We are sorry to hear of your difficulties in getting through the clean days.

Unfortunately, spotting is common during the first few months with the IUD. We hope that the situation will improve as your body adjusts.

There is halachic dispute as to whether the IUD insertion procedure renders a woman niddah. We follow the position that it does not. Spotting following insertion may or may not make a woman niddah, depending on when it was found and on the usual laws of stains. Please see our article on IUD Insertion and Removal for more details. If you are considering yourself niddah only because of spotting, please review the relevant halachot and get back to us or a local halachic authority if necessary.

If you are indeed niddah, you may reduce your bedikot to the hefsek taharah (skipping the moch dachuk), one bedikah on day one of the shivah neki’im, one on day seven, and one on an intermediate day. Any stains that are not clearly red should be shown to a halachic authority for evaluation; be sure to mention that you are having difficulty getting to mikveh because of the IUD.

Please also review our articles on Stains and Toilet Paper, since not every stain will invalidate the clean days or, when you have been to mikveh, make you niddah.

You may want to contact your physician for ideas about reducing bleeding, including possibly taking ibuprofen or bioflavanoids (1000mg, thrice a day). Our Jewish Women's Health section on our website, designed for medical professionals, may help facilitate communication with your doctor. We can’t suggest any specific herbal remedies, but you may find it helpful to consult with a qualified practitioner of herbal medicine. Remember that your physician needs to know about any herbs that you are taking, and a herbal specialist needs to know about any medications.

Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.