How long does it take for the vagina to recover after childbirth?

Changes in the muscular system of the vagina upset many women after natural delivery. In addition to physical discomfort, the couple notes a decrease in the quality of sensations during intercourse. Recovery of the vagina after childbirth will happen much faster if you consciously approach the problem and follow the recommendations given in the article. First you need to realize that the vagina is an elastic muscle formation, and, like any muscle in the body, it has contractility, elasticity and extensibility.

How does the vagina change after childbirth?

Changes in this organ after childbirth are symptomatic, functional and physiological in nature.

Physiological changes in the vagina:

• swelling;
• stretching and smoothing the relief;
• cracks and breaks;
• wall sinking.

Edema

The edema of the organ passes even in the maternity hospital for 4 days and does not affect the woman's well-being in any way.

Stretching and smoothing the relief

Perhaps the main "horror story" for women giving birth. Loss of muscle tone and some stretching of the vagina during the postpartum period is an inevitable process. You need to understand that childbirth does not change the size of the vagina in any way, it just loses its shape for a while.

Cracks and breaks

These complications accompany every second birth. If the doctor sees that the vaginal wall may rupture, then an episiotomy is performed during contractions - an incision so that the process of tissue divergence is controlled. A smooth surgical suture heals much faster than accidental tears.

Omission

After severe prolonged or multiple births, the muscles of the pelvic floor sometimes overstretch. In this case, the walls of the vagina may fall partially or completely fall out of the vagina. This complication is treated only by surgery.

All other changes in this organ are symptomatic and disappear with the normalization of the physiological component.

Symptomatic changes in the vagina:

• prolonged cleansing discharge;
• decrease or loss of sensation;
• painful sensations;
• dryness;
• itching;
• bad smell.

Allocations

Postpartum lochia is the natural cleansing of the uterus from the membranes at the end of pregnancy. A woman needs to be extremely careful to monitor how long the vagina recovers after childbirth and the end time of lochia.

Lochia disappears in 6-8 weeks. In the first week, the discharge resembles menstruation, at the end of the fourth week their color becomes light yellow and, finally, they completely disappear.

Important! If, eight weeks after labor, the discharge continues or an unpleasant odor, itching, pain in the lower abdomen appears, you should consult a gynecologist to exclude inflammatory processes in the uterus.

Decrease or loss of sensation

While the muscles of the vagina are stretched and flabby, the woman finds a decrease in the joy of sexual life and a loss of sensitivity.

Painful sensations

Tears, deep fissures, or obstetrical episiotomy after childbirth create soreness during intercourse, as such wounds heal with scars. The connective tissue of the scar does not have elasticity and leads to compaction, excessive narrowing and painful sensations.

Dryness

Since in the postpartum period in nursing mothers the hormone prolactin rises sharply and estrogen, which affects libido, decreases, there is a feeling of vaginal dryness. After the completion of breastfeeding, the level of hormones responsible for libido returns to normal.

How long does it take for the vagina to recover after childbirth?

Recovery time depends on many factors:

• whether there were purulent complications leading to cicatricial changes in the wall;
• did the future woman in labor do special training to strengthen and develop the muscles of the vagina;
• the general physical and psychological mood of a woman;
• on the size of the baby's head;
• the quality of obstetric sutures;
• Was the birth easy?

With rapid or prolonged labor, especially a large first child, there will be more deep gaps.

On average, small cracks and injuries completely heal in two weeks, and the pale pink color of the organ returns in the same amount.

If the obstetrician had to put stitches, especially extending to the perineal area along the skin, then a feeling of discomfort may accompany coition for up to three months before the adaptation of the sutured nerve endings.

The initial muscular shape after birth stretching of the vagina acquires after 7-8 weeks.

How to speed up the recovery of the vagina after childbirth

When the vagina recovers after childbirth, it is determined by the physiological characteristics of the tissues of a particular woman, the punctuality in following the recommendations of the obstetrician and her mood for a quick recovery.

Ten recommendations for postpartum rehabilitation:

1. Exclude traditional forms of intimate communication during the period of isolation of lochia, due to the risk of infection.
2. Wash the perineum after any use of the toilet.
3. Pads should be changed up to five times a day.
4. After an episiotomy, three weeks for adequate scarring of the sutures is impossible:

• lift weights;
• walk fast;
• sit on a hard surface.

Only after fourteen days can you begin to sit down on the buttock opposite to the incision. It is better to sit on an elastic circle.

5. Introduce foods that relieve constipation into your diet. A tablespoon of any vegetable oil before meals has a good effect. Give up bread for a while. In case of difficulty with defecation, use a candle with glycerin.
6. If possible, take off your underwear during the day to air the seams.
7. Treat scars twice a day with chamomile infusion or antiseptics and lubricate with wound healing preparations;
8. It is recommended to sleep with a disposable diaper on, without underwear.
9. After the resumption of sexual intimacy, it is imperative to use moisturizing lubricants for the first time in order to avoid microtrauma of the vagina.
10. With the permission of the gynecologist in a month, you need to start strengthening the vaginal muscles with a set of Kegel exercises.

The essence of Kegel exercises is to reduce and relax the muscles of the vagina with different frequency and strength, trying to feel different parts of the organ sequentially from top to bottom and in the anteroposterior direction of the pelvic floor. Daily training will tighten, strengthen and restore lost muscle tone, restore sexuality and a bright, healthy intimate life.

Basically, the changes that have occurred with this organ are corrected in 2–3 months, so there is only an affirmative answer to the question of whether the vagina is restored after childbirth. Knowing what happens with the vaginal muscles after natural delivery, with a careful attitude to health, persistent performance of special exercises, a woman will quickly return the lost shape of the vagina, resume a vibrant relationship with her husband and will feel like a healthy, happy mother.