Abstract
Pains after labor can be as severe as those experienced during labor, particularly the commonly occurring lower abdominal “after-pains” that are associated with prolonged uterine contractions during breast feeding. Other causes of lower abdominal pain may not be physiologically based but are either direct complications of parturition, such as genital infection, or fortuitous, such as appendicitis. Although the focus of pain control during pregnancy has been on labor and delivery, pain thresholds decrease postpartum. Maternity services have identified postpartum pain symptomatology to be a current health care issue. Anesthesiologists and physical health therapists must therefore develop an active role in this neglected area of women’s health.
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Holdcroft, A. Postpartum Lower Abdominal Pain. Current Review of Pain 3, 137–143 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-999-0038-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-999-0038-5