Birth Control and Turner's syndrome

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sdeco said:
I have a good friend who has Turner’s syndrome. She is still single so she has not had to deal with these issues yet, but from what she’s told me, it sounds like women with Turner’s syndrome have a very small chance of conceiving. So you would probably not need to worry about it. I hadn’t heard that pregnancy can be fatal for women with this condition – are you sure that’s right?

If that is indeed the case, then I don’t blame you for wanting to be extra cautious. Birth control would still be wrong, but NFP is 99% effective when used correctly, especially the more modern methods that involve using a fertility monitor.

I know that in order for a marriage to be valid, couples need to be open to having children. If pregnancy really would kill her, though, then I think this would definitely be a case where it would be acceptable to avoid pregnancy for the entire duration of the marriage. As long as you’re open to adoption, I *think *that would make the marriage valid, but I would check with a priest to make sure.
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I spoke with someone today and I feel much better. They repeated pretty much what you have said, that since we would be open to life via adoption, the marriage would be valid, and that we should not use ABC.
 
kage_ar said:
From:

hgfound.org/pub_turner.html

This article speaks of women with Turners who can carry children.
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From the article:

Families should be aware of the options a woman has for having children. **Although the odds are against a woman with Turner syndrome producing her own eggs so as to become pregnant, new developments involving in vitro fertilization and embryo transplants offer these women the opportunity to carry a child through pregnancy and give birth. **A woman who is interested in exploring these options should ask her doctor to refer her to the appropriate specialist. Adoption is also an excellent option.

Is in vitro fertilization and embryo transplants permissible according to the church? I didn’t think they were. The odds are low of her becoming pregnant. Anyway, that was an informative read, thanks. However, it did not address the issue of at risk pregnancies and the potential harm to the mother.
 
JohnnyReb said:
From the article:

Families should be aware of the options a woman has for having children. **Although the odds are against a woman with Turner syndrome producing her own eggs so as to become pregnant, new developments involving in vitro fertilization and embryo transplants offer these women the opportunity to carry a child through pregnancy and give birth. **A woman who is interested in exploring these options should ask her doctor to refer her to the appropriate specialist. Adoption is also an excellent option.

Is in vitro fertilization and embryo transplants permissible according to the church? I didn’t think they were. The odds are low of her becoming pregnant. Anyway, that was an informative read, thanks. However, it did not address the issue of at risk pregnancies and the potential harm to the mother.
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In vitro or embryo transplants are not permissable. This article did point out that women with Turners CAN in instances carry a child.

Many many women with different kinds of dwarfism have had a well meaning, but, under informed doctor give dire predictions of death during pregnancy. I know this first hand, I have pseudoachondroplastic dwarfism and have volunteered with LPA.

My point, seeking out doctors like those with listed on the sites I posted may allow her to know that if she is one of the rare women with Turner’s who is able to become pregnant in the natural way, it might not be the death scentence she has anticipated.

Seeking out both a good priest, and good medical professionals is wise for her!
 
Sorry but artificial birth control is wrong even in your case. Practice natural family planning.
 
kage_ar said:
In vitro or embryo transplants are not permissable. This article did point out that women with Turners CAN in instances carry a child.

Many many women with different kinds of dwarfism have had a well meaning, but, under informed doctor give dire predictions of death during pregnancy. I know this first hand, I have pseudoachondroplastic dwarfism and have volunteered with LPA.

My point, seeking out doctors like those with listed on the sites I posted may allow her to know that if she is one of the rare women with Turner’s who is able to become pregnant in the natural way, it might not be the death scentence she has anticipated.

Seeking out both a good priest, and good medical professionals is wise for her!
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Thank you. Should our relationship get that far, we will probably discuss the matter with a priest. Perhaps he might be the one to be able to get her to seek out such doctors. I do believe with any major medical diagnosis such as this, second and third opinions are wise.

I have been told that if we are open to life via nature conception or adoption (if it is indeed the case that she cannot have children due to the risks) that our marriage would be valid. We are not to use ABC, but can use NFP if we wish not to conceive at all (again if it is proven by a number of physicians that the risks are too high). The church would approach the matter pastorally and not legalistically, understanding that we are facing a true moral dilemma. As long as we are open to life, the validity of the marrige is not effected.
 
To JohnnyReb.

My 9 year old daughter has Turner Sydnrome also. Your girlfriend will not be able to get pregnant. She is almost certainly infertile. (over 99% of Turners women have non-functioning ovaries.) She most likely has to have hormone therapy in order to have normal “cycles” and the proper amount of estrogen for breast and hip development. Do you know if she is on hormones? When she says a full term pregnancy and birth would most likely kill her, she must be referring to an in-vitro fertilization pregnancy. They can be done (she has a uterus after all, just not properly working ovaries) but Turners can also cause many other organs to not be developed properly (like the heart and kidneys) and that’s most likely why she says it may kill her.

I highly recommend that you learn much more about Turner Syndrome. It’s a very complicated chromosomal defect. You NEED to know about it if she is going to someday be your wife.
 
Hi Johnny.

My 2 cents is to just make sure that you understgand that NFP is NOT 100% effective.

It does have a filaure rate and that failure rate is not as high as the pro-NFP people claim it is.

You do need to know the “Other side” of NFP.

A good, unbiased, honest look at NFP (and adding a bit of humour to difuse the subject) is found here:
crisismagazine.com/december2004/crocker.htm

All the best! 👍

PM
 
PennitentMan said:
Hi Johnny.

My 2 cents is to just make sure that you understgand that NFP is NOT 100% effective.

It does have a filaure rate and that failure rate is not as high as the pro-NFP people claim it is.

You do need to know the “Other side” of NFP.

A good, unbiased, honest look at NFP (and adding a bit of humour to difuse the subject) is found here:
crisismagazine.com/december2004/crocker.htm

All the best! 👍

PM
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And this is the letters Crisis received due to that article. The OP’s possible future wife has extremely marginal fertility at best, the chances of her getting pregnant are extremely small with or without NFP. There was a news article published on MSNBC about a study in Europe that found the STM of NFP as accurate as the pill (unfortunately the link no longer works.) I have a medical condition that makes pregnancy life threatening -and I have normal fertility. We have used NFP over a decade without pregnancy.
 
i cannot believe some of the things said about birth conntrol I have decided that i cant become a catholic because i dont think there is anything wrong with birth control.
 
Burdock said:
i cannot believe some of the things said about birth conntrol I have decided that i cant become a catholic because i dont think there is anything wrong with birth control.
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If you’re interested, here’s a quote of mine from “This Rock” a while ago.

**Birth Control

With the Anglican adoption of birth control at the Lambeth Conference in 1930 and the brief Protestant dalliance with eugenics, we were left with Protestant denominations that recognize abortion as a grave sin but don’t see the moral similarity between abortion and birth control. Although some great Evangelical thinkers such as Amy Laura Hall are starting to ask the tough questions, there is no consistent reasoning and truth regarding the culture of death that is tearing our world apart spiritually, morally, and demographically.
**

I’ve struggled with the same issues, but, if you have an open mind, you’ll recognize the spiritual similarity between abortion and birth control; both constitute the taking of a human life.

Here in Oregon, more than one child is sacrificed on the altar of abortion (actually the altar of Moloch) with each passing hour. Imagine the loss of life if we add birth control into the mix.
 
Birth control does not constitute the taking of a life abortion does there ia a difference.
 
Burdock said:
i cannot believe some of the things said about birth conntrol I have decided that i cant become a catholic because i dont think there is anything wrong with birth control.
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Hopefully you will keep studying and praying on the subject. Jesus would surely miss you being absent from his church.
 
i dont think any amount of studying will alter my beliefs on birth control.
 
Burdock said:
i dont think any amount of studying will alter my beliefs on birth control.
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why not concentrate on God’s revelation about BC, rather than our own beliefs. that would be equally valid for any other aspect of Divine Revelation that does not agree with your personal views.

when one state’s the truth it does not constitute judgementalism, nor is it a personal attack. OP asked a question, people with some knowledge and experience gave answers they believe to be true, and in most cases backed them up with sources. the posters are allowing OP to make his own judgements, none of them are making a judgement on him, or on his gf.
 
PennitentMan said:
Hi Johnny.

My 2 cents is to just make sure that you understgand that NFP is NOT 100% effective.

It does have a filaure rate and that failure rate is not as high as the pro-NFP people claim it is.
Umm, PM, Contraception also has a failure rate. Barring the removal of reproductive organs, ALL METHODS of contraception have failure rates, some quite high.

You do need to know the “Other side” of NFP.
the “other side”? It’s not like you’re joining the “dark side”. I’m sorry you and your wife had a surprise pregnancy, it happens, because…well if you have sex, there is always the chance of a baby, that’s how the system works. 🤷 I’m not sure that this thread is really the right place for this conversation.

A good, unbiased, honest look at NFP (and adding a bit of humour to difuse the subject) is found here:
crisismagazine.com/december2004/crocker.htm
NFP can be a struggle for some, but if you are motivated by grave and serious reasons, user error is pretty low. Also, when using NFP you have to be prepared that a baby could be the outcome of marital relations. I"m not sure where the idea came that NFP (or being Catholic) is easy or that it should be.

All the best! 👍

PM
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Jennifer_J said:
Umm, PM, Contraception also has a failure rate. Barring the removal of reproductive organs, ALL METHODS of contraception have failure rates, some quite high.
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Yup, that’s true.
I posted to make sure that the OP realises that NFP is not as highly effective as some might claim.
 
Burdock said:
i cannot believe some of the things said about birth conntrol I have decided that i cant become a catholic because i dont think there is anything wrong with birth control.
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Well, I can say that there are many, many Catholics that don’t understand what is wrong with Artificial Birth Control.
Burdock said:
Birth control does not constitute the taking of a life abortion does there ia a difference.
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You are correct. But some forms of ABC are the same as an abortion.
Burdock said:
i dont think any amount of studying will alter my beliefs on birth control.
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Neither did I, until I read this.

Peace to you.
 
BlestOne said:
Johnny… are you saying you don’t trust God? Because that is what it sounds like. Do you know how many people (including myself) were told that they should not have children because it could kill them and yet survived childbirth? It is never ok to not trust God or to use ABC.

If you intend to marry this woman, knowing that you should not have children, the only acceptable solutions are:

  1. *]abstinence
    *]Natural family planning
    If I were you, I would contact popepaulvi.com/about.htm
    and discuss it with them.
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  1. Wonderful advice and the Pope Paul VI Institute is wonderful!!!
 
Burdock said:
i cannot believe some of the things said about birth conntrol I have decided that i cant become a catholic because i dont think there is anything wrong with birth control.
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Catholicism teaches about the harm in contraception. Birth control, when necessary for married couples practicing responsible parenthood, is fine.

Contraception is always birth conrol but birth control is not always contraception.
 
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