What is the considered duration of menstruation for a woman whose habit before marriage was 7-8 days, then became 5 days with contraceptive pills, then ceased at menopause and recently returned? Is it her old habit, or the duration she had with contraceptives, or what she is seeing now, even if it exceeds eight days?

The blood seen by a woman is considered menstrual blood as long as it does not exceed 15 days. If it exceeds that, she is considered to be experiencing irregular bleeding (istihada) and should refer to her previous habit. Therefore, a woman whose bleeding habit exceeds five days should revert to her second habit, which is five days, and anything beyond that is considered istihada. As for menopause, some scholars have set it at fifty years, while the more preponderant opinion is that there is no specific age limit for it.