Childbed fever

Postpartum infections
Other names	Puerperal fever, childbed fever, maternal sepsis, maternal infection, puerperal infections
Streptococcus pyogenes (red-stained spheres) is responsible for many cases of severe puerperal fever.
Medical specialty	Obstetrics
Symptoms	Fever, lower abdominal pain, bad-smelling vaginal discharge
Causes	Typically multiple types of bacteria
Risk factors	Caesarean section, premature rupture of membranes, prolonged labour, malnutrition, diabetes
Treatment	Antibiotics
Frequency	11.8 million
Deaths	17,900

Childbed fever is an bacterial infection of the female reproductive tract, which occurs after a woman has given birth or after a miscarriage. It is also known as postpartum infection, or puerperal fever. In the developed world, it affects about one to two percent of all births. It can develop into a life-threatening sepsis. Cesarean section is one of the risk factors. For this reason, all women undergoing a Cesarean section receive antibiotics.