Thank you for this site. My question is about the halachic relevance of pre–period symptoms in a situation of doubt.

I am breastfeeding a 3 and a half month old, and had a Mirena IUD put in about a month and a half ago. This is my first time using a Mirena IUD. Since putting in the Mirena, I have had the expected light spotting, which has been on and off.

However, a few days ago the spotting got darker and heavier, and I got the usual symptoms I get before getting my period –– bloating, acne, and stomach discomfort. Even though this is early for me to get a period while exclusively breastfeeding, my baby already sleeps 9 hours a night, so it's not that unlikely. I told my husband that I wasn't a niddah yet, but that I felt like I was getting my period so we would refrain from having intercourse.

However, after several days, the spotting has not gotten any heavier –– it was briefly heavy enough to cause some stains on pantiliners, but never turned into a flow, and now I am not even seeing anything on pantiliners. I do know that periods can be lighter on the IUD, but this seems way too light to be a period. (My periods have normally been heavy; I usually have to wear very large pads and change them every couple of hours.)

My question is, can I assume this was just staining and proceed as before? Or does the presence of symptoms that usually precede my period, and my feeling that I was going to get my period, have any relevance?

Thank you.