According to the Qur'an , during the menstruation of a woman, the husband should not have sexual intercourse with her. The reason given by the Qur'an for this prohibition is that during these days, a woman is unclean. Thus, because a woman is unclean during these days, it naturally follows that during these days, a woman should also stay away from Sala'h and, during Ramadan, from fasting. This is the directive of the Shari`ah in this respect.

Now, there arises a question regarding the Mustahadha[1]. It could be asked whether a Mustahadha should also follow the directives given to a menstruating woman or that of other normal women. It is quite clear that woman's menstruation is not an ailment but a natural phenomenon, while Istihaadha (i.e. the problem of irregular discharge of blood besides that of the regular menstrual cycle) is basically an abnormality or an ailment. Therefore, it seems that the directives of a menstruating woman should not be applied to a Mustahadha. As in the case of other ailments, a Mustahadha should perform ablution prior to every Sala'h and then complete her Sala'h even though she has discharged Istihaadha blood during the Sala'h. This [apparent] allowance is based on the Qur'anic principle of "God does not burden any soul with more than what it can bear" (Al-Baqarah 2: 286). When the Prophet (pbuh) was asked about Mustahadha, he is reported to have given the same reply (as reported in more than one compilation of Hadith).

Keeping in view the above explanation, let us now focus on your particular question. In my opinion, the basic issue to decide is whether the condition that follows D & C can be medically related more closely with normal menstruation or with Mustahadha, in other words, whether the condition that follows D & C could be termed as a natural phenomena or should be termed as the effects of an ailment. If your explanation is accepted to be correct (as in this case, we shall have to depend on the opinion of a person qualified in medicine and medical sciences), it seems more appropriate to relate the case of D & C with that of the Mustahadha rather than that of a menstruating woman.

The case of a woman who discharges blood because of the discontinuation of the "pill" should be seen separately. In this case too, if the bleeding is medically considered more closely related to the case of a menstruating woman, then the directives regarding the menstruating woman shall apply. On the other hand, if this bleeding is medically considered more closely related to the case of a Mustahadha then the directives regarding the Mustahadha shall logically apply. In either case, experts in the field of medicine rather than a student of religion (like myself) should decide the matter.

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