Pregnancy After Care: Bleeding after delivery

Persistent bleeding following vaginal delivery or more rarely after caesarean section can be worrying. Ultrasound can confirm if this is due to retained placenta, tissue or clot. This is known as post-natal retained products of conception (RPOC) and under these circumstances most women are offered surgery in the form of D&C (dilatation and curettage). Some women however are keen to avoid surgery. At OMNI, selected women with RPOC can be managed non-surgically or expectantly. This means that they can avoid hospital admission, general anaesthetic as well as instrumentation of the womb (uterus).

Expectant management

Expectant management is a "watch and wait" approach to see if nature takes its course and allows the post-natal RPOC to pass spontaneously. Women who are eligible for expectant management will be followed-up with ultrasound on a weekly basis. If the post-natal RPOC do not pass naturally within a few weeks, then D&C is recommended.

Not all women will be suitable for expectant management of their post-natal RPOC. If there is heavy bleeding with clots or there are any signs of infection at the initial consultation, surgery will be arranged with your Obstetrician.