When a woman has waited at least a few seconds between urinating and wiping, discharge on toilet paper may be disregarded. (Deliberately waiting a few seconds can help prevent future questions.)

If you wiped immediately after urinating, then your status depends on a number of details, including the shade of what you saw (and under what lighting conditions you saw it), if there was plausible non-uterine source of bleeding, and whether you follow Ashkenazi or Sephardi halachic rulings. Please see our article on toilet paper for more details.

When a woman has non-niddah staining, we recommend abstaining from intercourse for a day or so. This is a precaution to prevent a flow from beginning during relations, and not a strict halachic requirement.

It is fairly common for women to experience breakthrough bleeding when extending active pill use. When breakthrough bleeding begins, it often makes sense to stop the active pills and allow for withdrawal bleeding. We recommend checking in with your midwife or physician for guidance on how to proceed at this stage.

We appreciate your concerns about going to mikveh during the pandemic. At the same time, immersion in a mikveh that follows the guidelines of local health authorities is generally considered safe for women who are not at high risk. By preparing at home, maintaining distance from other women there, and wearing a mask as much as possible, you can increase your Covid-19 safety.

In light of your nervousness, you may also seek to arrange to immerse first on a given evening, before other women arrive. Please see our extensive section on Coronavirus and Taharat Hamishpacha for guidelines and FAQs on immersing in the current circumstances, and please let us know if you have any further questions.

B’hatzlacha!

This response was updated on 4 February, 2024.