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

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu
Side Bar

Abstaining while spotting

8 September, 2006
Question:

I recently had mid-cycle spotting caused by a missed pill, and due to several missteps, I considered myself a niddah. While this is not a common occurrence for me, I would like to make sure that I understand the ramifications of such spotting and am knowledgeable enough to deal with it if it recurs.

I understand that it is appropriate to abstain for 24 hours after spotting, to make sure that a flow is not about to start. But in this case, I continually spotted for 8-10 days straight. After the first such day, would I continue to abstain?

Thanks in advance for your help. I am new to Taharas Hamishpacha and I would like to understand and practice it correctly.


Answer:

If you find a stain, you need to conduct yourself as niddah – without actually considering yourself niddah – until you have clarified your status. The laws of stains, and the conditions required for a stain to make one niddah, are outlined in our article on ketamim. It is important to figure out as soon as possible, if necessary with the help of a rabbi or yoetzet, whether or not you are niddah.

If it turns out the stains do not make you niddah (e.g., they are too small, the wrong color, or on a colored surface), you are halachically permitted to have relations. However, we feel it is still a wise precaution to abstain until about 24 hours after the staining stops, since finding a stain in the course of relations or after relations is a much more complex halachic issue.

We understand the difficulty of abstaining for such a long time. Twenty-four hours is not a rule set in stone, but a precautionary measure. If you feel that you have not been staining on a certain day, but less than 24 hours have elapsed since you last stained, perhaps you should wipe yourself externally with toilet paper before having relations (but not immediately after urination) to confirm that you are not currently staining.

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