Fathwa, - How Does A WomanWho Has Irregular Menses Calculate Her Waiting Period?

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Question:
How does a woman who has irregular menses calculate her waiting period?
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum
The fuqaha of the Hanafi school mention that a lady with an abnormally long purity period between periods of menstrual bleeding must still wait for three menstruations to be completed for her to complete her waiting period (‘idda) (2:509, Radd al-Muhtar, Dar Li Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi). In cases like these where the bleeding is still expected after just three months, it is not seen to be an unbearable hardship.
In a case where the lady is young and has many years till her menopause and the gap between her menstrual periods is genuinely abnormally long, such as a year or more, then it might be advisable to take a dispensation from the Maliki school whereby the waiting period for a lady with an abnormally delayed period is one lunar year. (Hashiya al-Sawi ‘ala al-Sharh al-Saghir, 2:676, Dar al-Ma’arif) Of course before deciding to take such a dispensation one must consult a Maliki scholar to be aware of all of the details involved.
[It is also an option to take medication to regulate her periods - Ed.]
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHER Najimudeen M