Birth control for medication? Sin?

[MishellaLee]

So, guess… what? Yeah I’m a girl…so if theres men who don’t like the “Girl” talk… I’m just warning you…lol just hit the back button…

okay so when its my time of the month… I get the WORST…cramps ever… like waking up in the middle of the night crying, drenched in sweat because it hurts that bad… if I could rate my cramps out of 10 it would be a 15/10 …It makes me regret I’m a girl…Sometimes I can’t even go to school because it hurts…But I take Midol but it doesn’t work well, and I talked to a friend who had the same problem and she said she takes Birth Control to regulate her periods and stop the period cramps but the thing is…I havn’t talked to a doctor yet…but only because catholic faith is very against birth control…I wouldn’t be taking the birth control so I can sleep around and not have babies. I want to take it because I can’t handle getting really bad periods, making people angry because when i pms I get all emotional on everyone…and stop doing the things I want because of this awsome gift God gave women. So I don’t know… should I just suck it up because its a sin to take Birth Control…or yea…My intentions are good…I don’t sleep with people please help!

 

[samiam1611]

So, guess… what? Yeah I’m a girl…so if theres men who don’t like the “Girl” talk… I’m just warning you…lol just hit the back button…

okay so when its my time of the month… I get the WORST…cramps ever… like waking up in the middle of the night crying, drenched in sweat because it hurts that bad… if I could rate my cramps out of 10 it would be a 15/10 …It makes me regret I’m a girl…Sometimes I can’t even go to school because it hurts…But I take Midol but it doesn’t work well, and I talked to a friend who had the same problem and she said she takes Birth Control to regulate her periods and stop the period cramps but the thing is…I havn’t talked to a doctor yet…but only because catholic faith is very against birth control…I wouldn’t be taking the birth control so I can sleep around and not have babies. I want to take it because I can’t handle getting really bad periods, making people angry because when i pms I get all emotional on everyone…and stop doing the things I want because of this awsome gift God gave women. So I don’t know… should I just suck it up because its a sin to take Birth Control…or yea…My intentions are good…I don’t sleep with people please help!

You are in luck, Mishella. See #15 of Humanae Vitae:
Lawful Therapeutic Means

1. On the other hand, the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever.

Clearly your motive is not to contracept so it is not a sin to use birth control like the Pill or Mirena to help with your period troubles. I believe this issue has been addressed by an apologist if you use the search function.

 

[MishellaLee]

ahhh thankyouuu!

 

[KReneeC]

Thank you for posting this! I have something very similar, except that sometimes I go months without having a period. Sometimes as many as 8 months and I haven’t gotten on the pill because I’ve been afraid it was a sin. Although I’m not sure I would get on it anyway because I know that my fertility is already very low.

 

[white_sheep]

When you get married you should stop taking it. Then once you get pregnant it will no longer be a problem, even after childbirth.

 

[06convert]

You should see a pro-life doctor about your issues. There may be an underlying cause for your extreme discomfort that could be corrected without having to take the pill. There may even be something that is more serious going on that the pill will simply cover up. Either case the pill is just treatment, it’s not a fix. If something isn’t right it’s better to fix it. So many doctors are quick to just hand out the pill to reduce symptoms, but don’t care about the fixing the issue. Many of them are simply folding over to pressure by insurance companies that take the position of the pill being cheaper. Although this might be true short term, it may be more costly later on to ignore your symptoms.

Pope Paul VI institute is a good place, but if you aren’t in Nebraksa it’s not very easy to get to. However if you call them, they might be able to recommend a doctor that is closer?

popepaulvi.com/

 

[Rence]

When you get married you should stop taking it. Then once you get pregnant it will no longer be a problem, even after childbirth.

The Church doesn’t require one stop taking it when they get married, as long as they are on it for medical reasons. However, you may be right about the problem going away after pregancy It’s not always the case, but it may happen

 

[white_sheep]

The Church doesn’t require one stop taking it when they get married, as long as they are on it for medical reasons. However, you may be right about the problem going away after pregancy It’s not always the case, but it may happen

I’m pretty sure that severe cramps are almost always lessened after childbirth, considerably. During pregnancy the nerves in the uterus are turned off, and they don’t come back on, so the pain never returns to the way it was before.

Sure the Church doesn’t “require” one to stop taking it when they get married if they are taking it due to medical reasons. I don’t think that such a medical reason as mentioned here would actually qualify for that loophole. You are taking a contraceptive to solve a medical issue that would go away if you stopped taking the contraceptive. That’s VERY circular logic. The cure for the condition is to stop taking contraceptives. When you get married you make a promise to lovingly accept children from God and when you get married you should be open to children, therefore you should not be taking contraceptives.

 

[maryjk]

I’m pretty sure that severe cramps are almost always lessened after childbirth, considerably. During pregnancy the nerves in the uterus are turned off, and they don’t come back on, so the pain never returns to the way it was before.

Sorry this doesn’t always happen. Cramps knocked me off of my feet when I was a teen. They still knock me off of my feet. In addition, now my period is now extremely heavy.

Sure the Church doesn’t “require” one to stop taking it when they get married if they are taking it due to medical reasons. I don’t think that such a medical reason as mentioned here would actually qualify for that loophole. You are taking a contraceptive to solve a medical issue that would go away if you stopped taking the contraceptive. That’s VERY circular logic. The cure for the condition is to stop taking contraceptives. When you get married you make a promise to lovingly accept children from God and when you get married you should be open to children, therefore you should not be taking contraceptives.

As I said above, having children doesn’t always lessen cramps.

 

[white_sheep]

Sorry this doesn’t always happen. Cramps knocked me off of my feet when I was a teen. They still knock me off of my feet. In addition, now my period is now extremely heavy.
As I said above, having children doesn’t always lessen cramps.

Not always, just almost always. Taking birth control doesn’t always help with cramps either yet no one feels compelled to point that out.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

Not always, just almost always. Taking birth control doesn’t always help with cramps either yet no one feels compelled to point that out.

Not in all cases, but in many cases it does. This is why I think the church was wise (as is always the case) to know that this is an issue best left to the woman and her doctor to find what works so she can lead a normal and productive life.

OP: Previous posters are right: Humanae Vitae makes it perfectly clear that you can use ABC for medicinal reasons only. In such cases, using the pill or other treatments is not at all wrong because you are seeking medical treatment, not contraception. This is why taking cancer treatments that cause the death of an unborn child as an unintended side effect is not wrong, nor is removing “diseased tissue” that is a tube carrying an ectopic pregnancy. The death of any child is not the goal, but a very unfortunate side effect. This is also the case with the pill.

Though “causing the death of a child” is extremely rare if you take the pill as directed However, this is a huge cross to bear. Every woman in such a situation (ectopic pregnancy, cancer, endometriosis, PCOS and other ailments) have to serious weigh their treatment options with their own conscience, prayerfully consider their options and seek God’s will, as well as talk to their spouse about it. The church leaves this whole area open with the statement in Humanae Vitae (IMHO) because no one can make that decision for you. It’s hard and it stinks for any woman in that situation. Just know that you are not sinning by accepting treatment, but you need to make that choice with God as your director. And finally, know that the church gave you the option to choose and makes it clear that it’s your choice to find a treatment that works for you. Don’t let other people talk you down, insult you, or tell you lies about your soul that only you and God can know. It’s a hard road to walk both emotionally and socially since many “holier-than-thou” people will assume horrible things about you, or even get in your face about it. Just know that the church has made it clear that you are not doing anything wrong, and that because you chose this with God, he has your back too.

Just know that the only one who can truly give you medical advice on this issue is your doctor - not people on a forum or anyone else. The morality is up to the church (and they have indeed spoken on this matter), your priest, and God.

 

[Rence]

I’m pretty sure that severe cramps are almost always lessened after childbirth, considerably. During pregnancy the nerves in the uterus are turned off, and they don’t come back on, so the pain never returns to the way it was before.

It doesn’t always work that after pregnancy these cramps stop, otherwise, no one would have cramps after a pregnancy, let alone debilitating cramps.

Sure the Church doesn’t “require” one to stop taking it when they get married if they are taking it due to medical reasons. I don’t think that such a medical reason as mentioned here would actually qualify for that loophole.

Debilitating pain does qualify for the double effect of taking birth control pills to treat a medical condition.

You are taking a contraceptive to solve a medical issue that would go away if you stopped taking the contraceptive. That’s VERY circular logic. The cure for the condition is to stop taking contraceptives. When you get married you make a promise to lovingly accept children from God and when you get married you should be open to children, therefore you should not be taking contraceptives.

I don’t know where you got that information but that’s simply not true.

 

[Rence]

Not always, just almost always. Taking birth control doesn’t always help with cramps either yet no one feels compelled to point that out.

Here, I will Prescribing birth control for debilitating cramps and/or bleeding is what most doctors do, especially when other things haven’t worked. If taking birth control pills to control the pain and/or bleeding, then the patient has found a successful treatment. In the small chance the cramps and/or bleeding persist even after birth control pills, the doctor can continue working with the patient to find other alternatives and treatments. That’s not likely going to happen if the birth control pills actually work and relieve the pain and/or bleeding that have been debilitating in a patient.

Sometimes (not always, not most of the time), after pregnancy the debilitating cramps and/or bleeding may subside. If it does, the patient is relieved of the debilitating symptoms. If not, the patient goes back to doing what works, even if it was taking artificial birth control pills. If the birth control pills don’t work, then the doctor can work on finding something that does work. If the birth control pills work, there is no reason for anyone to search further. Pain is subjective. It’s what the patient says it is. There is no way for an outside party to guage another person’s pain and suffering.

 

[white_sheep]

Since NORMALLY the problem is solved by pregnancy, there is no reason to continue birth control once married, unless the problem happens to persist after pregnancy, which is unusual.

 

[Rence]

Since NORMALLY the problem is solved by pregnancy, there is no reason to continue birth control once married, unless the problem happens to persist after pregnancy, which is unusual.

If the problem is solved by pregnancy, then there is no reason to continue taking it. If the problem is not solved by pregnancy, the patient can go back to taking birth control pills to solve the problem. If the problem is once again solved by taking the pill, they can continue to do so. Again, pain is subjective. No one is more qualified to determine what works than the patient.

 

[maryjk]

Not always, just almost always. Taking birth control doesn’t always help with cramps either yet no one feels compelled to point that out.

As the many posts after mine show, it doesn’t even seem to be almost always.

I don’t take birth control pills, so I would have no idea whether they worked or not. I take another, very effective prescription drug for heavy bleeding/cramps.

 

[minkymurph]

So, guess… what? Yeah I’m a girl…so if theres men who don’t like the “Girl” talk… I’m just warning you…lol just hit the back button…

okay so when its my time of the month… I get the WORST…cramps ever… like waking up in the middle of the night crying, drenched in sweat because it hurts that bad… if I could rate my cramps out of 10 it would be a 15/10 …It makes me regret I’m a girl…Sometimes I can’t even go to school because it hurts…But I take Midol but it doesn’t work well, and I talked to a friend who had the same problem and she said she takes Birth Control to regulate her periods and stop the period cramps but the thing is…I havn’t talked to a doctor yet…but only because catholic faith is very against birth control…I wouldn’t be taking the birth control so I can sleep around and not have babies. I want to take it because I can’t handle getting really bad periods, making people angry because when i pms I get all emotional on everyone…and stop doing the things I want because of this awsome gift God gave women. So I don’t know… should I just suck it up because its a sin to take Birth Control…or yea…My intentions are good…I don’t sleep with people please help!

I don’t see a problem with taking birth control pills for medical reasons if you are not having intercourse. Advances in medicine means we no longer have to suffer as women in the past did just because we women have a certain biological design. Sorry guys! I know it can apply to you to. When I was having my first baby my consultant asked me if I wanted an epidural. I said I didn’t because women had been having babies for years without pain relief and I should be able to do it. He said, ‘why suffer if you don’t have to?’ I was so impressed a MAN said that. However, I didn’t have an epidural and when I had my second child, I had no pain relief. Not by choice, it just happened that way and my second child was 9lbs 7oz. NOT RECOMMENDED - DON’T DO IT - IF YOU WANT AN EPIDURAL HAVE IT NO MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY!

Phew! Glad I got that off my chest. :coolinoff:

And no, the cramps and bleeding didn’t improve after the happy event - it was worse! For those for whom things did improve, which sometimes happens, I’m happy for you.

The problem the Catholic Church has with birth control pills is the are abortifacient. Meaning, one of the biological effects of the contraceptive pill is that a fertilized ovum cannot implant itself in the uterine wall. Consequently, the fertilized ovum will be dispelled from the uterus. If you are not having sexual intercourse, no sperm is present to fertilize the ovum, and the only ovum to be dispelled from the uterus is an unfertilized one, which is the same as a normal period. Women produce lots of ovum’s that are dispelled from the uterus through the normal, biological process of menstruation. Therefore, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church the only problem is using birth control to ensure a fertilized ovum does not implant in the uterus, and not using it for medical reasons.

The contraceptive pill and the IUD are frequently used for medical reasons. If you have sexual intercourse while using the contraceptive pill or an IUD to ensure you do not become pregnant is what the Church is against because they have an abortifacient effect. Lot’s of women athlete’s use the contraceptive pill because if you are training for, to use an extreme example running the marathon in the olympics, do you really want your period and have cramps on the day? Amateur female athletes also use it because they spend months training and want to be able to perform to the best of their ability on the day.

 

[loves_the_Truth]

The Catholic Church has a problem with birth control pills is that they are contraceptives and (sometimes) abortifacients. Both aspects are wrong. I agree that if a woman is not married, then birth control pills are not sinful (because the pills are not acting as contraceptives of abortifacients). However, when a woman gets married, she and her husband must consider the effects of the birth control pill on their marital relations. Remember, sexual intercourse has both procreative and unitive purposes. Without either of those, it is not fulfilling the marriage covenant. Even if the married woman was taking birth control pills to regulate periods or another legitimate medical reason, it would still be functioning as a contraceptive if she had sexual intercourse while on the birth control pill. Therefore, unless she and her husband abstained while she was on the pill, (I believe) it would be sinful. Even worse, if she was on a pill that was an abortifacient, she and her husband could end up being guilty of the death of a human being. (Please, if I’m mistaken, correct me!)

 

[Rence]

The Catholic Church has a problem with birth control pills is that they are contraceptives and (sometimes) abortifacients. Both aspects are wrong. I agree that if a woman is not married, then birth control pills are not sinful (because the pills are not acting as contraceptives of abortifacients). However, when a woman gets married, she and her husband must consider the effects of the birth control pill on their marital relations. Remember, sexual intercourse has both procreative and unitive purposes. Without either of those, it is not fulfilling the marriage covenant. Even if the married woman was taking birth control pills to regulate periods or another legitimate medical reason, it would still be functioning as a contraceptive if she had sexual intercourse while on the birth control pill. Therefore, unless she and her husband abstained while she was on the pill, (I believe) it would be sinful. Even worse, if she was on a pill that was an abortifacient, she and her husband could end up being guilty of the death of a human being. (Please, if I’m mistaken, correct me!)

Yeah, you’re asking for more than the Church itself requires. As was stated earlier in the thread, according to Humane Vitae, hormone therapy is allowed for medical reasons, and the Church does not require one to be married, or single, and doesn’t require that married couples be celibate or go off the treatment. Bottom line is: if the contraceptive is used for a medical reason, then the Church allows it. Period. If the contraceptive is not used for a medical reason, and is only used to control birth, then the Church forbids it.

Here is what Humane Vitae states:

Lawful Therapeutic Means

1. On the other hand, the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

Yeah, you’re asking for more than the Church itself requires. As was stated earlier in the thread, according to Humane Vitae, hormone therapy is allowed for medical reasons, and the Church does not require one to be married, or single, and doesn’t require that married couples be celibate or go off the treatment. Bottom line is: if the contraceptive is used for a medical reason, then the Church allows it. Period. If the contraceptive is not used for a medical reason, and is only used to control birth, then the Church forbids it.

Here is what Humane Vitae states:

You are exactly right.