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A routine gynecological exam does not usually make a woman niddah or invalidate her clean days.

It generally includes a manual exam, a speculum exam, and a Pap smear. In each of these examinations, the gloved hand or instruments typically enter only the vagina, not the cervix or uterus, so there is no effect on the niddah status. Please refer to the links above for more detailed information on these exams.

If any procedures other than those mentioned above are performed, please see our overview article on Gynecological Procedures to learn about when they might make a woman niddah and get back to us with the names of the procedures and what instruments were used (including the diameter of any instruments that entered the cervix)

We follow the halachic position that a woman does not need to ask her physician if they saw uterine bleeding, and does not need to look at anything that was inserted internally. If blood is nevertheless observed on an instrument or a glove that was inserted internally, ask if it might have been the result of a scratch or irritation from the procedure and consult us or a local halachic authority for help determining your status.

Bleeding shortly after the examination is assumed to be dam makkah and does not invalidate the clean days (shivah neki’im).

Still, it is best to also take precautions against invalidating the clean days, for example, being careful about discharge on toilet paper. You may also choose to wear a pad or pantiliner following the exam in case there is some bleeding. We follow the view that staining found on a disposable pad or pantiliner does not make a woman niddah.

We recommend performing the bedikah for that day before your appointment, and not resuming bedikot until the afternoon of the next day or until the bleeding subsides. Although you may omit bedikot on intermediate clean days following the appointment in these circumstances, it is vital to get an acceptable bedikah on the first and seventh days of your shivah neki’im. Bring any questions to a halachic authority, explaining about the examination, rather than assume the clean days have been invalidated.

Please also be in touch with any further questions, or if you are concerned that you will not be able to get an acceptable bedikah on the seventh day. You may wish to call our telephone hotline for a quicker response.

This response was updated on 19 November, 2022.