Infection may be limited to the cavity and wall of her uterus, or it may spread beyond to cause septicaemia (blood poisoning) or other illnesses, especially when her resistance has been lowered by long labour or severe bleeding. Puerperal infection is most common on the raw surface of the interior of the uterus after separation of the placenta (afterbirth), but pathogenic organisms may also affect lacerations of any part of the genital tract. By whatever portal, they can invade the bloodstream and lymph system to cause sepsis, cellulitis (inflammation of connective tissue), and pelvic or generalized peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining). The severity of the illness depends on the virulence of the infecting organism, the resistance of the invaded tissues, and the general health of the woman. Organisms commonly producing this infection are Streptococcus pyogenes; staphylococci (inhabitants of the skin and of pimples, carbuncles, and many other pustular eruptions); the anaerobic streptococci, which flourish in devitalized tissues such as may be present after long and injurious labour and unskilled instrumental delivery; Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens (inhabitants of the lower bowel); and Clostridium tetani. Risk factors
Causes (listed in order of decreasing frequency) include endometritis, urinary tract infection, pneumonia/atelectasis, wound infection, and septic pelvic thrombophlebitis. Septic risk factors for each condition are listed in order of the postpartum day (PPD) on which the condition generally occurs. PPD 0: atelectasis risk factors include general anesthesia, cigarette smoking, and obstructive lung disease.
Other notables include African-American poet Phillis Wheatley (1784), British housekeeping authority Isabella Beeton, and American author Jean Webster in 1916 died of puerperal fever.In Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, it is implied that both Scrooges mother and younger sister perished from this condition, explaining the characters animosity towards his nephew Fred and also his poor relationship with his own father. See also
Postpartum confinement, a traditional practice after childbirth

References
Further reading
Chaim W, Burstein E (August 2003). "Postpartum infection treatments: a review". Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy (review). 4 (8): 1297–313. doi:10.1517/14656566.4.8.1297. PMID 12877638. S2CID 26781321. French L (August 2003). "Prevention and treatment of postpartum endometritis". Current Womens Health Reports (review). 3 (4): 274–9. PMID 12844449. Calhoun BC, Brost B (June 1995). "Emergency management of sudden puerperal fever". Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America (review). 22 (2): 357–67. doi:10.1016/S0889-8545(21)00185-6. PMID 7651676. == External links ==