Brown during clean days with IUD
30 August, 2009
Question:I am 46 year old. I have had an IUD for the last 9 or 10 years. It was changed once during that time. I have been menstruating regularly. However, last month, on the sixth of my 7 clean days, my bedikot became problematic with thick brownish discharge. I asked my rav, and he said I had to start counting over again. In short, I was counting clean days for two and a half weeks: After finally going to the mikvah, I got my period 3 days later. I thought that this time I would get through the seven clean days, especially since my bedikot were totally white, until the sixth day when again I started having thick brown discharge on them which my rav says is not OK. Can you tell me what is going on and what I can do?
Thank you.
Answer:First and foremost, we suggest you check in with your physician about the discharge and its potential causes (and any possibilities for alleviating it). It would also be worthwhile to discuss your fertility level at this point to see if there is a need to reevaluate the type of contraception that you may need.
We also suggest you discuss with your rav the possibility of reducing the amount of bedikot required during the clean days and also clarify how he would evaluate the discharge if found on an undergarment. Since the halachic treatment of brown shades is less clear cut than other colors, your experience of two and a half weeks counting clean days should be brought to his attention as it may be a factor in his evaluation.
Please get back to us with any further questions.
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