Signs of wound infection
Roughly 1 in 20 women in high-income countries.
In a meta-analysis of 49 studies and 271,954 women, surgical site infection within 30 days occurred in a pooled 7.0% overall, and 5.0% in high-income countries.
Call your doctor for any of these:
- Increasing redness spreading out from the incision
- Increasing pain after day 3, rather than steadily decreasing pain
- Pus, or foul-smelling drainage
- The incision opening up
- Fever above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
The direction matters more than the amountPain that is improving day by day is normal, even if it is significant. Pain that starts getting worse after the third day should be evaluated.
Where this comes from:
321. Islam N, Thalib L, Mahmood S, Varol SA, Adel I, Aqel A, et al. Regional variations in incidence of surgical site infection and associated risk factors in women undergoing cesarean section: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2025;89:103951.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.