Nishmat's Women’s Health and HalachaIn memory of Chaya Mirel bat R' Avraham

  • Hebrew
  • English
  • Espnaol
  • Francais
  • donate
Menu
Side Bar

Copper or Mirena?

25 May, 2009
Question:

I have reviewed your information on the IUD and am trying to figure out the best contraception post–partum. I have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls and am not sure what the future will bring but know that I need a break for now and possibly our family is complete. I am currently on the mini–pill but it I am having trouble taking it at the same time every day so my OBGYN suggested the IUD. It seems that IUD is generally permissible but is there a preference for mirena vs. the copper IUD? Thanks in advance.


Answer:

Yes, the IUD is generally permissible in cases such as yours.  There is no halachic preference for Mirena over the copper IUD at this point in time, since both are considered safe and efficacious.

In choosing between them, please note that the Mirena IUD often leads to staining for a few months after insertion.  Such staining can make a woman niddah or invalidate her clean days.  After the staining subsides, however, a woman with Mirena may not have bleeding for years.

The copper IUD may lead to staining at the very beginning of use. Some women also experience irregular bleeding, heavier and/or longer menses, and changes in the length of the menstrual cycle. These changes may subside after the initial adjustment period, or continue for the duration of use.

It is impossible to predict in advance exactly how an individual woman will react to either type of IUD.

Please refer back to our posted questions and articles for more discussion. It is important to review the laws of stains, and to be prepared to ask halachic questions, in order to minimize the halachic difficulties that may accompany the adjustment to the IUD.

Behatzlachah!  Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any further questions.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases. All health and health-related information contained within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for consulting with your health care professional. The advice is intended to offer a basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider but not individual advice. Although every effort is made to ensure that the material within Nishmat's Women's Health & Halacha Web site is accurate and timely, it is provided for the convenience of the Web site user but should not be considered official. Advice for actual medical practice should be obtained from a licensed health care professional. For further questions or comments:  The Nishmat Women's Health and Halacha Site is a public service of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. This project and others like it are made possible by contributions from people like you. If you have benefited from the service, and wish to enable us to help others, click here to donate.
Users of Internet filtering services: This site discusses sensitive subjects that some services filter without visual indication. A page that appears 100% complete might actually be missing critical Jewish-law or medical information. To ensure that you view the pages accurately, ask the filtering service to whitelist all pages under yoatzot.org.

Accessibility Toolbar