Edith

For those who have given birth, can childbirth pain really be compared to menstrual cramps, or is it a completely different level of pain altogether?

The average adult human body contains ≈ 5 litres of blood. During late pregnancy, blood flow to the uterus increases to 600 mL per minute. If bleeding from the uterus occurs after delivery (postpartum haemorrhage), the body’s entire blood can drain out within 10 minutes. This leaves obstetricians with very little time to intervene and stop the bleeding. They therefore act immediately by inserting a fist into the vagina to compress the uterus and stop the bleeding. Otherwise, the mother may bleed to death within minutes. Although other treatment modalities are available, manual manipulation of the uterus remains one of the fastest life-saving interventions.