Uterine infection after childbirth

You may have one or more of the following symptoms:

• You have pain in your abdomen. It hurts if you press your stomach.
• There is a very bad smell of blood and fluid coming from your vagina after childbirth. This blood and fluid is called discharge (avslag).
• You have a fever higher than 38°C.

You may also get a headache and feel tired.

It is most common to get an infection between 1 and 10 days after giving birth.

If you think you have a uterine infection, seek medical attention immediately.

Contact the maternity ward, or BB, at the hospital where you gave birth.

If they cannot attend to you, seek care from an emergency department.

Call 1177 for advice

Call 1177 for help on what to do. Your call will be answered by a nurse. If needed, they can tell you where to go for treatment.

The nurse can speak both Swedish and English. Help is sometimes available in other languages.

Call +46 771 11 77 00 if you are calling from a phone with a foreign number.

At the hospital, you will be examined in various ways. For example, they may perform tests on your blood and urine.

If you have an infection, you may need to be treated with antibiotics. You may also need other medicines.

Some people may need to be treated in hospital. In such case, your baby can usually come with you.

Rest and take it easy.

You can use medicines with paracetamol if you have stomach pain or a high fever.

Take a shower instead of a bath. Do not use soap or lotion in your vagina.

The infection is caused by bacteria getting into the uterus.

It is more common to get an infection if, for example, the birth took a long time. It is also more common if the placenta did not detach on its own. But not everyone who has had a childbirth experience like this gets an infection.

You may be entitled to an interpreter if you do not speak Swedish.