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

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Bleeding from progesterone

26 January, 2003

Question:

I have started taking progesterone-only pills as contraceptives due to several medical conditions (this has been verified by a reliable posek), and this morning I noticed a lot of red blood. I know I wasn’t supposed to look at the toilet paper, but it got all over me. I don’t know if this is a stain due to the progesterone, or if it is my period, but I’m unsure of how to proceed.


Answer:

If you found a lot of blood on your body, then you are a niddah, since a large stain of blood on the body makes a woman niddah. It does not matter whether it was from menstrual bleeding or bleeding from the progesterone, because the source was uterine bleeding not due to trauma. You need to follow the same taharah process as you would when you become niddah from your period.

In general, but especially if you are staining, it is a good idea to take certain precautions to avoid becoming niddah unnecessarily.  See our article on ketamim for a detailed explanation of the guidelines.  If repeated staining is causing a lot of niddah status despite this advice, please consult with your physician regarding other possible forms of contraception, and check our website for halachic guidelines regarding contraception.

 


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