Question:
A woman has a coil fitted five days into her clean days. She has been told that she will experience bleeding due to this. It has now been 12 days since the coil was fitted and she is still bleeding. This makes it 17 days since purity. Her usual purity is 21days and 7 days haiz.
In this situation does she wait till 21 days and continue as istihaza for now, or regard this bleeding to be haiz as it is more than 15 days?
Answered by Umm Yusuf A. Sattar
Verified by Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf
Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
The placing of an intrauterine device can often lead to irregular bleeding or spotting during the first three to six months. However, in order for blood to be considered menstruation (hayd), it must meet the parameters, as defined by the shariah.
With the information provided, we would assign seven days as menstruation and twenty-one days as purity. The bleeding you are currently experiencing will be applied toward your normal twenty-one days of purity, i.e. the first five days of purity coupled with the following sixteen days. After completing the allotted purity, you will consider the next seven days menstruation.
You should continue to apply the pattern of seven days blood and twenty-one days purity as long as you experience irregular bleeding. Should anything change, you should consult with a scholar, as the rulings are based on a specific set of circumstances. We also recommend keeping a detailed record of bleeding (regular and irregular) and purity, including dates and times.
Lastly, the current bleeding is dysfunctional uterine bleeding (istihada), during which you should continue to pray, with a fresh ablution for each prayer time. You can also refer to “The Laws of Menstruation, Postnatal Bleeding & Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding,” for more information.
Ustadha Umm Yusuf Abdul Sattar
Follow up question:
What would the case be if she now and then starts on day 22 or sometimes gets spotting from day 18 which would have to be taken?
Answer:
Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful
In our earlier answer, we asked that you apply seven days blood and twenty-one days purity for as long as you experienced continuous bleeding. When that is no longer the situation, the following principles will apply: the minimum menstrual period is 3 days (72 hours); the maximum is 10 days (240 hours); and instances of menstruation must be separated by a complete purity of 15 days (360 hours).
Given that the number of days of menstruation and purity can vary from month to month, any blood meeting the above-mentioned parameters will be menstruation. Similarly, as long as a woman experiences 15 or more days of consecutive purity, it will be considered purity.
So to answer your question; if one month, you experience bleeding after 18 days of purity, this will be considered menstruation as you have met the criteria of 15 days. Similarly, if in a different month, you experience bleeding after 22 days of purity, it will also be considered menstruation.
It is because of this fluctuation in the numbers, that we ask women to keep a detailed record of bleeding and purity, including dates and times. If a woman experiences any irregularities, that record helps us to pinpoint which days are menstruation and which are purity.
Ustadha Umm Yusuf Abdul Sattar