ParenthoodPregnancyAtonyoftheUterusMedicallyreviewedbyDanandJenniferDigmann—WrittenbyJacquelynCafassoonFebruary8,2016SymptomsCausesandRiskFactorsDiagnosisComplicationsTreatmentsOutlookPreventionWhatIsAtonyoftheUterus?Atonyoftheuterus,alsocalleduterineatony,isaseriousconditionthatcanoccurafterchildbirth.Itoccurswhentheuterusfailstocontractafterthedeliveryofthebaby,anditcanleadtoapotentiallylife-threateningconditionknownaspostpartumhemorrhage.Afterthedeliveryofthebaby,themusclesoftheuterusnormallytighten,orcontract,todelivertheplacenta.Thecontractionsalsohelpcompressthebloodvesselsthatwereattachedtotheplacenta.Thecompressionhelpspreventbleeding.Ifthemusclesoftheuterusdon’tcontractstronglyenough,thebloodvesselscanbleedfreely.Thisleadstoexcessivebleeding,orhemorrhage.Ifyouhaveatonyoftheuterus,you’llneedimmediatetreatmenttohelpstopthebleedingandtoreplacethelostblood.Postpartumhemorrhagecanbeveryserious.However,earlydetectionandtreatmentcanleadtoafullrecovery.WhatAretheSymptomsofAtonyoftheUterus?Themainsymptomofatonyoftheuterusisauterusthatremainsrelaxedandwithouttensionaftergivingbirth.Atonyoftheuterusisoneofthemostcommoncausesofpostpartumhemorrhage.Apostpartumhemorrhageisdefinedaslossofmorethan500millilitersofbloodafterdeliveryoftheplacenta.Thesymptomsofhemorrhageinclude:excessiveanduncontrolledbleedingfollowingthebirthofthebabydecreasedbloodpressureanincreasedheartratepainabackacheWhatCausesAtonyoftheUterus?Thereareseveralfactorsthatmaypreventthemusclesoftheuterusfromcontractingafterlabor.Theseinclude:prolongedlaborveryrapidlaboroverdistentionoftheuterus,orexcessiveenlargementoftheuterustheuseofoxytocin(Pitocin)orotherdrugsorgeneralanesthesiaduringlaborinducedlaborYoumaybeatahigherriskofatonyoftheuterusif:you’redeliveringmultiples,suchastwinsortripletsyourbabyismuchlargerthanaverage,whichiscalledfetalmacrosomiayou’reolderthan35yearsofageyou’reobeseyouhavetoomuchamnioticfluid,whichiscalledpolyhydramniosyou’vehadmanypriorbirthsUterineatonycanalsooccurinwomenwhodon’thavea