In plain words
The decidua is the lining of the uterus that changes during pregnancy. It forms from the uterine lining and supports the placenta. After birth the decidua is shed. Some of it leaves the body with blood and other material over the following weeks. This discharge is called . Lochia is normal after any kind of birth. It usually starts bright red, becomes lighter, and may last four to six weeks. The amount and length vary a lot from mother to mother. Mothers notice the flow most in the first days. Clots or a sudden return to bright red bleeding are signs to call a provider. The decidua is not something a mother can see or feel. It is part of the body's normal healing.
The deeper version
Decidua is the transformed endometrial stroma of pregnancy, containing decidual cells, maternal immune cells, and the interface with trophoblast. Postpartum, the decidua basalis remains partly in the uterus and involutes through apoptosis, enzymatic breakdown, and phagocytosis, while the superficial layer is shed. Lochia is the physiologic discharge of blood, decidua, and leukocytes from the involuting uterus; it is universal after birth by any route. Williams Obstetrics (26th edition, 2022) describes , serosa, and alba, with a median duration of about four to five weeks and wide normal variation. and are the main pathologic causes of prolonged or foul-smelling discharge.
Where it comes up
- Postpartum bleeding (lochia): what's normal, what's notPostpartum: Your Body
- Vitamin DPregnancy: Eating
What mothers here say about decidua
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Sources
- Cunningham FG et al. — Williams Obstetrics, 26th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2022
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care, 2018