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Bleeding with constipation while pregnant

11 June, 2017

Question:

I am 33 weeks pregnant with my 5th child. On Thursday morning I was really constipated and while trying to use the bathroom I started bleeding (big red drops, enough to get all over the floor, toilet paper, and myself, but not enough to fully saturate a pad). I went to the hospital and, after a sonogram and internal exam, the OB said that my uterus was completely closed and that the bleeding seemed to be from a fissure that tore open near the opening of the birth canal where I got stitches last labor. She said probably the weight and position of the baby in conjunction with straining a little bit while using the bathroom tore it open (also my last child is only 10 months old so the back to back pregnancies probably didn’t allow it to heal fully). There was a little bit of blood every time I wiped for the next few days and now, with the help of stool softener, it seems to have stopped. Am I in nidda?


Answer:

B’sha’ah tovah!

Based on your doctor’s assessment that you were not bleeding from the uterus, and that the bleeding is likely coming from a wound, you were not rendered niddah.

Going forward, you may take precautions against becoming niddah from any further staining by wearing colored underwear or disposable pantyliners , and waiting at least a few seconds (ideally 15 seconds) after urinating before wiping.

Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.

B’hatzlacha!

This response has been updated to reflect the rulings of our current Rabbinic Supervisor, Rav Kenneth Auman, regarding waiting before wiping.


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