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Anxiety with preparation for Friday night mikveh

31 October, 2015

Question:

I have been having a lot of anxiety with mikvah preparations, specifically with the bath. Before I had my daughter, I used to go to the mikvah on either a motzei shabbos or Sunday night. I would just do most of my preparations at the mikvah, including the bath, which made things a bit easier for me. After I had my daughter, my cycle changed and I now almost always wind up going to the mikvah on a Friday night. This is pretty difficult for me because I no longer have the luxury of doing my preparations at the mikvah. I feel very pressured to get all my preparations done on time at home. Especially the bath, which I do for 30 minutes, and do it while my daughter is in school, so that I have the house to myself while bathing (that makes things a bit easier). But I still have so much anxiety when I know I need to take my bath and get everything done before sunset and not have the luxury of doing anything at the mikvah. This is a lot od pressure for me. Is there anything I can do to make this a better/easier experience? Also, does the bath have to be 30 minutes, or can it be less? I was told by a few people that the bath can be 20 minutes. Thank you in advance for your response:


Answer:

We are sorry to hear of your anxiety.

Especially when preparations are begun during the day, their duration is flexible.  Though the chafifah overall should take at least a half hour, the bath need not do so, so long as there is enough time to clean properly and soften any scabs.

It seems that most of your difficulties are tied to the Shabbat timing of your immersions.  We suggest you consult your physician about using hormones to slightly adjust your cycle.  If you already use a hormonal contraceptive, this is very simple.  If not, short course of progesterone can help you shift.

Please write back with any further questions.


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