What does serous lochia look like

Lochia is a symptom that every woman will experience after giving birth, so there is no need to worry too much when a woman finds secretions in her lower body. The lochia discharged from the body of the parturient is different in each period of time. In the early stage after the parturient gives birth, the lochia discharged from the body is bloody lochia, and after the bloody lochia, it is serous lochia. So what does serous lochia look like?

What does lochia serousa look like?

It often appears one week after delivery. The amount of blood will gradually decrease, while the serous components will increase, which are mostly bacteria, cervical mucus, necrotic exfoliated tissue, etc., and it lasts about 10 days.

During pregnancy, the placenta is attached to the inner wall of the uterus. After the fetus is born, the placenta is also delivered. However, the wound caused by the placenta detaching from the uterus will take some time to heal completely. Therefore, some blood will be discharged from the wound during the postpartum period. In addition to blood, it is also mixed with necrotic and detached decidual tissue (especially the decidua at the placenta attachment site), which contains blood, necrotic decidua, mucus and bacteria. This vaginal discharge is called lochia. Lochia is a normal physiological phenomenon. As the uterus shrinks, the color of lochia gradually changes and the amount gradually decreases. The amount of lochia and how long it lasts are important indicators of uterine recovery.

Under normal circumstances, lochia can be divided into three types according to its color and composition:

1. Bloody lochia: It is bright red in color and is named because it contains a large amount of blood. The amount is large, sometimes with small blood clots, a small amount of fetal membrane and necrotic deciduous tissue. Bloody lochia lasts about 3 to 4 days and gradually turns into serous lochia. If bloody lochia lasts too long, it indicates that the uterus is not recovering well.

2. Serous lochia: It is light red in color and is named because it is mainly composed of serous fluid. As the endometrium gradually repairs, bleeding is significantly reduced and lochia turns from red to light red. It contains a small amount of blood, but a large amount of necrotic exfoliated tissue, cervical mucus, vaginal discharge, and bacteria. Serous lochia can last for 7 to 10 days, and then gradually turn into white lochia.

3. White lochia: It is sticky and named because of its white color. It contains a large number of white blood cells, necrotic deciduous tissue, epidermal cells and bacteria, and lasts for 3 weeks.