Symptoms of an inflammation of the uterus
Inflammation of the lining of the uterus (endometritis) results in abnormalities of the menstrual period, such as prolonged menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), bleeding outside the normal menstrual cycle (metrorrhagia) or spotting. If the inflammation has spread to the muscle layer, fever and pain in the lower abdomen are added to the bleeding disorders. If lower back pain persists, women (especially young women) should always consider a gynecological cause.
The pain of an inflammation of the internal female organs such as the uterus can radiate into the back and imitate back pain. This pain is usually perceived as low back pain in the lumbar spine and sacrum.If there is chronic back pain in this area and a spinal problem is excluded, the cause may also be chronic uterine inflammation. Inflammation of the uterus can in rare cases either be caused by inflammation of the intestine (chronic inflammatory bowel disease) or trigger inflammation of the bowel.
This can cause diarrhea as a symptom of uterine inflammation. In Crohn’s disease patients suffering from chronic diarrhea, an inflammation of the uterus should therefore be considered in the case of bloody, vaginal discharge. The inflammation of the uterus can – as already mentioned – in severe cases spread to other internal organs such as the intestine.
This can lead to symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation or stomach cramps, as well as nausea. The body can also react to the inflammation with general nausea and discomfort. Particularly severe pain is often accompanied by nausea.
Therefore all symptoms should always be considered. If the nausea does not appear until after the antibiotic treatment of the uterine inflammation, it should be taken into account that the medication may not be tolerated. In this case, a change to another antibiotic should be made.
An inflammation of the uterus during pregnancy is very rare. However, if an inflammation does occur, it is usually caused by bacteria that are located in the vaginal mucosa and have migrated upwards. The inflammation can then proceed with relatively few symptoms, so that an inflammation only becomes apparent in ultrasound.
The main symptom of uterine inflammation during pregnancy is vaginal bleeding. A doctor should be consulted as soon as possible in order to prevent a miscarriage or premature birth (abortion imminens). Other symptoms can be pain and fever.
In order to prevent an inflammation of the uterus during pregnancy, a smear of the vaginal flora should be taken at an early stage to remove pathogens from the vaginal mucosa. An inflammation of the uterus after birth during the postpartum period is mainly determined by the postpartum flow (also called lochia). The lochia is usually bloody for the first few days, then becomes brownish, then yellowish and after three to four weeks whitish.
If the uterus is inflamed, the postpartum is malodorous. Bleeding from the uterus is also noticeable, which continues beyond the first few days. The pressure on the lower abdomen or on the inflamed uterus is also painful. As this is an inflammation, fever can occur. The worse the infection is, the higher the fever can rise.
