We are sorry to hear of your miscarriage.
You may perform a
hefsek taharah and begin counting your
seven clean days after completing the minimum wait. This depends on your family and community custom; learn more
here. If you follow the practice of Ashkenazi and some Sephardi communities to count five days from the onset of
niddah, those days start from either the day you became
niddah or the day of the
D&C, whichever was first.
A woman who miscarries at least forty days after conception is halachically equivalent to a
yoledet, a woman who gives birth. Where the gender of the fetus is unknown, she needs to observe the more stringent
rules following the birth of a girl and may not immerse until fourteen days from the miscarriage. Therefore,
if you miscarried at least forty days after conception (halachically presumed to be the date of the first relations after mikveh following your last period), you may not actually immerse in the mikveh until fourteen days have elapsed from the day of the D&C
. If it is determined that the fetus was male, you can immerse as soon as you complete your clean days.
If, when you refer to “eight weeks,” you are counting medically from your prior menstruation, then you should recalculate based on the probable date of conception.
If you miscarried less than forty days from conception, then you follow the usual rules of
niddah (minimum wait plus seven clean days) and can go to mikveh as soon as you complete the clean days.
In practice, the length of bleeding after a miscarriage varies widely. Bleeding and staining can sometimes continue for a few weeks, so it may take longer to get to mikveh.
It is considered safe to insert
bedikah cloths because they are removed immediately. You should perform the
bedikah gently as the area may be irritated. You should omit the
moch dachuk as it is left in for longer and your healthcare providers have indicated that items should not be left in the vagina. You may also dampen your
bedikah cloths so that they are less abrasive, and perform only one
bedikah per day. If the
bedikot cause difficulty or discomfort, or if you are experiencing
staining during the
clean days,
bedikot can be reduced further (
hefsek taharah, one
bedikah on day one, one on day seven, and one on an intermediate day).
Please see our page on
Pregnancy Loss for more extensive discussion, and don't hesitate to get back to us with any further questions.
This response was updated on 20 July, 2026.
