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

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White underwear when tehorah

30 June, 2013

Question:

Thank you for this informative site. It is wonderful to be able to ask intimate questions in such a private forum.

I am 53 years old. Until two and a half years ago I was still having very heavy, long periods and a very short cycle. This meant that I had very little time between mikvah immersion and the start of my next period. My gynaecologist suggested a mirena device and I had it inserted. For the first 4 or 5 months I bled and spotted frequently, but then it settled down so well that I have not seen even a speck of blood for over two years, Baruch Hashem. Seeing as I no longer have any bleeding and have no need to immerse, is it okay to wear white underwear?


Answer:

A woman is always permitted to wear white underwear.  It is only required during the clean days.  But wearing whites is generally discouraged at other times, since a stain on white undergarments may make a woman niddah, while the same stain on a colored undergarment could be disregarded.

In other words, you are permitted to wear white undergarments as you wish.  We would not recommend doing so, since unexpected staining on white undergarments could make you niddah. However, you are free to decide whether to take that chance.

Please write back with any further questions.


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