Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsClot SizeWhat Is Normal?RisksTreatmentCalling for HelpWhen Do Clots Stop?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Clot Size
What Is Normal?
Risks
Treatment
Calling for Help
When Do Clots Stop?
Somepostpartum bleeding and blood clotsare normal in the days and weeks after giving birth. As you recover from childbirth, theuterusis shrinking back to its normal size and shedding any extra blood and tissue.
But any heavy, excessive bleeding or blood clots that are bigger than roughly the size of a plum should be reported to a healthcare provider as soon as possible, as this could signal a more serious issue.
This article provides an overview of normal postpartum bleeding and blood clots, offering tips on the various warning signs you shouldn’t ignore.
Postpartum Clot Size: What’s Too Big?
Postpartum bleeding (lochia) is common and often includes passing smallerblood clotsthat may have formed in the uterus.
To minimize the risk of complications, starting immediately after birth, your healthcare team will want to evaluate just how much blood you may be losing and the size of blood clots you may be passing.
Any blood clots should be smaller than a golf ball for a couple of weeks following birth.If you’re passing blood clots larger than an egg—or passing lots of blood clots with tissue—report this to your healthcare provider. They can determine whether it’s a sign of something more serious.
Postpartum Care: A Guide to Taking Care of a Body That Just Delivered
Risk FactorsSome people may be at a greater risk for dangerous heavy bleeding and clots after birth, known aspostpartum hemorrhage (PPH). This is more likely if you’ve experienced certain conditions affecting the uterus, placenta, or blood clotting, including:Prolonged laborHaving obesityPreeclampsia(high blood pressure during pregnancy)A prior pregnancyPPH still happens in people with no known risk factors.
Risk Factors
Some people may be at a greater risk for dangerous heavy bleeding and clots after birth, known aspostpartum hemorrhage (PPH). This is more likely if you’ve experienced certain conditions affecting the uterus, placenta, or blood clotting, including:Prolonged laborHaving obesityPreeclampsia(high blood pressure during pregnancy)A prior pregnancyPPH still happens in people with no known risk factors.
Some people may be at a greater risk for dangerous heavy bleeding and clots after birth, known aspostpartum hemorrhage (PPH). This is more likely if you’ve experienced certain conditions affecting the uterus, placenta, or blood clotting, including:
PPH still happens in people with no known risk factors.
How Much Postpartum Clotting Is Normal?
Somepostpartum bleedingand clots is expected, but this should gradually decrease over the course of several weeks.Here’s a rough timeline for what you might expect:
Managing Bleeding
Risks of Heavy Bleeding and Clots Postpartum
Passing lots of larger blood clots and losing a significant amount of blood after birth are symptoms ofPPH.
Postpartum Hemmorrhage (PPH)
Risks of PPH include:
At the Hospital With Postpartum Clotting: Treatment
If it’s determined that you’re having excessive postpartum bleeding or blood clots, your healthcare provider will recommend treatment at the hospital or other medical facility.
Depending on your particular situation, this might involve:
Consequences of PPHPostpartum hemorrhage is treatable if your medical team can find the cause and stop the bleeding quickly enough. It is serious, though, and can lead to shock and, in rare cases, death due to a drop in blood pressure.It’s estimated that roughly 1 to 5 out of 100 people giving birth will experience PPH, which is a leading cause ofmaternal mortality.
Consequences of PPH
Postpartum hemorrhage is treatable if your medical team can find the cause and stop the bleeding quickly enough. It is serious, though, and can lead to shock and, in rare cases, death due to a drop in blood pressure.It’s estimated that roughly 1 to 5 out of 100 people giving birth will experience PPH, which is a leading cause ofmaternal mortality.
Postpartum hemorrhage is treatable if your medical team can find the cause and stop the bleeding quickly enough. It is serious, though, and can lead to shock and, in rare cases, death due to a drop in blood pressure.
It’s estimated that roughly 1 to 5 out of 100 people giving birth will experience PPH, which is a leading cause ofmaternal mortality.
If You’re Worried or Unsure, Call for Help
The main signs that a bleeding or blood-clotting problem is at play include heavy, excessive bleeding from the vagina and passing large blood clots. Other signs that you’ll need to seek immediate medical attention are:
Postpartum Care
Attending postpartum checkups will ensure that your postpartum care team can assist or provide referrals for necessary follow-up care.
When Do Postpartum Blood Clots Stop?
Most people can expect to have postpartum bleeding and blood clots that gradually reduce to light spotting for up to six weeks.Over this time, you should not notice any new or large blood clots or a heavier blood flow.
Around six weeks, bleeding and blood clots should typically have resolved or stopped. At this time, it’s also possible that your menstrual period may start to return.
Summary
After childbirth, it’s normal to experience several weeks of vaginal bleeding and blood clots. This happens as blood and tissue are shed from the uterus while it contracts to normal post-pregnancy size.
Bleeding and blood clots no larger than a golf ball can develop over the first couple of weeks postpartum. The blood flow gradually becomes lighter, and the blood clots become smaller until they stop around six weeks postpartum.
Any heavy bleeding or large blood clots bigger than a golf ball should be reported to a healthcare provider immediately. This may indicate a dangerous and sometimes deadly complication known as postpartum hemorrhage.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Evensen A, Anderson JM, Fontaine P.Postpartum hemorrhage: prevention and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(7):442-449MyHealth Alberta.Postpartum bleeding and retained placenta: care instructions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of urgent maternal warnings signs.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Postpartum hemorrhage.Office on Women’s Health.Recovering from birth.Fletcher S, Grotegut CA, James AH.Lochia patterns among normal women: a systematic review.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012;21(12):1290-1294. doi:10.1089/jwh.2012.3668National Childbirth Trust.Bleeding after birth and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).National Health Service UK.Your body after the birth.Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Postpartum hemorrhage.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.3 conditions to watch for after childbirth.Say L, Chou D, Gemmill A, Tunçalp Ö, Moller AB, Daniels J, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, Alkema L.Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis.Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2(6):e323-333. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-XMarch of Dimes.Warning signs of postpartum health problems.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.My postpartum care checklist.MedlinePlus.Postpartum care.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Evensen A, Anderson JM, Fontaine P.Postpartum hemorrhage: prevention and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(7):442-449MyHealth Alberta.Postpartum bleeding and retained placenta: care instructions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of urgent maternal warnings signs.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Postpartum hemorrhage.Office on Women’s Health.Recovering from birth.Fletcher S, Grotegut CA, James AH.Lochia patterns among normal women: a systematic review.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012;21(12):1290-1294. doi:10.1089/jwh.2012.3668National Childbirth Trust.Bleeding after birth and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).National Health Service UK.Your body after the birth.Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Postpartum hemorrhage.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.3 conditions to watch for after childbirth.Say L, Chou D, Gemmill A, Tunçalp Ö, Moller AB, Daniels J, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, Alkema L.Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis.Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2(6):e323-333. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-XMarch of Dimes.Warning signs of postpartum health problems.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.My postpartum care checklist.MedlinePlus.Postpartum care.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Evensen A, Anderson JM, Fontaine P.Postpartum hemorrhage: prevention and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(7):442-449MyHealth Alberta.Postpartum bleeding and retained placenta: care instructions.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of urgent maternal warnings signs.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Postpartum hemorrhage.Office on Women’s Health.Recovering from birth.Fletcher S, Grotegut CA, James AH.Lochia patterns among normal women: a systematic review.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012;21(12):1290-1294. doi:10.1089/jwh.2012.3668National Childbirth Trust.Bleeding after birth and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).National Health Service UK.Your body after the birth.Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Postpartum hemorrhage.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.3 conditions to watch for after childbirth.Say L, Chou D, Gemmill A, Tunçalp Ö, Moller AB, Daniels J, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, Alkema L.Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis.Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2(6):e323-333. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-XMarch of Dimes.Warning signs of postpartum health problems.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.My postpartum care checklist.MedlinePlus.Postpartum care.
Evensen A, Anderson JM, Fontaine P.Postpartum hemorrhage: prevention and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(7):442-449
MyHealth Alberta.Postpartum bleeding and retained placenta: care instructions.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of urgent maternal warnings signs.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Postpartum hemorrhage.
Office on Women’s Health.Recovering from birth.
Fletcher S, Grotegut CA, James AH.Lochia patterns among normal women: a systematic review.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2012;21(12):1290-1294. doi:10.1089/jwh.2012.3668
National Childbirth Trust.Bleeding after birth and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).
National Health Service UK.Your body after the birth.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.Postpartum hemorrhage.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.3 conditions to watch for after childbirth.
Say L, Chou D, Gemmill A, Tunçalp Ö, Moller AB, Daniels J, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, Alkema L.Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis.Lancet Glob Health. 2014;2(6):e323-333. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70227-X
March of Dimes.Warning signs of postpartum health problems.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.My postpartum care checklist.
MedlinePlus.Postpartum care.
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