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

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Bedikot on onot while spotting

28 August, 2014
Question:

Is there any room for leniency with doing bedikot during the onot perisha? Are there any opinions that say you do not have to do bedikot? I am on the pill and I have the onot perisha coming up even though I will not be expecting my period – yet I am nervous because I rarely have a clear bedikah – I somehow always manage to be spotting at least to some extent throughout the month. It is not problematic when I am wearing dark underwear but I am worried that when I do the bedikot even the tiniest stain will render me niddah when it is not even my period.


Answer:

Halachic consensus is that a woman must perform at least one bedikah on each onat perishah.  

It bears noting, however, that there is a range of perspectives on when to observe onot perishah when on the pill.  We hold that a woman observes onot perishah beginning with her minimum interval from cessation of active pills to the onset of bleeding.  For more details, please see our site's article, "Vesatot and Hormonal Contraception."

You may also wish to contact your physician about the possibility of changing pill formulations, which may lead to a decreased incidence of spotting.

Please write back with any further questions.

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