What is postpartum fever?

Many pregnant women will experience a special condition after giving birth, which is postpartum fever, a state of persistent body fever after delivery. There are several reasons that cause pregnant women to have persistent fever after childbirth, such as infection with evil toxins, exogenous wind and cold, etc. There are corresponding treatments for postpartum fever caused by these reasons.

Postpartum fever is one of the obstetric diseases. Published "Medical Compendium". It manifests as persistent fever after delivery, or sudden high fever accompanied by other symptoms. Common causes include exogenous factors, blood deficiency, blood stasis, food stagnation, infection with evil toxins, etc. During the postpartum period (confinement), persistent fever, or sudden high fever and chills accompanied by other symptoms are called "postpartum fever".

Postpartum fever is mostly caused by blood loss and energy consumption during delivery, loss of vital energy, or unclean delivery leading to infection with evil toxins; or the mother's vital energy is weak, the defense system is not strong, and she is affected by wind-cold and wind-heat; or lochia does not come out after delivery, blood stasis occurs, and the stasis turns into heat over time; or postpartum blood deficiency, insufficient nutrient yin, and endogenous heat are caused. Common syndromes include:

1. Postpartum fever caused by infection with evil toxins

① Symptoms occur within 24 hours to 10 days after delivery, including chills, persistent high fever, lower abdominal pain that refuses to be pressed, more or less lochia that is purple-black in color and foul-smelling, irritability and thirst, dark urine and hard stools, red tongue with yellow and greasy coating, and a rapid and strong pulse.

【Treatment method】 Clear away heat and detoxify, cool blood and remove blood stasis.

【Prescriptions】Wuwei Xiaodu Drink, etc.

② Due to the weakness of Qi and blood after childbirth, the evil toxins directly attack the uterus, and the evil and the good fight against each other. Symptoms include high fever, thirst and sweating, abdominal pain that refuses to be pressed, lochia that is purple and black like rotten sauce, with a foul odor, and even coma and delirium, and skin rashes.

【Treatment method】 Clear away heat, detoxify, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.

【Formula】Qingrejiedu Decoction (Obstetrics and Gynecology, edited by Liaoning College of Traditional Chinese Medicine)

[Composition] Honeysuckle, Forsythia, Dandelion, Viola yedoensis, Cortex Moutan, Pollen, Cortex Lycii, Folium Isatidis, Leonurus japonicus, Paeonia lactiflora, Pollen Typhae.

③If the patient is in a coma and delirium, you can use Angong Niuhuang Pills, Zixuedan, etc. to clear away heat and open the orifices.

④ If there are placenta and fetal membranes remaining in the uterine cavity, or if lochia is retained due to a narrow cervical opening, resulting in infection and fever, the infection should be controlled with drugs, and the lochia should be expelled by dilating the cervix and the placenta and fetal membranes should be removed by forceps. After the high fever and infection are controlled, necessary curettage should be performed to achieve complete cure.

2. Postpartum fever caused by wind-cold

① Symptoms include fever, aversion to cold, headache and body pain, no sweating, cough with thin sputum, heavy nasal congestion, thin white tongue coating, and floating and tight pulse.

【Treatment method】Dispel wind and cold, strengthen the body and relieve exterior symptoms.

【Prescriptions used】Ginseng and Su Drink, etc.

②Exogenous infection is mostly caused by sudden deficiency of Qi and blood after childbirth, which makes the defense against external diseases weak, allowing wind and cold evil to enter the body. Symptoms include aversion to cold and fever, headache, body aches, sore limbs, no sweating or coughing and runny nose.

【Treatment method】 Nourish blood and dispel wind

[Prescription] Jingfang Siwu Decoction.