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

THE LOCHIA.—The vaginal discharge which regularly follows the termination of pregnancy gets its name from the Greek word lochia.

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

If on getting up at the close of the second week the lochia should resume its red color, the patient should return to bed and notify her physician.

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

After the birth of the first infant the lochia failed to flow, no milk appeared in the breasts, and the belly remained large.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

The amount of lochia varies, and will likely fall below the average in small or anemic women and rise above it in those who are large or robust.

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