Postpartum hemorrhage
Topic: Maternity
Excessive blood loss after birth: by ACOG, a cumulative loss of 1000 mL or more, or bleeding with signs of hypovolemia, regardless of route of birth; by WHO, FIGO and ICM (2025), after vaginal birth, 500 mL or more, or 300 mL or more with abnormal vital signs. Uterine atony is the most common cause (the 4 Ts: tone, trauma, tissue, thrombin). Assess the fundus and massage it if boggy, make sure the bladder is empty, quantify blood loss by weighing, call for help and prepare uterotonics.
- Also known as:
- PPH
- In Turkish:
- Doğum sonu kanama
What does Postpartum hemorrhage mean?
Postpartum hemorrhage is part of the Maternity topic in nursing. Students meet it in class, on clinical placements and while preparing for exams.
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Related terms
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Health Promotion (CC BY 4.0)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Gallos et al. (WHO Consortium on Postpartum Haemorrhage Definition), Prognostic Accuracy of Clinical Markers of Postpartum Bleeding: a WHO Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis (Lancet, 2025; CC BY 4.0)
- Begum et al., FIGO Recommendations on Objective Measurement of Blood Loss After Birth for Early Detection of Postpartum Hemorrhage (International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2025; CC BY 4.0)