Staining with Mirena postpartum

Mazal tov on the birth of your baby!

We are sorry to hear that you had a difficulty pregnancy and have gone so long without being intimate, and we appreciate the sensitive nature of this question.

In our experience, staining such as you describe on Mirena is common, including when a woman is nursing, and is associated with the Progestin that the Mirena secretes. The staining can last for months, so patience is in order. But it sometimes resolves more quickly, so there is room for hope.

Unfortunately, we are not aware of a foolproof way to stop the bleeding. Some women report a reduced incidence of staining when taking vitamin B1 and bioflavonoids, doctor permitting. Very short term, your doctor might also approve of your taking ibuprofen to reduce staining, which might help you get a hefsek taharah and first day bedikah.

We recommend trying to clean yourself internally (as by soaking in a bath) prior to attempting a hefsek taharah and then bringing any attempts to a halachic authority for evaluation and for guidance about getting through the clean days.

We also recommend reviewing the laws of stains (ketamim) and of toilet paper.

When a woman has staining difficulties adjusting to Mirena, we permit using a white pantyliner during the clean days, following the view that a stain on pantyliner does not invalidate the count. We also permit reducing the bedikot required to the hefsek taharah and one each on day one, an intermediate day of a woman’s choice, and day seven.

We hope this helps. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.