In memory of Chaya Mirel bat R’ Avraham

In memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

Repeated attempts at hefsek
December 7, 2004

Question

This month I noticed that my period seemed to be one day shorter than normal (my point of reference is the last four months since I got married), so I decided to attempt a hefsek taharah today (day 7 of my period). Being at work, I was unable to bathe previously.

During the half hour before sunset I performed four bedikot. In the first bedikah, the cloth showed a thick yellow discharge with a very very slight brown tint. I continued to check further because I thought that perhaps, not having bathed, this slight brown tint might have come from residual blood on the surrounding area, and not from blood from the uterus today. Bedikot two and three showed a pure yellow thick stain but with the slightest slightest hint of brown on one of the 'lumps' of the discharge. The fourth bedikah was totally clean, as was the moch dachuk which I left in until after zeit hacochavim.

Are you able to tell me from this whether I can start counting the shivat hanekiim tonight? I will start counting just in case, and await your answer. Thanks.

Answer

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Pure yellow is an acceptable color on a bedikah, and so is light brown (the color of coffee with milk or lighter, with no hint of a reddish tint). Browns that are darker, or reddish, would require evaluation. In any case, your last bedikah before sunset was clean, and is a valid hefsek taharah.

While it can be helpful to bathe before the hefsek taharah, it is sufficient just to clean the vaginal area (see our page on hefsek taharah for a more thorough discussion). For the future, you might want to bring baby wipes to work so you can wash the area before the hefsek. Alternatively, if the bleeding has stopped in the morning, you can bathe at home then and do your hefsek at work in the afternoon. When making repeated attempts at a hefsek taharah, it's a good idea to leave at least a few minutes between bedikot to avoid irritation to the vaginal lining.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

This response was updated on 15 October, 2025.
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