Light brown staining after period
27 June, 2011
Question:I understand that light brown spotting is generally okay and does not render a woman a Niddah (especially if it is not found on a bedika and is smaller than a gris, but rather on underwear).
The way my cycle works is that near the end of my period I spot light brown? Do I disregard that spotting and perform my hefseik tahara anyway, or do I wait until that light brown spotting has ended completely and then resume with my hefseik tahara? Is that light brown coloring considered, halachicly, part of my period?
Answer:It is common to experience staining for a few days after the main flow of the period has ended. Once the bleeding/staining from your period is no longer reddish you may attempt to perform a hefsek taharah and count the seven clean days.
Stains found on a hefsek, on bedikot, or on white underwear that are yellow or light brown (the color of coffee with milk) with no reddish hue are acceptable and do not invalidate the clean days. Stains of other shades can be brought to a rabbi for evaluation.
You can also change your underwear more frequently during the clean days to prevent stains from accumulating to the size of a gris (the size of a US dime or an Israeli shekel). This way you may disregard any stain on underwear as long as it is smaller than a gris. You can read our section on Stains for more details.
Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.
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