Anticipating periods in perimenopause
8 May, 2022
Question:Thank you for this special service you provide.
I am 51 y/o and seem to be in my peri- menopausal/menopause stage. My period is over 7 days late for the first time. A pregnancy test was negative.
What am I supposed to be doing halachically now? I am not niddah so I don’t think I have to separate from my husband. But How do I know if and when to expect a period and when to separate or have an onah? Do a bedika?
Please advise.
Thank you. Much Hatzlacha in your holy work.
Answer:It is common to have irregular periods during the perimenopausal stage.
Once your onot perishah have passed and you’ve performed a bedikah, you are permitted to resume relations with your husband. You do not have any further onot to observe until you have your next period.
If you begin staining, we recommend abstaining from intercourse until your situation is clarified. If you have any reason to believe your period is imminent (cramps etc.) you should use common sense and abstain, or at the very least check for bleeding (by wiping externally with a tissue, not immediately after urinating) before being intimate. You may wish to review the halachot of staining, including precautions to avoid becoming niddah unnecessarily, here.
Please feel free to get back to us with any further questions.
B’Hatzlacha!
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