Menses

Menses (Arabic: دم الحیض) are a type of bloods which discharge from a woman's womb from puberty until menopause. This type of blood is discharged due to natural destruction of the lining of the uterus and discharge of infertile ovum. It is normally dark and thick and is discharged with little pressure and a feeling of twinge.

In jurisprudence, some attributes are mentioned for menses including that they discharge the minimum of three days and maximum of ten days and the duration between the two menstruation periods is ten days.

During this period, a woman is called "ha'id" and is subject to certain rulings; including prohibition of performing prayer and fasting, stopping in mosques and sexual intercourse. After the end of the monthly period, ghusl of menstruation becomes obligatory for performing some actions.

Attributes

Different types of blood may be discharged from a woman's womb, each of which has certain rulings: blood of a wound, blood after giving birth (lochia), Istihada (undue menses) and menses. Menses are usually dark and thick and are discharged with little pressure and a feeling of twinge. This type of blood is discharged due to natural destruction of the lining of the uterus and discharge of infertile ovum. The duration of time between two menstruation periods is different in different people and also in one person. Usually, the natural period of time between the beginning of one menstruation period and the beginning of the next menstruation period is twenty eight days, but only in few women, it is completely orderly. The duration of time between two menstruation periods depends on many factors such as stress, seasonal changes, weather, changes in living environment and nutrition, but generally a period of twenty one to thirty five days is natural between two menstruation periods.

Condition

In jurisprudence, some conditions are considered for menses:

• The blood discharged before the age of puberty or after menopause is not considered as menses.

• The minimum duration of menstruation period is three days, and if the discharge of blood stops before three days, it is not considered menses.

• If three days after the beginning of the menstruation period, the blood is discharged until ten days and there is a probability that they are menses, all this period is considered as menstruation period.

• The maximum duration of menstruation period is ten days and the blood discharged after it is not ruled as menses.

• The minimum duration of time between two menstruation periods is ten days. So, if after the end of the menstruation period, any blood is discharged until ten days, they are not considered as menses.

Different Types

Based on the order of blood discharge and the number of days it is discharged, women may have different states during menstruation and they follow the rules of menstruation period accordingly. A woman who has discharge of blood for two consecutive times the same way, "has menstruation period":

• If only the time of the beginning of blood discharge and the number of the days of discharge are similar: the woman has waqtiyya (timely) and Adadiyya (numeral) menstruation period.

• If only the number of the days of blood discharge is known: the woman has Adadiyya (numeral) menstruation period.

• If either the beginning time of blood discharge or the number of the days of discharge is not known or forgotten or the woman's previous menstruation period has been disordered and no new period is formed yet: the woman "has a disordered menstruation period" (mudtariba).

• A girl who has blood discharge for the first time is called "mubtadi'a" (beginner).

• A woman who has forgotten her menstruation period is called "nasiya".

Recognition of the Beginning of Menstruation Period

A woman who knows the beginning of her monthly blood discharge (has waqtiyya or waqtiyya adadiyya menstruation period) should consider the blood as menses as soon as she has a blood discharge in her menstruation period – or one or two days before or after the beginning time, as long as it can be considered before or after the period – and has to follow all the rules of menstruation, even though the discharged blood does not have the normal attributes of menses.

If later, it is known that they were not menses – for example the blood discharge stops before three days – qada of the missed acts of worship should be performed.

• If a woman who has waqtiyya adadiyya menstruation period, has a blood discharge a number of days before or after the normal beginning of her menstruation period similar to the number of the days of her usual menstruation period, it should be ruled as menses, even if they do not have the normal attributes of menses; because in such times, when the menstruation period starts early or late, its number of days is considered prior to its time.

• If a woman who has such a menstruation period has a blood discharge for a number of days more than usual (up to ten days) and the blood discharge continues during the days of her usual menstruation period, she is considered in her menses in all those days.

There is a disagreement among jurists regarding the ruling of a woman who is mudtariba, mubtadi'a or nasiya upon the discharge of blood:

• As soon as any of these women has a blood discharge, she is considered "ha'id" and she has to observe associated rulings.

• Such a woman should wait for three days, if she has blood discharge during this period or after it, they should be considered as menses.

• If the discharged blood has the attributes of menses, they are to be considered so.

• Such a woman should observe all the prohibitions of a ha'id woman and what she should do, and if the blood discharge continues for more than three days, then it is known that the past three days have been the beginning days of the menstruation period and if the blood discharge stops, they should be ruled as istihada (undue menses).

Discharge of Blood for More than Ten Days

The fatwa of most jurists about the ruling of blood discharge for more than ten days is as follows:

• A woman who has menstruation period should consider the blood discharged in the days of her period as menstruation and the rest of days as undue menses.

• Mubtadi'a and Mudtariba should consider the discharged blood which has the attributes of menses – if they are discharged less than three days or more than ten days – as menses and the discharged blood which has the attributes of undue menses as such.

Rules of Ha'id

Main article: Menstruation

The Qur'an considers menses harmful and sexual intercourse in this state forbidden. In addition to prohibition of all things prohibited for a person in state of janaba, there are other rulings for ha'id including the prohibition of sexual intercourse in this state.

Pure Women

In a hadith from the Prophet (s), "Batul" is meant as "a woman who does not have menstrual discharge of blood." In this hadith, Lady Mary (a) and Lady Fatima (a) are called "Batul".

Imam al-Baqir (a) considered "Tahira" one of the titles of Lady Fatima (a) meaning "a person who is pure from any impurity and the one who never has menstrual discharge of blood or lochia."

References

• The material for this article is mainly taken from خون حیض in Farsi WikiShia.