puerperium Med.
(p(ɪ)uːəˈpɛrɪəm, -ˈpiːrɪəm)
[L.: see puerpery.]
The puerperal state or period; spec. the few weeks following delivery during which the mother's tissues return to their non-pregnant state.
| 1890 in Billings Med. Dict. II. 410/1. 1894 Grandin & Jarman Obstetr. Surg. viii. 164 Many such lacerations heal spontaneously, probably the vast majority if the course of the puerperium is aseptic. 1935 A. C. Beck Obstetr. Pract. xv. 232 The term puerperium is applied to the six or eight weeks following labor which are required for the involution of the maternal organism. 1977 Lancet Aug. 273/1 Early trials with a Lippes loop inserted in the first week of the puerperium resulted in a high and unacceptable expulsion-rate. |