Birth control but no sex?

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littleflower1

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I’m considering taking birth control for my horrible PMS. I am still a virgin, and won’t be taking the birth control because I’m sexually active. I’m a devote catholic, but wondered would it still be considered against the church to take birth control even it isn’t to prevent pregnancy?

Thank you,

Littleflower
 
Birth control pills can be taken as a medication, and if you are not sexually active there is no way it could be sinful. Should you marry and become sexually active the pill would then be problematic.

I would advise you to find a knowledgeable pro-life doctor that may be able to find alternatives to the birth control pill in order to help you. Birth control pills can have serious side effects. The alternatives that might be available may provide the relief you need now and in the future should you marry without the problems and potential evils associated with the pill.

I hope this helps.
 
If you are using tampons, stop right away. These always, always, magnify PMS.
Can you try to offer up your suffering as a spiritual exercise? PMS is only for a couple of days a month. A lot of people have chronic conditions with crippling pain that last 365 days a year.
And no matter what your doctors tell you, it is not a good ideal to take medicine that suppresses your cycle and your hormones.
 
You may use hormone therapy (birth control) to treat hormonal imbalances, and that is true even if you were married and sexually active. You’ll want to investigate other treatments without adverse side effects with your doctor first like heat packs, exercise, water, eliminating junk or dairy, pamprin, dark chocolate. But if you and your doctor decide that hormone therapy is the best choice, then you may take it without sin.

You need to evaluate your motivations as well as its continuing need over time as it could later become an occasion to sin if you find yourself in a tempting position.
 
I have taken the pill as therapy for what is called PMDD. This is not a two-day a month deal, BTW----I had been misdiagnosed as Bi-polar. It is something that is on-going, and I realized over time that the onset of menstruation enhances the mood swings—and this means more than half the month is spent in some phase of hormonal/ chemical difficulty. It is disruptive and painful to everyone in your life, not just you—I know. I mean no offense to any advice given, as right now I coming off a bad cycle so forgive my words, but ***no amount ***of “offering it up” as a sacrafice makes it better—it might work WHILE you are helping yourself in whatever way you need—but you still have to get medical help. It is hard on everyone in my life concerned. If you think you need the pill for it, then get some spiritual direction and a good Catholic doctor, and discuss it only with them, as they will know YOUR specific situation best.

God Bless you
 
This kind of therapy is not unheard of even for married sexually active people, if the medical condition warrants it…but you need to talk to you confessor and a good Catholic doctor and discuss your difficulty with them—they will direct you better than I could.
 
turtle18 said:
If you are using tampons, stop right away. These always, always, magnify PMS.
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Eh?

I mean, I don’t suffer from it so I’ve never looked into what makes it better or worse, but this sounds a bit strange to me. :confused: Is this personal experience or is there a medical explanation you can pass on?
 
Guitar said:
Eh?

I mean, I don’t suffer from it so I’ve never looked into what makes it better or worse, but this sounds a bit strange to me. :confused: Is this personal experience or is there a medical explanation you can pass on?
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This seems strange to because PMS means PREmenstral syndrom. PRE means before. My symptoms, when I was younger, were always before I got my period began and stopped a few hours after it started.

My daughter is an accupuncturist and says that helps with PMS in many cases…also with menopause symptoms…and the needles don’t really hurt and have no side effects.
 
It is fine if you use “the pill” to correct a hormone imbalance or to alleviate a medical condition if your doctor recommends it in your particular case. There may be other medical alternatives that would better treat your symptoms, but that is a decision to be made by you and your doctor. From a Catholic standpoint, there would be nothing wrong with your decision.

The key point is intent. If you are taking an oral medication to correct/treat/alleviate a medical problem, you are fine. People often demonize the pill, but there is nothing spiritually wrong with using it to treat a medical condition. It is a mortal sin if you are using it for contraception. Even if you were married, and having sex while taking the pill to treat your medical condition, you would still be fine, because the the probable prevention of pregnancy is a side effect.

There are many women who share your pain (literally) and you will be in our prayers! If the pill ends up being the best treatment plan in your particular case, there is nothing wrong with taking it. But make sure you find a doctor who will take the time to discuss your whole medical history first, to see if there is a better treatment option. The pill is not suitable for everyone.

Sincerely,

Maria1212
 
I have deleted posts in this thread which contain medical advice. The OP is inquiring as to the morality of using BCP for medical reasons - so please refrain from offering anything which can be construed as medical advice. If medical advice continues to be offered, this thread will be closed.
 
I want to thank everyone for their advice. I have been fighting going on birth control for a couple of years now. If in fact my doctor thinks it’s the best way to go it’s comforting to know that I won’t be living in sin. Although in one post someone said that it might be more tempting to become sexually active, which is something I’ve thought about, I will just have to work even harder and pray even more to do the right thing.

Thank you,

Little flower
 
I believe there is a place called the Paul VI Institute that has alternative methods to treat medical problems without the BC pill. Please contact them and see what they say.

Peace,
Linda
 
littleflower1 said:
I’m considering taking birth control for my horrible PMS. I am still a virgin, and won’t be taking the birth control because I’m sexually active. I’m a devote catholic, but wondered would it still be considered against the church to take birth control even it isn’t to prevent pregnancy?

Thank you,

Littleflower
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I don’t understand. You’re a virgin but you won’t be taking the birth control pill because you’re sexually active?
 
Kronos said:
I don’t understand. You’re a virgin but you won’t be taking the birth control pill because you’re sexually active?
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She isn’t considering taking them because she is sexually active, or as a means of contraception, because she isn’t sexually active. She was clarifying her intentions and saying sexual activities wasn’t one of them.
 
Even though I’m a nurse I can’t give medical advice, but I can tell you that I went on the pill at a young age too, to treat Polycystic Ovarian Sydrome. I too am very devout. I remained chaste until my marriage. My OB/Gyn is also Catholic and we talked about the ramifications. I also did a quick discussion with my priest, and I was really overjoyed at how cool he was about it. I also talked with him when my Ob/Gyn had to prescribe a form of infertility drug-again for the PCOS- because I cannot get pregnant on my own. Again, priest was very cool. If you have specific concerns, consider talking to your priest, or at least a Lay Minister within your parish. Most parishes have one. Also, you can try your Diocese main office-most have some sort of family life ministry that can also direct you. good luck!twk;)
 
I too suffered from the most horrible PMS. The dr reccomended bc pills, but they made me sick and moody. A friend recommended something called a Diva cup

divacup.com/
This has changed my life. Within three months I had no more horrible cramps, no more backaches and bloating and as a added bonus-It NEVER leaks. It has no chemicals in it that can leach into the body, both tampons, AND pads do. It also lasts forever and is good for the enviroment. The incidence of crippling PMS is up alot, and some people think the chemicals used in our products have part in it. A few months ago my sister in law switched and is starting to see the same pattern, and things are much more regular.
 
Some of the information in these posts needs to be corrected. When taking the pill for medical reasons (hormone therapy etc) a practicing, devout Catholic must also remain chaste- even when married. The birth control pill has strong abortifacient effects. The primary use of the pill may not be for birth control but the side affects are abortion. Any priest or pastoral associate who says it is okay for a married woman to take the pill without also recommending chastity is doing a disservice by not being completing informed and sharing this information in a helpful manner.
 
MCL said:
Some of the information in these posts needs to be corrected. When taking the pill for medical reasons (hormone therapy etc) a practicing, devout Catholic must also remain chaste- even when married. The birth control pill has strong abortifacient effects. The primary use of the pill may not be for birth control but the side affects are abortion. Any priest or pastoral associate who says it is okay for a married woman to take the pill without also recommending chastity is doing a disservice by not being completing informed and sharing this information in a helpful manner.
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All people are called to chastity, including married people. *Celibacy *is not required when a married woman is on hormone therapy for justifiable medical issues. That is a recurrent topic around here. Here’s one example.%between%
 
Woodstock said:
All people are called to chastity, including married people. *Celibacy *is not required when a married woman is on hormone therapy for justifiable medical issues. That is a recurrent topic around here. Here’s one example.
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Yes all people are called to chastity but celibacy typically refers to the unmarried; the correct term for abstaining in marriage in continence. All “c” words (which makes for a tidy group):
chastity - for all
celibacy - unmarried
continence - married
 
Woodstock said:
All people are called to chastity, including married people. *Celibacy *is not required when a married woman is on hormone therapy for justifiable medical issues. That is a recurrent topic around here. Here’s one example.%between%
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Thank you for the correction on the use of my terminology. I checked the reference you suggested and was stunned because it is in contradiction to what I understand as Catholic intellectual thought with regards to intent and consequences. As far as what he says about intent, then drunk drivers would have no responsibility for their actions because they did not intend to kill anyone - it is just an unintended consequence. I would argue that the drunk driver is responsible because they are aware that it is a potential consequence. Likewise, in taking the pill for medical reasons and not abstaining from sexual relations, the person knows that an abortion is highly likely even if it is not the primary intent but a potential consequence. I will continue to search this site and others for specific references.
 
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