What to Do If You Cannot Distinguish Between Menstruation and Istiḥāḍah
Source: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
❖ Question
If a woman cannot distinguish whether the blood is menstrual blood (ḥayḍ) or istiḥāḍah (non-menstrual bleeding), which should she consider it to be?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
If blood exits from a woman and she cannot recognize whether it is ḥayḍ or istiḥāḍah, the principle is that it should be considered ḥayḍ.
This means that unless it is established with certainty — through evidence or clear signs — that the blood is istiḥāḍah, it will be treated as menstrual blood.
The reason is that the default ruling regarding a woman’s bleeding is that it is menstrual blood unless proven otherwise by signs and indications that it is istiḥāḍah.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
