What Causes Postpartum Bleeding and Hemorrhage?
As mentioned already, postpartum bleeding is the natural process of eliminating excess blood and placental tissues from the body. After childbirth, the placenta gets separated from the uterus, which leaves open blood vessels at the area. These open blood vessels continue to bleed, which causes postpartum bleeding. The bleeding along with vaginal discharge experienced in the postpartum period is also referred as lochia. After a few days, the bleeding stops soon after the delivery, but the uterus continues to contract to expel the placenta. Once the placenta is expelled, such uterine contractions causes the blood vessels of the area to close off. The bleeding after childbirth or lochia can continue from two to six weeks. The bleeding is usually heavier than the normal menstrual bleeding experienced by women, but gradually reduces within a few days. Postpartum vaginal discharge or bleeding is usually bright red in color in the early days. Bleeding can be accompanied by the discharge of sm
