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

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Washing before bedikot in shivah neki’im

19 January, 2017
Question:

What is the minimum amount of time you have to wait in between cleaning yourself internally and doing a Bedika in the seven clean days? I know you can’t do one immediately after cleaning but how long do I have to wait? Since I am staining for a prolonged period of time due to the Mirena insertion I am trying to help my help myself count seven clean days but I want to make sure I am in within the guidelines of what is allowed to do.


Answer:

A woman is permitted to clean herself internally during the clean days, but should not do so just prior to performing bedikot. At least fifteen minutes should elapse between such cleaning and performing a bedikah, so that she can honestly determine if there is bleeding.

A woman should not perform a thorough internal cleaning during the seven clean days, as with a douche. Doing so defeats the purpose of the clean days. In some extreme cases, there may be room for greater leniency.

If staining is causing difficulty completing the clean days, you may reduce the number of bedikot required to one each on days 1, 7, and one additional intermediate clean day.

Unfortunately, irregular staining or bleeding is common for up to six months after having the Mirena inserted as your body adjusts to it. We do recommend attempting to count the clean days, but be prepared for the possibility that you may have to restart them due to continued staining or bleeding. If these suggestions don’t help you successfully complete the clean days, please feel free to get back to us for further guidance.

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