Hello. This is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

Will Postpartum Swelling Really Turn Into Fat if It Doesn't Go Away?

Are you worried that your body is still swollen even after childbirth, and your ankles and fingers feel bloated? Does the anxiety that "maybe this swelling will turn straight into fat" make you sigh every time you look in the mirror? The joy of having a baby is short-lived, and you might feel flustered as your reflection looks so different from before pregnancy. Although many say it's a natural process after childbirth, you might feel impatient as your own swelling doesn't seem to subside easily.

💡 [Key Answer] Are you worried about postpartum swelling not going away? 3 most common causes: ① Hormonal changes and fluid retention / ② Decreased metabolism due to Qi and Blood deficiency / ③ Lack of activity and poor eating habits. While postpartum edema doesn't directly become fat, the risk of leading to postpartum obesity increases if edema is neglected due to decreased metabolic function. Dalimchae Clinic recovers body circulation through constitutional improvement and creates a healthy body that doesn't gain weight easily.

Why does postpartum swelling last so long? The real causes of postpartum edema

Postpartum swelling, or postpartum edema, occurs when body fluids that increased during pregnancy are not properly discharged even after childbirth. During pregnancy, blood volume increases significantly for the fetus and placenta, and as the uterus grows, blood circulation to the lower body is hindered, making edema likely. After childbirth, most moisture is discharged through natural diuresis, but not every mother loses swelling in the same way.

Major causes include:

Hormonal changes during pregnancy: As progesterone levels rise during pregnancy, blood vessels dilate and fluid retention worsens.
Depletion during the birth process: Childbirth puts tremendous energy consumption and stress on a woman's body. This weakens Qi and Blood (氣血), dropping the body's circulation function and preventing smooth discharge of waste and moisture. In Korean medicine, this is seen as 'Qi Deficiency Edema (氣虛浮腫)'.
Lack of activity: While sufficient rest is needed after childbirth, excessive lack of activity can slow blood circulation and worsen edema.
Poor eating habits: High-calorie, high-salt diets during the postpartum recovery period can encourage edema and weight gain.

If neglected, will postpartum edema really turn into fat?

To conclude, postpartum edema does not directly turn from 'water' into 'fat'. However, neglecting postpartum edema significantly increases the risk of leading to postpartum obesity.

According to a Korean medicine column on HiDoc, postpartum edema is primarily caused by water, while postpartum obesity is primarily caused by fat, and they have different mechanisms. However, many mothers mistake edema for fat and miss the appropriate time for weight control. In a state of low body energy, there is a strong tendency to seek high-calorie foods to replenish energy, which are easily accumulated as fat.

In a paper by Walker and colleagues published in the Journal of Women's Health in 2015, a study of 774 women found that about 75% of women weighed more one year after childbirth than before pregnancy, with 47.4% gaining more than 4.5kg and 24.2% gaining more than 9kg. Particularly, postpartum weight retention was found to contribute significantly to obesity risk one year later.

Additionally, a study by O’Neill and colleagues published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2017, a prospective cohort study of 2,559 women, reported that 73% of women maintained an average of 3.5kg of weight retention six months after childbirth compared to before pregnancy. The more adjustable risk factors there were, such as excessive weight gain during pregnancy, low early pregnancy vitamin D concentration, and less than 6 months of breastfeeding, the more weight retention there was six months after childbirth, with an average of 2.49kg more (p<0.001), emphasizing that this can have a significant impact on the weight gain trajectory, which is an amazing change.

These research results suggest that if postpartum edema is simply dismissed as 'swelling' and neglected, the combination of decreased metabolic function and poor lifestyle habits can eventually result in postpartum obesity. Therefore, postpartum swelling should be accepted as an important signal from a health perspective of amazing changes, rather than a mere aesthetic issue.

Dalimchae Clinic's 'Constitutional Improvement' Treatment for a Body Returning Healthily

Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch approaches postpartum edema and the resulting risk of postpartum obesity through the fundamental treatment principle of constitutional improvement. The goal is not to forcibly suppress symptoms, but to help the body recover healthily on its own and create a healthy body that doesn't turn off again. We focus on reinforcing the body's energy weakened by childbirth and promoting the discharge of stagnant blood (瘀血) and waste to pull up overall metabolic function.

According to a domestic study published in 2023, more than 50% of 68 mothers reported effects in improving postpartum edema and weight gain after taking herbal medicine. Particularly, it was shown to have positive effects on postpartum wind symptoms and delayed lochia discharge. As such, Korean medicine treatment is effective in correcting physical imbalances caused by childbirth and helping natural recovery.

At Dalimchae Clinic Incheon, a postpartum edema clinic in Incheon, we help body recovery through customized herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion treatment by closely diagnosing individual constitutions and childbirth status. We promote uterine recovery by helping uterine contraction and removing stagnant blood, and resolve edema and activate metabolism by making blood circulation smooth. Through this, we induce a change to a body where body fat does not easily accumulate after childbirth and help you return to a state even healthier than before pregnancy. Postpartum management is an important period that determines a woman's lifelong health beyond simply losing weight.

Postpartum Edema Self-Checklist

How many of the following items apply to you?

□ My ankles, fingers, face, etc., are more severely swollen than usual and don't subside well.
□ My body feels heavy and not refreshed when I wake up in the morning.
□ The degree of swelling has been lasting for more than 2 weeks after childbirth.
□ My legs often feel numb or heavy.
□ My body gets tired easily and I have no energy.
□ The amount of urine is small or bowel movements are not smooth.
□ My appetite has returned and meal portions have increased, but activity is lacking.
□ My weight hasn't returned to before pregnancy and is being maintained or increasing.

Judgment Criteria:

3 or more items apply: Suspected risk of neglecting postpartum edema → Consider a constitutional improvement consultation at Dalimchae Clinic.
5 or more items apply: Active postpartum management needed → Immediate visit and consultation for combined Korean medicine treatment recommended.

FAQ: Questions about Postpartum Swelling

Q. How long does it take for postpartum swelling to completely go away? A. Usually, swelling starts to go away through natural diuresis about one week after childbirth. However, depending on the delivery method, postpartum stress, and individual constitution, edema can last for more than 10 days or worsen, so proper management is needed.

Q. Can I receive postpartum edema treatment while breastfeeding? A. Yes, Dalimchae Clinic's postpartum edema treatment is safely prescribed considering the mother's condition and breastfeeding status so as not to interfere with breastfeeding. Rather, it can have a positive effect on the quality and quantity of breast milk by helping blood circulation and promoting body recovery.

Q. Can postpartum edema and postpartum obesity be treated at the same time? A. Yes, postpartum edema management is an important starting point for preventing postpartum obesity. Dalimchae Clinic's constitutional improvement treatment is effective in managing postpartum obesity at the same time by helping the body efficiently burn fat through metabolism enhancement and stagnant blood discharge along with resolving edema.

Q. I live in Incheon and am looking for a Songdo postpartum clinic. Is postpartum management possible at Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch? A. Yes, Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch provides specialized treatment for postpartum edema and postpartum management. Mothers in the Incheon Songdo area can also visit comfortably and receive professional Korean medicine postpartum care.

Postpartum edema is not a problem that can be solved by enduring. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If you approach in the right direction, the body responds faster than you think. Bring your symptoms exactly as they are. At Dalimchae Clinic, we will find the cause together.

Where life blooms. For herbal medicine, it's Dalimchae Clinic. Check your symptoms similar to mine through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Clinic website first!

This article is health information compiled by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions frequently received in the treatment room. Medical Supervision | Female/Pregnancy Clinic Standards Dalimchae Clinic Incheon Branch Korean Medicine Doctor Yang Yuchan (Postpartum Management Column)