Question

Which one of the following is NOT true in Normal Puerperium?

• A. Women loses body weight
• B. Diuresis occurs from the 2nd day
• C. Progressive diminution of the size of the uterus
• D. Red lochia (lochia rubra) continues till the 8th week after the delivery of the fetus (parturition)

Hint:

Lochia rubra, the red discharge, normally lasts only the first few days after delivery, not weeks.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Recall the normal course of the puerperium.
The puerperium is the six week period after delivery in which the body returns close to its pre pregnancy state. Weight loss, a burst of urine output, uterine shrinkage, and a set sequence of lochia changes are all part of this normal recovery.

Step 2: Check weight loss.
A woman loses weight after delivery from the loss of the baby, placenta, and fluid, plus the diuresis and sweating that follow, so this statement is true.

Step 3: Check diuresis.
The extra fluid gained during pregnancy is passed out mainly through urine, and this diuresis is most marked from around the second day after delivery, so this statement is true.

Step 4: Check uterine involution.
The uterus shrinks steadily after delivery, going from about the level of the umbilicus down to a normal, non pregnant size over about six weeks, so this statement is true.

Step 5: Check the lochia claim.
Lochia rubra, the red discharge, normally lasts only about three to four days, occasionally up to a week, before turning pink brown (lochia serosa) and then whitish yellow (lochia alba). Total lochia can run for several weeks, but the red phase itself is short. Saying lochia rubra continues till the eighth week is therefore false.

Final Answer:
The statement that is NOT true is that red lochia continues till the eighth week after delivery.