How Should a Woman With PCOS and Continuous Bleeding Determine Hayd and Istihada?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
What does a woman do with continuous bleeding with PCOS? How can she identify Hayd vs. Istihada without an established habit, and when to pray?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The ruling for such a woman is that she will follow her probable opinion in terms of her menstrual habit, just like a person who is uncertain about the direction of the Ka’ba and the number of rakats of the prayer.
She will exercise reasonable judgment and utmost caution when her menses occur, and for how many days it lasts, and then she will use that as a habit in the future.[Birgivi, Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilin wa al-Nisa’]
In today’s times, it is easier for a woman with abnormal bleeding to use medication to regulate her cycle and establish a new habit.
Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Fatima bint Abi Hubaysh asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) whether she should give up prayer, as her bleeding did not stop.
He said, “No, because it is from a blood vessel and not the menses. So when the real menses begins, give up your prayers, and when it (the period) has finished, wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and offer your prayers” [Bukhari]
General Advice – Record Your Menses
A woman’s habit is her body’s usual pattern of when blood and purity are seen during the month and for how many days.
Every woman must record her menses, lochia, and purity habits. The date and time any vaginal blood begins, including the spotting of blood, and the date and time any vaginal blood ends.
It is a personal obligation (fard) for every adult woman to learn the basic rules of menstruation and to ask, as you’ve done, in the case of a complicated or unique situation.
The following two books: A translation and explanation of Imam Birgivi’s treatise “The Treasure of Families & Women” (Dhukhr al-Muta’ahhilin wa al-Nisa’) on the advanced fiqh of menstruation, lochia, and abnormal bleeding, and A Muslim Woman’s Guide to Menstruation Rulings, are two good books. They are in English and have many practical examples, life experiences, and even illustrative charts to calculate menstruation. See the links below.
In the Future
Start by recording the date your bleeding begins, any days it stops for 15+ days, and when a new cycle starts. Once patterns form, you’ll recognize future episodes. For ongoing details, especially during medication adjustments, consult a reliable local female scholar.
And Allah knows best.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
- When Is It Considered Irregular Bleeding (Istihada)? — The ten-day limit and the obligation of prayer through istihada.
- What Do I Do during Irregular Bleeding (Istihada)? — Practical guidance on wudu and prayer during istihada.
- How Do I Perform Missed Prayers and Current Prayers in Istihada? — Catching up on makeups gradually.
- How Should Nonstop Bleeding Be Managed in the Hanafi School? — Direct guidance on continuous bleeding episodes.
- Is Withdrawal Bleeding Considered Menstruation? — How medication-influenced bleeding is treated within the same rules.
- Are Prolonged Periods Considered Hayd or Istihada? — Distinguishing the two and what to do when bleeding lingers.
- How to Calculate the Purity Period between Two …What Are the Rulings on Different Vaginal Discharges?
- istihadha Archives
- Menstruation: A Comprehensive Reader – SeekersGuidance
- The Treasures of Family and Women
- A Muslim Woman’s Guide To Menstruation Rulings: Amazon.co.uk: Ackbarali, Naielah: 9781739599911: Books (Detailed Edition -Recommended book)
- myhayd.app | First Ever Islamic Period Tracking App Personalized For Muslim Women | Hayd Tuhr Istihadah Nifaas Pregnancy
- FREE Fiqh of Menstruation Video Series
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Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
