lochia

Meaning

1. Normal post-partum vaginal discharge; blood, mucus, and placental tissue that are discharged from a female's vagina (similar to menstruation) for several weeks after she has given birth.
2. 1921, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, published by the American Gynecological Society
3. 1924: The Canadian nurse, published by the Canadian Nurses' Association
4. 1927, The Indian Veterinary Journal, published by the Indian Veterinary Association
5. 1946: Nicholson Joseph Eastman and Emil Novak, Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey
6. 1998, Giovanni Maciocia, Obstetrics & Gynecology in Chinese Medicine, page 609
7. 1998, Giovanni Maciocia, Obstetrics & Gynecology in Chinese Medicine, page 609: For the first three or four days after delivery the lochia are red; [...] three different types of lochia are distinguished: ‘lochia rubra’ or ‘red lochia’, ‘lochia serosa’ ‘serous lochia’, which appears five to six days after delivery, and ‘lochia alba’ meaning ‘white lochia’, the final lochial discharge

Synonyms

mucus

snuff

post-birth vaginal discharge

post-natal vaginal discharge

mucosity

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlɒ.kɪ.ə/

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lochia, from Ancient Greek λοχεία (lokheía), neuter plural of λοχείος (lokheíos, “of childbirth”), from λόχος (lókhos, “childbirth”).