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

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Hemorrhoids

1 November, 2015
Question:

Hi, thank you so much for this great site.
I was wondering what's the halacha with hemorrhoids. Are you considered a nidah if you believe it's external? Does it affect the mikvah in any way?


Answer:

If you find a stain on toilet paper/in the toilet or on your underwear, and you have reason to believe the stain was caused by hemorrhoids (due to the location of the stain, or you experienced pain during a bowel movement, you know you have bleeding hemorrhoids, etc.), you may attribute the stain to that source and disregard it. It does not render you niddah, invalidate the clean days, or affect mikvah.

Please note that it is problematic to attribute stains to other sources at the time you expect your period. Therefore, you should take extra care at that time to wear colored underwear and wait 15 seconds after urinating before wiping, in order to disregard stains found on your underwear or on toilet paper.

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

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.

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