Spotting during pregnancy
7 February, 2010
Question:I recently found out that I am pregnant (this week in fact) and I had some spotting early on and I am not sure what that makes me vis a vis taharat hamishpacha (I think it categorizes me as a zavah ketana, and I understand that if you wait a day for the spotting to stop, immerse in the mikvah then that is all that needs to happen.) Do you know if that is correct? Or is it the case that spotting early on in pregnancy does not require immersing in a mikvah or waiting to resume intimate relations with your spouse.
Answer:Besha'ah tovah.
According to Torah law, a woman became a zavah ketanah if she bled for a day or two during her zavah days, the days outside of her usual menstruation, and the process for becoming tehorah was as you described. Nowadays, based on Rabbinic law, every woman who sees even a minute amount of blood treats herself as a zavah gedolah and counts seven clean days (after a five day minimum) before immersing in the mikveh.
The usual considerations that render a woman a niddah apply even while you are pregnant. Therefore, the circumstances under which you experienced the spotting will affect what your status is now. If you had no hargashah and no flow, and the only place you noticed the discharge was on colored underwear, you are not niddah (see article on stains for explanation). You should, however, consult with your physician if spotting continues.
If at any point during pregnancy you do become niddah, the steps for becoming tehorah are the same as when you are not pregnant.
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