lochia

American  

[loh-kee-uh, lok-ee-uh] / ˈloʊ ki ə, ˈlɒk i ə /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

plural

lochia

1. the liquid discharge from the uterus after childbirth.

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lochia British  

/ ˈlɒkɪə /

noun

1. a vaginal discharge of cellular debris, mucus, and blood following childbirth

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Other Word Forms

• lochial adjective

Etymology

Origin of lochia

1675–85; < New Latin < Greek, noun use of neuter plural of lóchios of childbirth, equivalent to lóch ( os ) childbirth (akin to léchesthai to lie down; lie ² ) + -ios adj. suffix

Example Sentences

Although postpartum uterine contractions limit blood loss from the detachment of the placenta, the mother does experience a postpartum vaginal discharge called lochia.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

A faint but characteristic odor to the lochia proves very disagreeable to some patients, and on that account it was formerly customary to give them a daily douche throughout the lying-in period.

From The Prospective Mother, a Handbook for Women During Pregnancy by Slemons, J. Morris (Josiah Morris)

The discharges of the mother continue for about two weeks, and are called lochia.

From The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; a study in hygiene by Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)

The sanitary pad is used to absorb the lochia after confinement, and needs to be changed many times during the day and night; fully five or six dozen will be required.

From The Mother and Her Child by Sadler, William S.

The milk gave the organism in long chains of granules, and the lochia only the pus organism.

From The Harvard Classics Volume 38 Scientific Papers (Physiology, Medicine, Surgery, Geology) by Various