Final answer:
The period of self-destruction of the hypertrophied uterine tissue after childbirth is known as involution. This process helps the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size, limits postpartum bleeding, and involves a discharge called lochia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct term for the period of self-destruction of excess hypertrophied tissue in the uterus after delivery is involution. After the delivery of the placenta and associated membranes, often called the afterbirth, the uterus undergoes a process called involution, where the uterine contractions continue for several hours post-birth to return the uterus to its pre-pregnancy size. This period is crucial as it helps to limit blood loss from the detachment of the placenta and reduces the potential for postpartum hemorrhage. It is also a time when the mother experiences a postpartum vaginal discharge known as lochia, consisting of uterine lining cells, blood cells, and other debris, progressing from thick, dark lochia rubra to lochia serosa, and finally to lochia alba over the course of several weeks.