Timing Is Everything
As you may recall, my first go at progesterone-induced menstruation didn't work so well. Shortly I went back to the doctor, got a prescription for a stronger version of the hormone, and was told to start "whenever." I carefully counted days in the calendar; it wouldn't do to have my tevila fall out on any of the festival days of Passover (first two or last two) if it could be avoided, particularly since for the first days we would not be within walking distance of a mikvah. It would also be preferable not to have to make a hefsek on first days (nowhere near a rabbi I trust to ask a shailah if necessary), and my husband will be away for chol hamoed (intermediate days of the holiday) so I shouldn't go to the mikvah then, and on such-and-such day in early May we already have evening plans with a big group of friends and I can't gracefully bow out so better to time the mikvah for later than that...
Whew, OK. Started the progesterone this past Sunday evening. It means that this cycle, my first off of birth control, is going to end up well over one hundred days. I kind of miss my period (though I'm not sure I miss actually being niddah). It will be nice to see it again.
I checked the calendar again last night. If my body reacts to this stronger progesterone now the way it did when I used it years ago, I should start bleeding on the third day after the last pill. Which is...Sunday. Before the second Seder. And, of course, we will be at another family's home, at a meal with twenty people, where the minhag (custom) is to pour each glass of wine for the person sitting next to you, of course. And I will sit next to my husband.
Of course.
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Sometimes I think we get stuck on the little details like this. One time, we had my in-laws as guests for the seder. No other guests, just the four of us (plus my kids, who had all fallen asleep and aren't allowed to pour wine anyway.) I had a new baby, less than 6 weeks old. My in-laws are frum, but somehow it didn't click that one of them would have to pour the wine for both of us, since we couldn't pour for each other... and silly us couldn't bring ourselves to actually say it out loud, even though it should have been obvious! For each cup, my husband had to ask one of his parents to pour for me... which is practically like sending me wine! But he wasn't about to pour it for me himself, and I couldn't bring myself to ask... like I said, stuck on silly details.
Anyway, Michaela, I'm glad it worked out for you. I had to pour my own wine one year (a different year, naturally) when we just didn't have any guests! But what else can you do?
Sometimes these spammers DO serve a purpose - I get to read posts I must have missed - so although your point was interesting and I do sympathize....
I can more relate to the niddah/pouring wine issue!
Friends that have hosted us for Pesach also follow that custom, and I am usually niddah On Pesach, so it's a huge, huge problem on how to get my cup filled, specially since I mostly go grape juice and if the host fills it - which is also weird - he tends to pour whatever he's pouring for everyone else!
More than that, they don't put their matza on the table, so for my husbnad to do HaMotzie and then get it to me, is also hard.
Needless to say, we stayed home the past couple of years.
Hee hee. Michaela, I couldn't help it, this post reminded me of a *very* old Doonesbury where Joanie & Rick are trying to find a day for their wedding, and finally Rick says "can't that day, I have a dentist appointment," and Joanie says "a DENTIST appointment?" and Rick says "yeah, how about the next week?" and Joanie says through gritted teeth "oh, I'll be washing my hair."
Ahem. What was I saying? Not poking fun at you, certainly. I think it would be fascinating to be able to choose when I was going to get my period. I can always count on getting mine, but it never comes when I think it will. You and I have the opposite short ends of the stick, it seems.
Maybe it won't work quite as perfectly as you think? All you need is to be off by a day... maybe you'll start spotting that day but not be a niddah yet.
And even if not, there must be some way around the pouring dilemma. Suureptitiously switch cups after you pour, or something. Come on, brainstorms, anyone?