Birth Control Question

[curiousgirl26]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[WetCatechumen]

Intentional self-sterilization is a sin against your own body, a temple of the most high.

Disorders of the reproductive system can be fixed by use of hormones also used to temporarily sterilize women. Use of what is commonly termed the “birth control pill” is acceptable when its intended use is regulation of a reproductive disorder, and sterilization is merely a side effect.

 

[Convert_in_99]

I can answer part of your question. There is nothing wrong with being married and having infertility. I am married and have infertility. As long as you are not purposely making yourself infertile (contraception, birth control, sterilization) then there is no issue whatsoever.

 

[SMHW]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

The Church forbids artificial birth control. That means she forbids hormones when the intent of taking them is to prevent conception/implantation. The Church does not forbid medication (including hormones) or procedures for the treatment of an illness or medical condition even if sterility is an unintended side effect of the medication or procedure. Infertility (either male or female) is not considered an impediment to Catholic marriage.

We aren’t allowed to give medical advice on this forum but there are treatments which may allow you to avoid or at least limit the use of hormones. Someone here will probably post a link to some of the websites that list doctors who are NFP (natural family planning) friendly.

 

[curiousgirl26]

Okay, that is a good answer. I’ve always wondered about this. No my intent is not to self-sterilize at all. I do want children but as of right now, especially right now, since I am not married and have no intention sex before marriage-I haven’t even dated-(moving on) I am trying to lose weight to see if that is the main cause of my problem. The reality is that I might have polycystic something or other or endometriosis but, again, my doctors aren’t paying attention. Okay, I feel better now. Whew

 

[dashso40]

There is a very similar question on the ask an apologist forum, you can search for the question using the words birth control…I have a similar problem in that I have to be on a form of birth control b/c of a medical condition I have…I have 3 children and I may have more when I can get my medical condition under control…The apologist said that certain medical conditions do warrant hormones…

 

[TraderTif]

Okay, that is a good answer. I’ve always wondered about this. No my intent is not to self-sterilize at all. I do want children but as of right now, especially right now, since I am not married and have no intention sex before marriage-I haven’t even dated-(moving on) I am trying to lose weight to see if that is the main cause of my problem. The reality is that I might have polycystic something or other or endometriosis but, again, my doctors aren’t paying attention. Okay, I feel better now. Whew

I totally understand; I’m in the exact same boat. (And I think the term you were looking for is “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome”.)

But please remember, taking the pill will not help you ovulate; I mean, it’s designed to prevent ovulation. It will give you regular, period-like bleeding, which is a good thing.

But there are other ways to induce the same bleeding. Plus, you might want to look into addressing the underlying causes of these problems. Birth control pills don’t do that.

 

[queen_anne78]

Check out the Creighton Method of NFP…creightonmodel.com/ They have a whole FertilityCare/NaproTechnology thing that will actually treat YOU, YOUR BODY, and YOUR symptoms. IME a lot of drs prescribe the pill as a band aid rather than actually trying to see what’s going on.

Also, try popepaulvi.com/

I hope that wasn’t too medical-advicey.

 

[1ke]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

The Church teaches that a person may receive a medical treatment for a disease or condition even if that treatment causes temporary or permanent sterility as an unintended, secondary effect. So, yes, the “Pill” **could **be used as a medical treatment in some situations.

That said, I think you are confused about how the pill works because the pill does **not **help you ovulate. It doesn’t regulate your menstrual cycle at all. It completely replaces it with an artificial cycle that has nothing to do with your normal reproductive cycle. And, it’s primary function is to supress ovulation, although it can also inhibit sperm transport by altering mucus and inhibit implantation of an embryo through thinning the uterine lining. The bleeding you experience at regular intervals when taking the pill are NOT periods, and they are not the result of ovulation.

You are correct that you need to get to the bottom of what is going on. A reproductive endocrynologist could probably do some tests to understand what is going on hormonally.

You could also consider contacting the Pope Paul VI Institute, Dr. Hilgers and those trained in his methods help many women with reproductive health issues. You should also consider learning a method of natural family planning which can help p(name removed by moderator)oint issues with your cycle.

www.popepaulvi.com

And, yes, a person who is infertile can marry in the Church.

 

[budgie2]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

The contraceptive pill cannot cause you to ovulate. It just simulates menstruation. Yes it makes you bleed but the contraceptive pill itself is designed to stop ovulation aswell as sometimes it can cause a fertilised egg to abort and not implant in the womb. Sometimes doctors erroneously prescribe the contraceptive pill for fertility problems whereas my mum was told that she would be made permanently infertile if she used the contraceptive pill as her periods were irregular and therefore used condoms and vasectomy. I would seek help from a Natural Family Planning practitioner. Sometimes lack of ovulation can be caused by weight loss or excess weight, aswell as thyroid problems.

 

[flyingfish]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

The Church does not allow using the pill to prevent pregnancy, but if you are using the pill to treat an abnormality in your reproductive system then there is nothing wrong with getting married and continuing to use it throughout your marriage.

Bleeding for months at a time is not normal, and the Church would not ask you to refuse treatment.

(But by the way, the pill that lets you bleed once a month is simply a pill with a week’s worth of sugar pills. It does not mean you are ovulating, you aren’t. You can ask for a pill that doesn’t have that, and then you will simply never have your period. Those blank pills are included for it to seem more “natural.”)

 

[budgie2]

The Church does not allow using the pill to prevent pregnancy, but if you are using the pill to treat an abnormality in your reproductive system then there is nothing wrong with getting married and continuing to use it throughout your marriage.

Bleeding for months at a time is not normal, and the Church would not ask you to refuse treatment.

(But by the way, the pill that lets you bleed once a month is simply a pill with a week’s worth of sugar pills. It does not mean you are ovulating, you aren’t. You can ask for a pill that doesn’t have that, and then you will simply never have your period. Those blank pills are included for it to seem more “natural.”)

Yes, I’ve read that some contraceptive pills have a weeks worth of dummy pills to keep a woman in the habit of pill popping. I know they say it’s to help them to count but I think it’s just to keen a person addicted to taking drugs. I would say that the health benefits of the contraceptive pill are dubious and I don’t know any other drug which includes dummy drugs in order to keep you in the habit of taking it.

 

[BiologyBrain]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Firstly, I think you need new doctors! Try the Pope Paul VI Instititute as another poster suggested. You could also look on the One More Soul website for a pro-life ob/gyn that will most likely not put you on the pill to ‘regulate’ your cycles. On the OMS website you can search by state and/or zip code for the closest pro-life physician. Don’t be afraid to go to a general practicioner on the list as your primary b/c most likely they will be able to refer you to a like-minded ob/gyn within a fairly decent distance.

Secondly, if you are not sexually active the Church doesn’t have a problem with birth control pills and the like because they are being used as medication for a disease, not to prevent conception/birth. Medically speaking though, birth control isn’t always what its advertised to be. By that I mean there are sometimes hidden and/or disregarded side-effects and/or consequences to taking the treatment. Also, since birth control doesn’t actually treat the problem, but instead covers it up, when you get married and want to have children you’re back where you started - with an ob/gyn problem and no solution!

Thirdly, I’m sorry to hear you’re having problems. I hope they resolve themselves. It is a tough row to hoe when you’re faced w/ ob/gyn problems prior to marriage/dating. Most doctors (even some pro-life ones) will advocate birth control simply b/c that’s the norm. Its also emotionally difficult to be told repeatedly that there’s nothing wrong with you when you know good & well there is something out of whack. I pray that you get some good answers from someone soon!

 

[Galandriel]

this is something I struggle with personally. Sometimes you can actually get your cycle back to normal by a change of diet and working out.

I choose not to take any birth control because it doesn’t help my body, it’s like a band aid and never fixes the problem. I also don’t want to contribute to the BC industry, nor have to tell my youth group I took BC for ANY reason. Yes, for medical purposes, it is not a sin, however, alternatives should be sought after first. Find a good doctor to help you. Prayers.

Pax.

 

[budgie2]

Firstly, I think you need new doctors! Try the Pope Paul VI Instititute as another poster suggested. You could also look on the One More Soul website for a pro-life ob/gyn that will most likely not put you on the pill to ‘regulate’ your cycles. On the OMS website you can search by state and/or zip code for the closest pro-life physician. Don’t be afraid to go to a general practicioner on the list as your primary b/c most likely they will be able to refer you to a like-minded ob/gyn within a fairly decent distance.

Secondly, if you are not sexually active the Church doesn’t have a problem with birth control pills and the like because they are being used as medication for a disease, not to prevent conception/birth. Medically speaking though, birth control isn’t always what its advertised to be. By that I mean there are sometimes hidden and/or disregarded side-effects and/or consequences to taking the treatment. Also, since birth control doesn’t actually treat the problem, but instead covers it up, when you get married and want to have children you’re back where you started - with an ob/gyn problem and no solution!

Thirdly, I’m sorry to hear you’re having problems. I hope they resolve themselves. It is a tough row to hoe when you’re faced w/ ob/gyn problems prior to marriage/dating. Most doctors (even some pro-life ones) will advocate birth control simply b/c that’s the norm. Its also emotionally difficult to be told repeatedly that there’s nothing wrong with you when you know good & well there is something out of whack. I pray that you get some good answers from someone soon!

I personally disagree after having done research on the contraceptive pill. I do not believe it should be a legal drug or prescribed in any circumstance and is still a sin to take it if not in a sexual relationship. The hormones contained in the contraceptive pill are synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone although according to Wiki the progesterone is closer to testosterone and male sex hormones. These hormones in the body are responsible for meiosis amongst other things such as developing sexual characteristics during puberty. Meiosis is the genetic division of sex cells. These hormones are essential for maintaining genetic quality of egg and sperm. According to some sources the contraceptive pill can increase the risk of Down Syndrome which is caused by an error in meiosis although it could also cause permanent genetic defect in eggs causing infertility. It’s also possible the combined contraceptive pill could cause ovarian cysts and PCOS as ovarian cysts can be caused by excessive estrogen. There’s a syndrome called OHSS which is Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome and cysts are caused by excessive estrogen production. OHSS can be caused by fertility drugs such as Clomiphene/Clomid.

 

[BiologyBrain]

I personally disagree after having done research on the contraceptive pill. I do not believe it should be a legal drug or prescribed in any circumstance and is still a sin to take it if not in a sexual relationship. The hormones contained in the contraceptive pill are synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone although according to Wiki the progesterone is closer to testosterone and male sex hormones. These hormones in the body are responsible for meiosis amongst other things such as developing sexual characteristics during puberty. Meiosis is the genetic division of sex cells. These hormones are essential for maintaining genetic quality of egg and sperm. According to some sources the contraceptive pill can increase the risk of Down Syndrome which is caused by an error in meiosis although it could also cause permanent genetic defect in eggs causing infertility. It’s also possible the combined contraceptive pill could cause ovarian cysts and PCOS as ovarian cysts can be caused by excessive estrogen. There’s a syndrome called OHSS which is Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome and cysts are caused by excessive estrogen production. OHSS can be caused by fertility drugs such as Clomiphene/Clomid.

I don’t disagree w/ you about the birth control pill causing more trouble than it helps. However, as far as I know, the official stance of the Church is that non-sexually active individuals can be on it as a ‘treatment’ for what ails them. I was offered & refused b/c I knew the pitfalls (I’m a science person, so I read the fine-print). However, I had counsel from several trusted/orthodox priests, EWTN, and other Catholic sources that indicate I could have taken birth control. I completely agree that its not the best answer generally b/c it doesn’t actually ‘cure’ anything, nor does it actually ‘treat’ anything. Birth control can cause lots of problems for the woman as well as her future offspring. Not to mention some of the studies that have found that it alters the pheremones given off by the woman &/or received by the woman and leads to chemically incompatible mating (I’ll have to find that article b/c I’m sure someone will ask for it). Sometimes though, for a short-term, birth control can alleviate symptoms until something else can be done. Not what I recommend, but true regardless.

Also, you have to be careful w/ blanket statements. Some of the drugs used for maintaining pregnancy, correcting hormonal imbalances, etc have their origins as birth control products. For instance, in order to maintain a pregnancy I have to have progesterone supplements for the first trimester. There are progestin-only birth control products that have similar concentrations as my supplements. Also, many post-menopausal drugs are actually semi-birth control drugs but since they’re used on an infertile woman, they aren’t termed that. Its hard to make cover-all statements in light of that kind of information.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

I know that the Catholic Church is against birth control by chemical means. What is her stance on using “the pill” to assist with helping someone ovulate? I use the pill because if I don’t then no period. Or if I do have one I will bleed for months at a time. Is there a board or something that answers questions like this? If I choose to convert will I be able to marry if I am, in fact, infertile because of whatever it is that I have? Doctors continually say that there is no problem but I disagree. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hello!

I use the pill for theraputic purposes. When I became Catholic I knew this was a serious matter for discussion. I did some reading and it turns up that in Humane Vitae, Pope John Paul II allows for the use of oral contraceptives if they are for theraputic uses only. It’s a struggle for me because of many harsh judgemental attitudes for the use which I must endure, coupled with the pain that I cannot enjoy the love and joy that comes with NFP. My doctor thinks that after I have my first child I can use NFP, but for now, that’s not an option.

I cannot offer medical advice to your situation, but I can tell you that the pill DOES NOT make you ovulate. It creates a “faux period” by giving your body hormones that simulate a natural cycle, and makes you bleed. You never ovulate on the pill. The pill also has side effects, the most mild of which can be: Nausea, moodiness, drop in libido, and sometimes weight gain. The most severe (high risk for smokers) is blood clots which can result in death. There are some discussions on whether or not the pill can make you sterile, or cause an “abortion”. I went over these very carefully with my doctor before I started treatment (I was not catholic at this time) and he assured me that 99% of the time, if you ovulate, and that egg is fertilised it WILL implant. That accounts for the “failure” rate for ABC, and why you have to take the pill at the same time every day for it to work. I husband test fate sometimes…and chalk that up to our “NFP” and trying to be open for life As to the sterilsation effect, that’s* incredibly *rare, but it can happen.

As for your infetility question, your situation seems similar to mine. I am not infertile, and the issue I have is very common, in fact. Even if it turns out that you are sterile, you can still marry. God can bless you with children even in spite of medical obstacles. Look at Sarah and Abraham.

I won’t lie…it’s very hard to be catholic and on ABC as a medical treatment. But being Catholic is worth all the ridicule and judgement in the world I just think of it as my cross to bear.

 

[curiousgirl26]

I’ve decided to try getting off of the pill and see if that helps. The sides affects that I have are nausea(usually at 3 am), heartburn, weight gain(40lbs), and some rather unpleasant ones besides what I’ve listed. I don’t have insurance and my prescription expires in two months any way so at this point, I guess I’m trusting God. Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut.
K