Symptom: Postpartum hemorrhage

Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage: Excessive bleeding after childbirth. See free access online books about Postpartum hemorrhage below. See detailed information below for a list of 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage: full list

Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage

• Bleeding disorders - Excessive bleeding after childbirth
• Choriocarcinoma - excessive bleeding after birth
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Type I - postpartum hemorrhage
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type II - postpartum hemorrhage
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type V - postpartum hemorrhage

See all 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage

Postpartum hemorrhage: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Postpartum hemorrhage, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Postpartum hemorrhage: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Postpartum hemorrhage and Birth symptoms (9 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Bleeding symptoms (9 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Blood clots (7 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Bruising (7 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Easy bruising (7 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Hematoma (7 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Female sexual symptoms (6 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Menstrual irregularities (6 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Pregnancy symptoms (4 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Heavy periods (4 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Skin problems (4 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Skin symptoms (4 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Abnormal uterine bleeding (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Epistaxis (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Face symptoms (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Head symptoms (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Nose symptoms (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Foot symptoms (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Lax Skin (3 causes)
• Postpartum hemorrhage and Leg symptoms (3 causes)

See full list of 198 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Postpartum hemorrhage

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Bleeding symptoms (914 causes)
• Birth symptoms (550 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Postpartum hemorrhage

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Postpartum hemorrhage:

• Bleeding (914 causes)
• Vaginal bleeding (128 causes)
• Bruising (216 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Postpartum hemorrhage

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Postpartum hemorrhage from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Postpartum hemorrhage. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Postpartum hemorrhage

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Postpartum hemorrhage

Anemia undiagnosed in pregnancy: The onset of anemia (low red blood cells) in pregnancy is sometimes overlooked, despite it being a well-known complication of pregnancy. The problem may be that the main symptom, i.e. fatigue, is also a typical symptom of pregnancy itself. Furthermore, diagnosis of anemia requires a blood test to determine the level of red blood cells. Failure to diagnose anemia is dangerous to the health of the mother near the end of pregnancy, and increases the risk of severe maternal hemorrhage and blood loss during birth (possibly even leading to maternal death). Anemia treatment varies by severity ranging from diet changes, iron tablets, or even iron injections; see treatment of anemia. See introduction to anemia and misdiagnosis of anemia....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Postpartum hemorrhage

Diagnostic tests for Postpartum hemorrhage:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Postpartum hemorrhage. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination
  • Temperature - elevated temperature may indicate endometritis (infection of the lining of the uterus) which may cause secondarypostpartum hemorrhage.
  • Blood pressure and Pulse rate to help determine presence of shock
  • Feel abdomen to determine how much the uterus has contracted down into the pelvis and establish if the uterus is tender
  • Vaginal examination to determine if opening of the cervix is open or closed and to determine if vaginal discharge is offensive

See full list of 13 diagnostic tests for Postpartum hemorrhage

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Postpartum hemorrhage. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• How long after the delivery of the baby did the heavy vaginal bleeding start? - Primary postpartum hemorrhage occurs within 24 hours after the delivery. Secondary postpartum hemorrhage occurs between 24 hours and six weeks after the delivery of the baby.
• How heavy is the vaginal bleeding? - e.g. postpartum hemorrhage indicates that the vaginal blood loss is greater than 500ml.
• Details of the pregnancy, labour and delivery? - e.g. there is an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage with prolonged labour, obstructed labour, forceps delivery, attempted vaginal birth after a caesarian section (VBAC), inverted uterus, having given birth to more than 5 babies in the past, the presence of excessive amounts of amniotic fluid during pregnancy, multiple pregnancies such as twins or triplets, large baby, vaginal hemorrhage during the pregnancy due to either placental abruption or placenta praevia; placental abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, intrauterine fetal death increases the risk of subsequent coagulation/clotting defects.
• Was oxytocic medication given to the mother after the birth of the shoulder of the baby? - e.g. syntometrine intramuscular injection stimulates the contraction of the uterus and helps reduce the rate of postpartum hemorrhage.
• Was the placenta complete on delivery? - Retained products of conception and retained placenta is a common cause of postpartum hemorrhage.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Postpartum hemorrhage (14 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Postpartum hemorrhage) may include:

• Easy bruising? - purpura ( multiple small hemorrhages into the skin or mucous membranes); petechiae (small pinhead size purpura); ecchymoses ( large purpura) - May indicate a bleeding disorder.
• Offensive smelling vaginal discharge? - may indicate endometritis (infection of the lining of the uterus) which may cause secondary postpartum hemorrhage.
• Fever? - may indicate endometritis (infection of the lining of the uterus) which may cause secondary postpartum hemorrhage.

See Diagnosis Checklist for Postpartum hemorrhage (14 listings)

Videos for Postpartum hemorrhage

Patient Surveys for Postpartum hemorrhage

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Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage listed in Disease Database:

Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible causes of Postpartum hemorrhage as a symptom include:

• Placental hypertrophy
• Uterine atony

See full list of 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Definitions of Postpartum hemorrhage:

Postpartum hemorrhage: hemorrhage from the birth canal in excess of 500 mL after a vaginal delivery or 1000 mL after a cesarean delivery during the first 24 hours after birth.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

The presence of abnormal uterine bleeding immediately after LABOR, OBSTETRIC or childbirth.
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Detailed list of causes of Postpartum hemorrhage

The list below shows some of the causes of Postpartum hemorrhage mentioned in various sources:

• Bleeding disorders - Excessive bleeding after childbirth
• Choriocarcinoma - excessive bleeding after birth
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Type I - postpartum hemorrhage
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type II - postpartum hemorrhage
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type V - postpartum hemorrhage

See full list of 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage

How Common are these Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Postpartum hemorrhage. Of the 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 0 causes are "very common" diseases
• 1 causes are "common" diseases
• 0 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 0 causes are "rare" diseases
• 0 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 10 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 11 causes of Postpartum hemorrhage

Conditions listing symptoms: Postpartum hemorrhage:

The following list of conditions have 'Postpartum hemorrhage' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

B

What are the alternative names for Postpartum hemorrhage:

Postpartum haemorrhage, PPH
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Classifications of Postpartum hemorrhage:

Medical Conditions associated with Postpartum hemorrhage:

Bleeding symptoms (853 causes), Birth symptoms (429 causes)

Symptoms related to Postpartum hemorrhage:

Bleeding (853 causes), Vaginal bleeding (61 causes), Bruising (204 causes)

Postpartum hemorrhage as a disease:

For a more detailed analysis of Postpartum hemorrhage as a disease, please see our Disease Center information for Postpartum hemorrhage.

• Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage (4 conditions)

Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

• What to tell your doctor about your symptoms
• What questions will the doctor ask about your symptoms (and why)?
• What does your doctor do in a physical examination?
• What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
• What questions to ask the doctor about the treatment
• Steps to take to get the most out of a doctor visit
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These general medical articles may be of interest:

• Medical Symptom Books
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis

See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Postpartum hemorrhage:

• Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage
• Basic Summary for Postpartum hemorrhage
• Types of Postpartum hemorrhage
• Causes of Postpartum hemorrhage
• Videos for Postpartum hemorrhage
• Complications of Postpartum hemorrhage
• Treatments for Postpartum hemorrhage

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