What should a divorced woman do who is breastfeeding and does not experience her menstrual cycle except every three or four months, in order to complete her 'iddah, and is it permissible for her to take medication to regulate her cycle to hasten the completion of her 'iddah?

If the questioner's purpose in visiting the doctor is to hasten the onset of menstruation to expedite the completion of the 'iddah (waiting period), then the blood discharged due to treatment is not considered valid for the 'iddah, according to the well-known opinion in the Maliki school. Thus, the subsequent period of purity is not counted among the three required periods of purity for the 'iddah. Some jurists, including Sidi Abdullah Al-Manoufi, are of the opinion that blood discharged due to treatment before its usual time is not considered menstruation, and the woman does not become free from the 'iddah thereby. Therefore, the questioner must be patient until the completion of her natural 'iddah, which is three menstrual cycles or three periods of purity, depending on the differing schools of thought.

Conversely, the majority of scholars believe that hastening menstruation — if it does not cause harm — is beneficial for concluding the 'iddah, and the resulting menstruation is counted, provided that the period between the two menstruations is not less than thirteen days.