Estimated blood loss indicating primary postpartum haemorrhage

Estimated volume of abnormal or excessive blood loss from the genital tract within the first 24 hours postpartum.

A blood loss of 500 mls is the usual minimum amount for identification of postpartum haemorrhage however a woman’s haemodynamic instability is also taken into account, meaning that a smaller blood loss may be significant in a severely compromised woman. A loss of 1,000 mls or more is considered major or severe although definitions of severity vary.