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

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Spotting, coloreds & clean days

15 September, 2007

Question:

Firstly I want to thank you for this amazing website. I am a newlywed and I am struggling with hilchos niddah. I take a birth control that only gives me my period four times a year. However, I just started this pill, and began spotting. I should have been more conscious of not looking but I wasn't and so I became in niddah. However, because it's spotting and not an actual flow, do you think I could wear dark underwear during my seven clean days? I'm sure my bedikot would be fine but a tiny spot on my underwear could set me back …..can an exception be made since it is not an actual flow?


Answer:

Thank you for your compliment and mazal tov on your recent marriage.

It is not unusual for the prolonged-use hormonal contraception formulations such as Seasonale to lead to spotting. In many cases this spotting will improve over time. If it does not, you may want to consult with your physician about using a different formulation of contraceptive, which could still allow you to extend your cycle.

At present, if the spotting actually made you niddah, then it does not matter if the status was reached by spotting or by a flow.  In either case you have to complete the process of exiting the niddah status.

Please realize that if a spot is smaller than a gris (the size of a US dime or an Israeli shekel), then it does not render you niddah or invalidate clean days even on whites.  By changing your underwear frequently, you can reduce the chance that small spots would group together to become a large spot. Furthermore, not all colors of spotting will make you niddah. If the spot is not bright red and is larger than a gris, we suggest you show it to a halachic authority for evaluation. (Please see our article on stains for further information.)

Based on what you have told us so far, we do not think you should be wearing colored underwear during the seven clean days at this point.  If this spotting continues to be a problem, please get back to us with more information.


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