Blood poisoning following childbirth, caused by infection of the placental site.
Infection of the uterus following childbirth, sometimes a cause of maternal mortality.
An infection of the uterus following childbirth. The term puerperal refers to the puerperium, or the time just after a baby is born. Puerperal sepsis was once a major cause of death in women after childbirth, and it can sometimes still prove fatal.
An infection, once called puerperal fever, that starts in the genital tract within ten days after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion. Once a scourge of childbirth, with many women dying from the infection, the past 50 years have seen a dramatic decline in its incidence in developed countries, with only 1-3 per cent of women having babies now being affected. This decline is due to much better maternity care and the advent of antibiotics. Infection usually starts in the vagina and is caused by the bacteria that normally live in it: they can cause harm because of the mother’s lowered resistance, or when part of the placenta has been retained in the genital tract. The infection usually spreads to the uterus and sometimes to the fallopian tubes. Sometimes bacteria may enter the vagina from other parts of the body.
Any infection of the genital tract that occurs within 6 weeks after childbirth or abortion. Although once the greatest killer of new mothers, the incidence of postpartum infection has dropped dramatically as a result of aseptic technique during and after childbirth and the use of antibiotic therapy and now occurs in only a small percentage of maternity patients.
An infection arising in the genital tract within the initial ten days following childbirth, miscarriage, or abortion is referred to as puerperal sepsis. Once a frequent cause of mortality, this condition is now readily manageable through the use of antibiotic medications.