What is the proper method for a woman to check for menstrual blood when its time is approaching, and should she delve deeply into the search or await the blood's appearance on its own, and what is the ruling concerning the prayers she missed if her method was incorrect?

If blood appears on the outer vulva of a woman (that which becomes visible when she sits to relieve herself), then it is considered menstruation (hayd). However, what remains inside the vagina does not establish the ruling of menstruation. So, if the wife places cotton on the outer vulva and finds blood, she is menstruating; otherwise, she is not. If she missed prayers thinking she was menstruating when she was not, then she must make up those prayers.