Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Subtotal hysterectomy

18 August, 2006
Question:

I had a subtotal abdominal hysterectomy three weeks ago. I still have my ovaries and cervix. My surgeon told me that some women experience spotting for several months post-op during what would have been the time of their menses. This bleeding is from a "tongue" of endometrial tissue that sometimes remains in the cervix even after cauterization. If this does happen to me, will it render me a niddah?

Thank you.


Answer:

Since bleeding could continue from endometrial tissue, vaginal bleeding will render you niddah unless it can be shown to be from elsewhere, such as a lesion that is seen in the vaginal canal.

We strongly suggest the preventative measures of wearing colored underwear and avoiding looking at toilet paper at all times when you are not niddah, and reading our article on stains (ketamim) to get an idea what to do when experiencing ketamim.

We wish you refuah shleimah.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional. For further questions or comments:  The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.
Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.

Accessibility Toolbar