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

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Stain on finger

16 April, 2009

Question:

Hello,

I found myself in the following situation and was wondering what to do:

I am currently 8 months pregnant and other than during the implantation have had no vaginal bleeding or spotting these past months. One morning I found a small amount of what may have been brownish reddish blood on my underwear. This was seen on green underwear and on a piece of white tissue and some on a finger. No white cotton. I am uncertain as to how long after using the toilet I used the tissue. The total amount on everything was about 2 or 3 half shekels. Even if it was blood I strongly believe it was caused from an accidental scratching and not from the uterus since I performed a perineal massage (http://www.childbirth.org/articles/massage.html) the night before and believe that it's much more likely that I scratched myself in the process than that I just started having random spotting, seeing as I haven't spotted before or since (this was about 5 or 6 days ago).

Do I need to count days and go to the mikvah? If I need to I will and obviously this should not be a halachic consideration but I am extremely uncomfortable at the thought of going to the mikva as pregnant as I am right now.


Answer:

B'Sha'ah Tovah!

Stains found on colored surfaces do not render a woman niddah. Stains found on tissues after urinating may render a woman niddah depending on how much time elapsed after urinating before wiping. Since you are uncertain of how much time elapsed, as long as you did not wipe immediately after urinating, you may disregard the stain on tissue.

The stain on your finger is more problematic. If the stain on your finger was definitely larger than a gris (the size of an American dime or Israeli shekel), and definitely came directly from your vaginal area (and not from touching the blood on the underwear or the tissue) then unfortunately it did render you niddah. You cannot attribute the stain to a possible scratch unless you know for sure you have a wound capable of bleeding (usually by having a doctor or bodeket taharah visually ascertain its presence). If the stain on your finger was less than a gris, or if it possibly got on your finger by touching the tissue or your underwear, then you may disregard the stain and were not rendered niddah by any of the staining you experienced.

If you were rendered niddah from the stain, since five days have already passed you may perform a hefsek taharah and begin counting the seven clean days immediately. 

Many pregnant women experience staining, so it is not so unusual to have to go to the mikvah at this stage of pregnancy. Further, some women have a custom of immersing in the ninth month of pregnancy as a segulah.

In the future, you should continue to wear colored underwear and avoid looking at toilet paper after urinating to prevent becoming niddah from any further staining.

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


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