The Diaphragm
I recently had to start using a diaphragm, because a new drug that I am taking has been found to interact adversely with horemonal contraceptives. On the whole, I think that Husband and I are adjusting well. This month, however, something strange happened. I was not expecting my period to start for several days, but when I removed the diaphragm the morning after sex, I noticed some light brown discharge mixed with the contraceptive jelly.
I don't see how this could halachically be considered dam niddah, since it was off-cycle, a light color, and on a flesh-colored diaphragm. That does not mean, however, that it was not menstrual blood. As it turns out, it probably was, since my period started within a day.
The whole experience has left me feeling very weird. I had sex at the beginning of my period, but I was tehorah, as far as I can tell. Or am I getting something wrong?
Since I am not Orthodox and am not observing T"H in a "particularly Orthodox way" (as I like to put it), I have nowhere to turn for a definitive answer. The good news is that my community has a new female rabbi who seems to be roughly on my halachic wavelength. I plan to meet with her this Thursday to talk about T"H and birth control, among other things. Maybe she can help me figure out how to handle this sort of situation.