Postpartum endometritis typically presents how many days after delivery?

• A. 2-3 days postpartum
• B. Immediately during delivery
• C. 1-2 weeks postpartum
• D. 1 month postpartum

Answer: (A)

Postpartum endometritis most often becomes clinically evident in the early postpartum period, when the uterus is still involuting and susceptible to ascending infection. The typical presentation is fever after delivery, usually within about two to three days, often accompanied by uterine tenderness and foul-smelling lochia. This timing helps distinguish it from infections that occur immediately during delivery or much later in the postpartum course. Risk factors such as cesarean delivery, prolonged labor, prolonged rupture of membranes, and multiple vaginal examinations increase the likelihood of this infection, reinforcing why the two-to-three-day window is most characteristic.