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

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu

Red on toilet paper in clean days

17 August, 2014
Question:

I got a clean hefsek taharah after 6 days. Later that night, I noticed a tiny red blob on the toilet paper when wiping. I know you’re not supposed to look but of course I looked. I am thinking it is insignificant because it was so small but please let me know if mikvah night should be delayed another night.

Also I am wondering if it is common to not be able to get a clean hefsek taharah until after 6 or 7 days after childbirth. Does it go back to 5 days eventually? Thanks.


Answer:

Stains found on toilet paper may be disregarded as long as at least a few seconds elapsed after urinating before wiping.

Only if you are certain that you wiped immediately after urinating, and the stain was clearly reddish, would your clean days be interrupted. The bedikah from the following day would count as your new hefsek taharah, and the day after that would be your new day 1.

It is common for a woman’s periods to change after giving birth. It is possible that with time your periods may revert to what was normal for you before you had your baby. It is also possible that you may be able to get an acceptable hefsek taharah on the 5th day, even if you are still experiencing some residual staining. You should clean yourself out well to get rid of any old blood (soaking in a warm bath may help). If the hefsek or any subsequent bedikot are stained, you can bring them to a halachic authority for evaluation, since there are many shades of brown that are acceptable.

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

B’Hatzlacha!

This response was updated 12 February, 2024.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional. For further questions or comments:  The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.
Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.

Accessibility Toolbar