How can I tell if I have an infection after surgery?

After surgery, some redness, mild swelling, bruising, and soreness around an incision can be normal—especially in the first several days. What raises concern for infection is a pattern of worsening (not gradually improving) pain, spreading redness/warmth, increasing swelling, cloudy or foul-smelling drainage, or the incision starting to separate. Fever, chills, or feeling suddenly “flu-like,” as well as new pelvic/abdominal pain that escalates instead of settles, can also be important warning signs.

Because endometriosis/adenomyosis surgery can vary in complexity and may involve the bowel, bladder, or deeper pelvic spaces, we take any unexpected change in your recovery seriously—even if the skin incision looks fine. If you’re noticing the kinds of changes above, reach out to our team so we can review your symptoms, photos if helpful, and the details of your procedure, and tell you what next steps make sense. If you’re preparing for surgery with us, we’ll also walk you through what “normal” recovery should look like for your specific surgical plan so you’re not left guessing.