Sanitary napkin on Shabbat

On Shabbos, can a women wear a sanitary napkin with an adhesive back to protect her clothing for staining when she is in reshus harabim?

Also, on shabbos, if a women's period stopped for a day but a lot of times comes back, can she wear a tampon in reshus harabim, in case it was to come back (and it would embarrass her)

What about yom tov?

Thanks so much.

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your question.

A woman may go out to reshut harabim (a public domain, where carrying is prohibited) on Shabbat wearing a sanitary napkin or tampon in order to prevent bodily discomfort and irritation, even if she is not sure there will be bleeding.

If the bleeding really does seem to have ceased, it is more difficult to permit this. 

If the sole purpose is to protect the woman's clothing, the sanitary napkin should not be worn.  But generally speaking, most women are also concerned about discomfort or irritation.  Embarrassment may be construed as a type of discomfort. 

On yom tov, there are more grounds to permit carrying, so this would not be an issue.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases.

If you have further questions or comments about this email, please click here to Ask the Yoetzet.

The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefitted from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.