discharge should end faster.

After giving birth, a young mother is obliged to closely monitor not only the child, but also herself. By the amount and intensity of discharge, many pathological processes can be determined. A bad sign would be a prolonged release of red-brown secretion, and a too short period for this process. If the discharge stops appearing after a week, this indicates that the uterus is not contracting well enough, and this is a very bad signal.

Personal hygiene

Postpartum secretion is a favorable flora for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, if a young mother does not want to face complications, for example, dysbacteriosis, it is imperative to follow the rules of personal hygiene with the utmost care.

Until the discharge stops, you should constantly use sanitary pads, which are changed at least once every 4 hours. In addition, a woman should wash her genitals after each visit to the toilet and shower daily.

The first few months after giving birth, you should never use tampons. Experts do not recommend taking a bath.

For several months after the baby is born, you need to be very careful about physical activity. In addition, you should not restrain the urge to go to the toilet, as this can put pressure on the uterus, which will already be quite vulnerable in the postpartum period.

Causes of the phenomenon

Immediately after giving birth, the woman will notice bleeding. It will be more or less significant, depending on how the birth went. When a lot of blood comes out, this can lead to complications, so you need to do everything to stop the discharge. It is impossible to completely get rid of them, since they must come out in small quantities until the injured reproductive system returns to normal.

Over time, there will be less and less reddish discharge, and then it will turn brown. As a rule, a color change occurs a week after the baby is born, but in some women a similar phenomenon is observed within a few hours after birth.

It is simply impossible to get rid of brown secretion. You need to wait out this period. The thing is that dead tissue particles come out along with the mucus. They will leave the woman’s body until the uterus is completely cleansed. Typically this process takes about 2 months. But a lot depends on additional factors. In nursing mothers, cleansing of the reproductive system after childbirth occurs much faster than in those who do not breastfeed. In turn, there are certain factors that prolong the period of release of brown secretion. This applies primarily to surgical intervention during the birth of a child. After a caesarean section, the release of brown discharge will take longer. This is considered normal if there are no additional symptoms of pathology.

Pathological signs

If a representative of the fair sex had a normal birth process, then red and brown discharge should not last more than 2 months. A duration of secretion release of less than 4 weeks is also considered a deviation.

In addition, you should always pay attention to additional factors. First of all, this concerns the abundance of discharge. Even in the case when the discharge is in normal quantities and has changed from red to a brownish color, but the woman constantly feels pain in the abdomen, this is a very alarming sign. It is especially dangerous when brown discharge is accompanied by an unpleasant putrefactive odor. This phenomenon is considered a clear sign of infection.

Over time, the brownish discharge may become very light, almost yellow. This should not be alarmed if this happens without any additional symptoms.

When the brownish secretion suddenly changes to bright yellow or yellowish-green, you should definitely consult a doctor. This phenomenon suggests that an inflammatory process is occurring in the young mother’s body, which can be extremely dangerous for the injured reproductive system. Often the purulent odor is accompanied by high fever and severe discomfort in the lower abdomen.

With such symptoms, you should definitely consult a doctor, as this indicates inflammation and possible suppuration of the postpartum wound. The exact cause of the problem can only be determined after a thorough diagnosis. Then the specialist must prescribe the correct treatment.

Pregnancy and childbirth provoke serious changes in a woman’s body. Therefore, you should not be surprised that it will take time to return to your usual state. Due to the fact that recovery mechanisms are actively involved in the process, discharge after childbirth - lochia - is observed.

New mothers often ask a lot of questions. One of the most common is how long will the discharge last? The question is also whether there are any signs that indicate a pathological recovery process. Each woman has her own due date, but you definitely won’t have to wait 3 months after giving birth for the discharge to stop.

Immediately after childbirth, bleeding is profuse, but despite this, you should not use regular pads; the best option is absorbent diapers. A woman may find this uncomfortable, but it is better for a doctor to assess the condition.

A few hours and then days after childbirth, the red discharge has a slightly sweetish odor, since its main composition is unchanged blood. In addition, it contains the secretion of the uterine glands, which is activated after childbirth. The volume of discharge decreases gradually.

A sudden decrease in the amount of brown discharge after childbirth is considered to be a deviation from the norm, which indicates cervical spasm. It is also abnormal if the discharge becomes excessively abundant - this means that the contractile activity of the uterus is impaired.

The doctor may decide that the new mother has problems with blood clotting. In case of development of DIC syndrome, medical procedures will be required, since such a complication is life-threatening.

If a woman has undergone a procedure, the picture will be slightly different, namely how long the discharge is observed after childbirth. The duration is prolonged because the uterus cannot contract as quickly. But it is important to consider that discharge after a cesarean section should not last more than two weeks.

Why does discharge occur?

Regardless of how the birth took place, women experience discharge for a long time. This occurs because the surface of the uterus is essentially an open wound after the placenta has been delivered.

In the third stage of normal labor, the functional layer of the endometrium, which thickened throughout pregnancy, is rejected. At this time, the uterus begins to shrink in size.

After leaving the maternity hospital, you need to independently monitor the volume, smell and color of the discharge after childbirth.

What determines the duration of the recovery period?

A woman wants to get rid of the need to constantly change pads as soon as possible; in addition, heavy discharge interferes with restoration.

The question of how long discharge lasts after childbirth is of particular concern to women. The timing of uterine involution varies, their duration depends on the course of labor and the characteristics of the body. Usually the process takes a month, but it happens that after 5-6 weeks the pink discharge remains.

How long the discharge will be after childbirth also depends on whether the baby is breastfeeding. With frequent feedings, the uterus will contract faster.

If after this time a woman is still bothered by blood, she should consult a doctor. Such a long recovery process has its reasons, which need to be determined as soon as possible.

Blood loss over a long period of time is in itself harmful to a woman. A sharp increase in the number of lochia is an alarming symptom - a doctor should examine the woman immediately. 2 months after giving birth, discharge should definitely be a thing of the past. Therefore, if the recovery process is taking too long, it is important to take immediate action.

However, stopping bleeding too quickly after childbirth is another good reason to see a specialist. Most likely, the body quickly returned to normal, but there is another option. Blood can accumulate in the uterus without leaving.

Statistics show that 98% of cases of rapid cessation of discharge ends in hospitalization for a woman. The female body does not cleanse itself, and excess residues provoke the development of inflammation.

Composition of lochia

To assess her condition, a woman should not only observe the duration of the dark discharge, but also the composition.

Normal picture

A couple of days after birth, bleeding is observed.
Discharge a week after childbirth is blood clots that appear due to the release of the endometrium and placenta. After another week there will be no clots, the lochia will become liquid.
If there is mucus discharge, this does not indicate pathology. This is how the products of a child’s intrauterine life are eliminated. Within a week, the mucous discharge that appeared after childbirth will disappear.
A month after childbirth, spotting resembles smears at the end of menstruation.

All of the listed signs should not worry new mothers, since they are a normal course of the recovery process. But if the discharge turns out to be purulent a month after birth or earlier. This is a reason to sound the alarm.

Pathological signs

Pus is released when inflammation occurs. The cause may be infections accompanied by fever and nagging pain in the lower abdomen. Externally, lochia looks like snot.
Mucus and clots should appear no earlier than a week after the baby is born.
Clear discharge, like water, is considered abnormal. This may indicate gardnerellosis or the separation of fluid from the lymphatic and blood vessels.

It is important that the young mother knows which discharge after childbirth is normal and which is not, in order to contact a specialist in time.

Color and amount of postpartum discharge

Normal course:

Within two to three days from the moment of birth, bright scarlet discharge is observed. At this stage, the blood has not yet clotted.
After two weeks, brown discharge appears, which indicates proper recovery.
At the end, the lochia is transparent or has a slight yellowish tint.

Pathology:

Pale and light yellow discharge should not worry a woman. Bright yellow discharge with a green admixture and a putrid odor on the fifth day indicates inflammation of the uterine mucosa. If such lochia appears after 2 weeks, this indicates latent endometritis.
When green discharge appears, one can also suspect, but they are more dangerous than yellow ones, because they indicate an already running process. To prevent this from happening, you need to consult a specialist when the first traces of pus appear. If you do it in time, you can avoid greenish discharge.
You should be concerned if lochia develops with an unpleasant sour odor and a cheesy consistency. Such white discharge is accompanied by itching and redness. This indicates an infection or thrush.
After childbirth, black discharge without other symptoms is considered normal and is a consequence of hormonal imbalance. Women most often treat such discharge because of its color.

Smell

The discharge has a specific smell. It will also help determine if everything is in order.

At first there should be a smell of fresh blood and dampness, and after a while mustiness and rottenness will appear. There is nothing pathological about this.

If after childbirth there is discharge with an unpleasant odor - putrefactive, sour, pungent, you should be wary. Together with other changes (color and abundance), this sign may indicate inflammation or infection.

Signs of inflammatory discharge

If an inflammatory process begins in the uterus, the young mother will notice the following signs:

Unpleasant and painful sensations in the lower abdomen.
Weakness, dizziness, body aches, etc.
An increase in temperature not associated with lactostasis.
Changes in color, odor and profuseness of discharge.

Hygiene rules during the postpartum period

Postpartum discharge is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. During this period, it is important to monitor intimate hygiene as carefully as possible:

It is necessary to choose the right sanitary pads - there are special postpartum ones, but you can use absorbent diapers. At home, after discharge, you can switch to regular pads. It is necessary to change them in a timely manner - every 4-6 hours. Depends on how intense the brown discharge is.
Tampons are prohibited.
It is necessary to regularly toilet the genitals. The water jet is directed only from front to back.
If a woman needs to treat sutures on the perineum, she needs to use antiseptics - a solution of potassium permanganate or furatsilin.

Every mother should realize how important her health is. You can independently determine whether recovery is happening correctly by how many days the discharge lasts after childbirth, by its color and abundance. You should not hope that the unpleasant symptoms will go away on their own and wait 4 months, and then consult a doctor out of despair. It is better to immediately eliminate unpleasant symptoms in order to be able to enjoy motherhood to the fullest.

Useful story about the postpartum period:

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Some women notice a brown discharge that begins to appear after childbirth. This is undoubtedly intimidating for new mothers. This is especially true for those secretions that come out with blood clots. Discharges of this nature are called lochia in medicine. Clots consist of particles of the endometrium that have died, as well as plasma and cells of the placenta. When should you be afraid of these discharges, and in what period are they considered normal and in what periods are they not?

Discharge after childbirth after 2 months: causes and solution

Let us immediately note that with discharge that appears after the birth process, the uterus begins to make intensified contractions. How long this process will take depends on the individuality of each organism. After a woman gives birth, her body undergoes self-cleansing and at the same time it gets rid of remnants of tissue and mucus. Those who have already passed this period know that it is when the uterus contracts that involution occurs and the abdomen begins to shrink.

The uterus must undergo cleansing in no more than 2 months. Be sure to pay attention during the entire postpartum period to the nature and duration of the discharge. Please remember that they may change color. Initially, the discharge looks more like menstruation, but it can change its color to yellowish-white, and it should not have a characteristic odor.

If the body recovers normally, then discharge from the uterine area stops after 4 weeks. It is considered normal if by this time only spotting spots sometimes appear. It is rare, but it happens that the process is delayed for 6 weeks.

If the process of uterine contraction is prolonged, then you should go to the clinic to see a doctor who, through an ultrasound, can identify the cause.

The consequences can be different; there are 6 reasons for prolonged discharge:

The presence of an inflammatory process in the uterus;
Formation of a fibrous node;
Uterine infantilism;
Poor blood clotting;
The organ was bent;
The placenta did not come out completely.

In the latter case, a complete gynecological diagnosis and cleansing of the uterus under inpatient observation is required. The presence of a characteristic odor in the discharge can also be dangerous. This is a signal that the inflammatory process has begun. Since postpartum discharge is considered an excellent environment for the development of pathogenic bacteria, if abnormalities are detected, you should immediately contact a gynecologist.

Brown discharge after childbirth 3 months

As mentioned above, postpartum discharge is typical for up to 6 weeks, but this is a rare case. If the discharge does not stop 12 weeks after the baby is born, then it may be menstruation or the formation of an inflammatory process. The nature of the discharge is very important, it can be dark or light beige, but if you see black discharge, you should urgently call an ambulance.

If you notice white discharge and mucus predominates in it, then this may be postpartum thrush. If there are few of them and they are mostly transparent, then you should not be afraid, these discharges are considered completely natural. Stretching discharge that has neither color nor odor in most cases indicates the period of ovulation.

If a woman does not breastfeed, then after 3 months her menstrual cycle may normalize, and discharge will mean the arrival of her critical days. Standard menstruation will be accompanied by all known symptoms, such as pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, as well as increased breast sensitivity.

If bleeding is accompanied by fever or severe malaise, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance. Only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis.

After 3 months, only those discharges that do not cause discomfort and are colorless and odorless are considered normal. In other situations, you need to go to the hospital and have an ultrasound done to find out everything about the condition of your body.

What does brown discharge after childbirth 1 month indicate?

After 4 weeks of your baby being born, the spotting will change to brown. This will indicate that fresh blood is not released, but only the remainder of the old blood comes out.

Sometimes the dark brown discharge may be accompanied by white or yellow mucus. This also indicates that the uterine cavity is returning to normal.

The discharge should not cause you discomfort, and its amount should be insignificant. The difference will be noticeable after 4 weeks.

Before the lochia finishes coming out, the uterus will reach its normal size and be covered with mucous membrane inside. It is considered normal if after a month you still have spotting, the most important thing is that there are not many of them and they are not accompanied by symptoms of the disease.

Can there be brown discharge after a cesarean section: normal or pathological?

There is no reason to panic if it ends quickly or, on the contrary, if the discharge lasts for about 10 weeks. Yes, the deadline has already passed, but it should be taken into account that each organism is special. If you do not observe an unpleasant odor or a large number of lochia, then there is no reason to think about deviations. Although it is better to consult your gynecologist.

Be careful, there is a special reason for joy if the discharge ends almost immediately after childbirth. Such a quick result often indicates the appearance of an inflammatory process that requires cleaning.

You should definitely consult a doctor if the timing is outside the normal range. This period is either less than 5 weeks or more than 11-12. Both the first and second indicators are dangerous.

In the first case, perhaps the endometrium could not come out for certain reasons and there is a chance of fester. In the second option, an inflammatory process or endometritis may begin.

Why does brown discharge occur after childbirth (video)

Now, after reading our article, you know how long the discharge lasts and when a woman should not worry. Carefully monitor the deadlines so that you know whether the process has taken too long, has passed too quickly, or continues to proceed within normal limits. In any case, at the slightest premonition that something is wrong, it is better to consult a doctor, no matter how much you want to do so, in order to undergo the necessary treatment if necessary.

Restoration of the body, the cycle and, accordingly, the reproductive function of the body after the birth of a child occurs differently for everyone. Each new menstruation is often different from the ones before pregnancy. Its duration, color, intensity and overall character change. Brown discharge after childbirth is normal and does not pose a threat to health. Less commonly, with certain accompanying symptoms, an inflammatory process or the development of another pathology of the pelvic organs begins.

Immediately after the birth of a child, the involution of the uterus begins - the organ decreases in size and is cleared of the remnants of the placenta and fetal sac. The process is always accompanied by lochia. During the first 3-4 days, there is copious brown discharge, bright scarlet in color, of a fairly dense consistency, sometimes with the inclusion of blood clots.

Then gradually the lochia thins out, becomes lighter, and their intensity decreases. Women notice the appearance of brown discharge 2-3 weeks after childbirth and, due to inexperience, mistake it for a pathology. But this is a normal stage of cleansing the uterus. In general, lochia does not stop until 4-6 weeks and at the end resembles a light, yellow-brown discharge.

The appearance of the first menstruation depends mainly on the type of feeding chosen. In lactating mothers, it returns, on average, at 8-10 months; in non-lactating mothers, it returns much earlier. But at the same time, lactation does not guarantee a contraceptive effect. Therefore, in case of unclear periods, if short-term, one-time light brown discharge is observed, a new pregnancy should be excluded.

Menstruation that occurs after childbirth is not always the usual red color. Brown discharge two to three months after birth is often the first period, especially in mothers who do not breastfeed. During lactation, even 2-3 menstruation is usually weakly expressed, and everything looks as if after childbirth, a spot appeared instead of menstruation.

In order for regularity and character to be established, it takes time. Due to hormonal imbalance, this takes up to 2-3 months, sometimes longer. Therefore, often after the first menstruation, less often over several cycles, dark brown discharge is observed, which actually completes the cleansing of the organ.

Deviations

Pathology during the period of lochia is indicated not by brown, but, on the contrary, by long-lasting red discharge. This indicates bleeding or slow contraction of the uterus. A bad sign is also a change from lightened lochia to scarlet ones, or a sudden cessation that does not correspond to the term.

You should pay attention to the situation when brown discharge does not tend to decrease a month after birth. It is dangerous if at any time an unpleasant odor, mucus, atypical pain in the lower abdomen appears, or the temperature rises, then you should not hesitate to visit a gynecologist. The clinical picture corresponds to an inflammatory process in the uterus or appendages.

After the end of lochia and until the start of menstruation, there should not be any dark discharge normally. You should monitor your regularity, character, and evaluate your well-being. It is possible to exclude the disease and confirm the physiology of atypical secretion only after examination by a gynecologist.

With the restoration of the cycle, it is also necessary to monitor the nature of menstruation. If the brown spot does not stop after menstruation, does not end it, but, on the contrary, continues for several days, then this is a sign of pathology.

Sometimes scanty brown mucous discharge occurs in the middle of the cycle. Very rarely, this is a normal reaction to a ruptured follicle. But usually the situation indicates a disease of the pelvic organs or a hormonal imbalance.

Reasons for possible deviations

The inflammatory process in the uterus, in particular endometritis, is the most common cause of atypical discharge. When the cycle is restored, they are often the only sign of the onset of infection. Much later, pain and fever appear.

Other causes of pathological brown discharge after childbirth:

any inflammatory process in the uterus, vagina, ovaries, including those that occur during lochia or as a result of an STD;
postpartum cervical erosion;
endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia;
neoplasm in the uterus - polyps, fibroids, malignant tumors;
hormonal imbalance and others.

Postpartum erosions, neoplasms, etc., often lead to the fact that a small amount of blood, coagulated inside, comes out in the form of an atypical vaginal secretion. But usually such diseases due to brown discharge do not occur immediately, but on average after 5 months. Infections of the genital tract provoke increased production of mucus, which turns dark.

Any malfunction of the thyroid gland or pituitary gland leads to a change in the balance of hormones in the body. Sometimes taking medications stimulates atypical reactions in the form of the color and nature of menstruation. Often after Utrozhestan, brown discharge appears instead of menstruation. This is actually what menstruation looks like with prematurely clotting blood due to hormone therapy.

A new conception occurs at any time after the end of the lochia period. If this is confirmed, then beige discharge with brown streaks during pregnancy indicates placental abruption, uterine hypertonicity and the threat of early miscarriage. In the third trimester, the situation is fraught with premature birth.

Sometimes, after an examination in the maternity hospital, a pregnant woman notices that brown discharge has begun. If this happens at 38 weeks or more, there is no need to worry, as labor begins. The doctor may have performed manual separation of the membranes to stimulate dilation of the cervix.

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment

To prevent infection of the uterus in the postpartum period, during lochia, hygiene plays an important role. Frequent and proper washing, timely change of pads and compliance with other recommendations for caring for the perineal area do not allow pathogenic bacteria to multiply.

Any initiative or ignoring the situation with already existing signs of pathology is unacceptable. Douching and the use of traditional methods complicate diagnosis and cause the spread of infection.

If brown discharge continues after 1-2 months, or, even worse, after 3 months, after childbirth, then the first thing to do is an ultrasound of the pelvic organs. Examination on a gynecological chair is complicated by the presence of prolonged lochia. Next, a general blood and urine test is usually carried out, a smear is taken from the vagina for flora or bacterial culture, and other additional studies.

The confirmed inflammatory process is stopped with antibacterial drugs with a wide spectrum of action. Ideally, this is done after determining the pathogen and its sensitivity to antibiotics. The decision on the method of treating tumors is made based on the specific situation and indications.

Untreated acute postpartum endometritis often causes the disease to become chronic. Then, apart from irregular blood discharge 4-6 months after birth, and more, there are no signs of pathology. Characteristic symptoms: pain, temperature, odor appear later or do not appear at all.

In most cases, the appearance of brown discharge after childbirth, which falls within the recovery period, indicates cleansing of the uterus and its normal contraction. If there are any suspicions or doubts about the cause of atypical discharge, the only right decision is to consult a doctor. If their appearance is not associated with lochia or menstruation, then there is a high probability of pathological changes in the body.