What's wrong with postpartum infection? The six major symptoms of postpartum period should be cautious

Puerperal infection is a condition that occurs in women after childbirth, and its harm is also quite serious. If our body is abnormal, we must immediately be checked.

What is a puerperal infection

Puerperal infection refers to local or systemic infection caused by pathogens invading the reproductive tract during the postpartum period. The so-called puerperal disease refers to measuring body temperature four times a day with an oral thermometer within 10 days after 24 hours, with an interval of 4 hours between each measurement. Among them, the temperature reaches or exceeds 38 ℃ twice. The incidence of postpartum diseases is often caused by puerperal fever, as well as urinary system infections, respiratory system infections, and mastitis.

Puerperal fever is a common complication of puerperium, and its incidence rate is about 6%. Especially in recent years, with the increase of caesarean section rate, the incidence rate of puerperal fever is also rising. So far, puerperal fever still poses a serious threat to postpartum women. Puerperal fever, postpartum hemorrhage, pregnancy with heart disease, and severe gestational hypertension are still the four major causes of maternal mortality.

Symptoms of puerperal infection

1. Acute vulvitis, vaginitis, and cervicitis: Infection caused by perineal injury or surgical delivery during delivery is characterized by local burning, pain, and the stimulation of purulent secretions that cause urinary pain at the urethral opening, frequent urination. The infected suture at the wound is trapped in swollen tissue, and pus flows from the needle hole. Vaginal and cervical infections manifest as mucosal congestion ulcers, increased purulent secretions, and symptoms caused by cervical lacerations, which are often not obvious. If the depth reaches the fornix and broad ligament, without timely suturing, the pathogen can directly ascend or spread through lymphatic tissue, causing pelvic connective tissue inflammation.

2. Uterine infection: Postpartum uterine infections include acute endometritis and myositis. Bacteria that invade the placental detachment surface and spread to the detachment are called endometritis. Infection invading the uterine myometrium is known as endometritis accompanied by uterine myositis. Severe cases may experience chills, high fever, headache, fast heart rate, increased white blood cells, varying degrees of lower abdominal tenderness, and not necessarily excessive lochia, which can easily be misdiagnosed.

3. Acute pelvic connective tissue inflammation and acute salpingitis: Pathogens travel along the lymphatic or blood vessels of the uterus to reach the surrounding tissue, leading to an acute inflammatory reaction and the formation of inflammatory masses that also affect the mesothelium and wall of the fallopian tubes. Invading the entire pelvis can also form frozen pelvis. Gonococcus gonorrhoeae infects along the reproductive tract mucosa, causing abscesses in the fallopian tubes and pelvic abdominal cavity, resulting in persistent high fever.