Abstract

Background: A woman’s reproductive period begins at menarche and ends in menopause. It usually extends from 13 to 45 years. Many physiological and hematological changes do occur during the pregnancy period and after delivery.

Aims and Objectives: The present study was done to evaluate the variations in red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts before and after normal vaginal delivery.

Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cohort study conducted on 500 pregnant females who got admitted to labor room for delivery at McGann Teaching District Hospital, Shivamogga. Blood samples were taken during the time of their admission to labor ward and within 12–24 h after normal vaginal delivery and the cell counts were estimated using Sysmex KX-21 automated hematology analyzer.

Results: The mean values of RBC count before delivery were found to be 4.4 millions/mm3 with standard deviation of ±0.5 which dropped to 4 millions/mm3 with standard deviation of ±0.5 on the 1st day of puerperium. The mean values of WBC count before delivery were found to be 12,495.6 cells/mm3 with standard deviation of ±3663.5 cells/mm3 which increased to 16,027 cells/mm3 with standard deviation of ±3985.4 on the 1st puerperal day.

Conclusion: Cell counts vary during pregnancy period as well as during the puerperal phase. Any gross variations in these cell counts suspect of pathological possibilities.

Key words: Puerperium; Red Blood Cell; White Blood Cell