A survey of womens experiences of vaginal loss from 24 hours to three months after childbirth (the BUPP study)

five hundred and twenty-four women were recruited to the survey in 1995.Vaginal loss, as reported by the women, was considerably more varied in duration, amount and colour than descriptions in current midwifery textbooks.The median number of days reported for the duration of vaginal loss was 21 days and the interdecile range (10th to 90th percentile) was 10-42 days. For colour of lochia, women overall reported their vaginal loss to be more predominantly red/brown in colour and the traditional descriptions of the timing and colour phases of lochia rubra, serosa and alba are not supported by the majority of the womenʹs experiences. Primiparous women were significantly more likely to report feelings of surprise or shock about their experiences of vaginal blood loss after the birth (odds ratio 4 [95% Confidence Interval 2-9]). Seven primiparous women (2%) were unaware that they would have a blood loss at all after the birth.