Birth Control Questions!

[Ceil-1]

I may have missed it, but what was the reason for the pills?

Docs usually use the pill for a “cure all”, without even trying alternatives. And, are you aware of the risk of thromboembolism, especially with prolonged use of BC pills? I would seek out a Catholic doctor, and find out what your real options are.

 

[choy]

I may have missed it, but what was the reason for the pills?

Docs usually use the pill for a “cure all”, without even trying alternatives. And, are you aware of the risk of thromboembolism, especially with prolonged use of BC pills? I would seek out a Catholic doctor, and find out what your real options are.

usually BC pills are used for two things outside of contraception

1st, acne control. the hormones in the pills help regulate acne

2nd, treatment of cramps brought about by highly irregular menstural cycles and regulating the cycles itself. i mean, it doesn’t cure the cramps but if the cycles become regular, less or no more cramps

usually you get both, because of the imbalance of your hormones because of an irregular cycle, you get tons of acne

 

[Dorothy]

my understanding was, as long as you don’t have sex, then taking BC pills is not an issue

the issue with BC pills is that it prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. but since the egg is fertilized, you’ve already concieved (whereas some others would argue that the point of conception is when the egg attaches to the womb) so this would constitute an abortion

so as long as you don’t have sex, you don’t fertilize the egg, you don’t commit abortion, no sin

To clarify: A fertilized egg is conception. A conception has taken place. Since BC pills can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb in order to grow - it is an abortifacient. That is a reason why married couples who are having relations should not use the pill, even though it is said that it is used for other medical reasons.

 

[choy]

To clarify: A fertilized egg is conception. A conception has taken place. Since BC pills can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb in order to grow - it is an abortifacient. That is a reason why married couples who are having relations should not use the pill, even though it is said that it is used for other medical reasons.

yup, thats what i said
i just stated that some others would have a differing opinion

 

[Rence]

To clarify: A fertilized egg is conception. A conception has taken place. Since BC pills can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb in order to grow - it is an abortifacient. That is a reason why married couples who are having relations should not use the pill, even though it is said that it is used for other medical reasons.

But that is not a Church teaching. This is your opinion (no harm there, I have plenty of my own But I still admit what Church teaching is). The Church allows a married couple to have relations while the woman is on contraceptives to treat a medical condition. I can see and understand why you don’t think she should, but the Church allows it. Here’s an explanation of the Church’s teaching regarding this matter:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=15756

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=18736

 

[Dorothy]

But that is not a Church teaching. This is your opinion (no harm there, I have plenty of my own But I still admit what Church teaching is). The Church allows a married couple to have relations while the woman is on contraceptives to treat a medical condition. I can see and understand why you don’t think she should, but the Church allows it. Here’s an explanation of the Church’s teaching regarding this matter:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=15756

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=18736

Okay, I had never heard that before, thank you.

I did notice that Father Vincent Serpa had a link that may have had something to do with finding another way to treat the condition…if that were possible.

 

[Rence]

Okay, I had never heard that before, thank you.

I did notice that Father Vincent Serpa had a link that may have had something to do with finding another way to treat the condition…if that were possible.

You know what? there may be. It’s difficult to say, and varies from person to person. I think that’s what the problem is. Some people respond to different things.

Take me for example. I have a history of big firbroids that were surgically removed (9cm and 18cm for example) and ovarian cysts that came and went with cycles. I was offered contraceptives to control it because the ovarian cysts got so big, that they were quite painful, and frankly the scared me. But I didn’t want to go on birth control due to the risk of emboli, PE, stroke, etc. So I wait. In two months the ovarian cysts did go away, and they do come back once in a while (I can feel them, and they hurt) but they go away. So I thank God that I don’t need to regulate them with contraceptives. If they got any worse, I would, without hestiation take contraceptives.

But my friend has a history of endometriosis, for which they have tried everything you can think of on your research endeavors. Birth control was the only thing that resolved her problem. She had surgeries, she took hormones to put her into “menopause” to jump start her system, she tried all kinds of things.

It really just depends on the person. Many problems are hormone-driven, and as a result, need hormones to help out. Some people get acne so bad that it leaves pits in their skin and terrible scars. One might argue that vanity has lead them to contraceptives, another might say that their emotional and psychological well-being is important enough too. When you are disgusted to look in the mirror, there’s more going on that just vanity. And while birth control doesn’t “cure” disorders, it treats and regulates them to make life manageable. Another example is the bleeding-so-much-you-need-transfusion periods. Birth control manages the symptoms so that you no longer bleed out and need transfusions. If you can’t get on in life without blood transfusions, you need a bit more than folk remedies, which don’t get me wrong, they work, but you have to look at the whole picture.

I’m lucky enough to not need them right now. But if I did, I wouldn’t be too scrupulous to take them to improve my quality of life and end needless suffering.

 

[Dorothy]

Thank you for the explanation and all that information Rence.

It makes me feel blessed in that I have been able to bear eight children with no problems whatsoever, …and all natural births.

God bless you on your journey!

 

[Rence]

Thank you for the explanation and all that information Rence.

It makes me feel blessed in that I have been able to bear eight children with no problems whatsoever, …and all natural births.

God bless you on your journey!

Wow, 8 natural births! That’s impressive.

 

[cctabb]

What is right and not right? I want to have an amazing marriage filled with love and eventually kids!

If it were me, I’d see about going off the medication.

A person’s body changes with time. What may have been a problem in the teens may not be a problem 10 years down the road. And the same can be said for the 20s, 30s, etc.

I’d rather not take a medication than take one. I’d rather have my body as free of chemicals as I can possibly have it. That, and I don’t trust doctors all that much.

So if you trust your doctor, don’t mind the medication, don’t let the bf’s opinion get to you, then stay on them. If any of those components are bugging you then try life unmediated. You can always go back on if things get truly bad.

 

[Ceil-1]

Sorry, but there’s a big diff b/w fibroid tumors, cysts, endometriosis and acne/cramps.

God knows our heart. He will know if we are “cheating the system”. I would at least research and try alternatives before I would excuse myself on the pretense that I am medically in need of something, especially knowing that most doctors give no thought to the morals, and, in fact, are encouraged to hand those things out like candy.

 

[Rence]

Sorry, but there’s a big diff b/w fibroid tumors, cysts, endometriosis and acne/cramps.

I understand It’s really up to the patient. You as the patient have to determine the course of action to take, with your doctor in counsel. If I had cramps that interfered with my daily functioning, or if I had scar-forming acne, I wouldn’t hesitate to take contraceptives to treat it. Thankfully, it’s allowed.

God knows our heart. He will know if we are “cheating the system”. I would at least research and try alternatives before I would excuse myself on the pretense that I am medically in need of something, especially knowing that most doctors give no thought to the morals, and, in fact, are encouraged to hand those things out like candy.

**That’s the thing: God does know our heart. And one doesn’t need to try and circumvent the system. Let’s face it: contraception is as easy to get your hands on as Skittles. You don’t need a letter from your doctor or priest or mother to get birth control. So I don’t get why someone would get counsel from their priest (or from a Catholic forum) if one is trying to circumvent the system anyway. So until proven otherwise, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s not my job to judge them, but I do have the responsibility to tell them how it is (even if I don’t agree with it). If they are taking contraceptives for “medical reasons” when in fact they’re contracepting, well they have a higher power to answer to, right?

The fact is, contraception is not good for you. True, it does reduce the likely hood of some cancers, but then it increases the likelihood for others. And true, it raises your blood pressure, and can cause clots, which can cause embolism or stroke, so I agree. That’s why I opted to wait and see, instead of take contraception when it was recommended for me. But sometimes we do have to take them. And it’s not right to mislead others or lie about the facts just because it goes against our grain. It’s up the the individual to assess the situation and choose what’s best for them. That’s just the way it is sometimes. No one knows what is really going on besides the patient and the doctor. And I disagree that doctors will push contraceptives. I’ve had many doctors and none of them pushed contraception on me. Only one doctor offered me contraception, and when I was offered contraception, I was also offered the opportunity to wait and see. **

 

[Cadaverini]

Most Catholics are not aware that birth control pills can be abortifacient. A woman can conceive, and due to the result of the birth control pill, the newly conceived will not be able to implant inside the mother, in order to grow, and its life will be aborted.

So, there is always that chance that an abortion at a very early stage can occur, while on the pill.

Many doctors do not discuss this about the pill. Only a Catholic doctor who follows the authentic teachings of the Church can advise rightly with regard to the need of someone taking birth control pills for other medical reasons before marriage…and then being advised to continue to take them after the marriage until the couple is ready to have a child, thus leaving it open that the pill can effect an abortion in a conceived embryo.

That is a Lie, and i should hope you are not trying to relate birth control to abortion.

The pill thickens the mucus around the cervical opening meaning sperm cannot reach the ovum.

Should a baby be concieved, it is HIGHLY important you go off the pill if you wish to keep it but is not an abortion method.

 

[Dorothy]

That is a Lie, and i should hope you are not trying to relate birth control to abortion.

The pill thickens the mucus around the cervical opening meaning sperm cannot reach the ovum.

Should a baby be concieved, it is HIGHLY important you go off the pill if you wish to keep it but is not an abortion method.

I did not say it was USED as an abortifacient, but that is an unhappy side effect mostly unknown to the user. Most people do not know this.

 

[Cadaverini]

I did not say it was USED as an abortifacient, but that is an unhappy side effect mostly unknown to the user. Most people do not know this.

Yea- no, because that would make irregular “periods” that are actually little miscarriages… which you dont get on the pill.

 

[Dorothy]

Yea- no, because that would make irregular “periods” that are actually little miscarriages… which you dont get on the pill.

The fertilized egg (conception) does not attach, therefore it is expelled in a way that is not a “period.”

I was attempting to pass on information that I had not known until I read Dr. Janet Smith’s information.

 

[Dorothy]

For those who have never heard this information, here is a description:

youtube.com/watch?v=jiCU46_lWeE

 

[kage_ar]

That is a Lie, and i should hope you are not trying to relate birth control to abortion.

The pill thickens the mucus around the cervical opening meaning sperm cannot reach the ovum.

Should a baby be concieved, it is HIGHLY important you go off the pill if you wish to keep it but is not an abortion method.

And any package of pills has an insert that tells you the other way these chemical birth control works - to make the womb hostile so a fertilized egg (a new baby) does not implant. Do not take my word for it. Look on the package insert of any kind of chemical birth control (they are all available on line).

 

[ac_claire]

It makes sense if she can get off them. For example (and again, she didn’t say what she was taking the meds for) if she hemorrhages during periods, and contraception is controlling her bleeding, and when she gets off them, she hemorrhages again, it would not be sinful to remain on the contraceptives and plan pregnancies thereby going off them to get pregnant and go back on them afterwards to control bleeding…because in order to stay off the meds, she would need transfusions and such. So, it depends on what they’re treating. But who knows, I have often heard of womanly problems resolving after pregnancy So maybe she won’t need them after the first kid. One can hope, right? I truly hope it’s not something she’ll have to take for years and years.

I think that’s why the Church made that stipulation. If you must be on contraceptives to treat a medical condition, you can do so with a sound good conscience and with consul of your priest and doctor.

Yes definitely…my post was only a FYI post, and only relevant *if * the conditions I mentioned were true. IF the OP and her husband wanted to put off having children apart from any medical/medication issues and IF getting off the pills was, or will in the future, be an option for her. We don’t know if any of these scenarios are even relevant to the OP’s situation.

 

[ContegoFides]

Sue,

Many have advised you seek a Catholic OBGYN, especially the Pope Paul VI institute. That’s good advice. Find and treat the underlying cause of your medical issue. While using ABC for health reasons may be licit, the pill is dangerous to your health - so you want to get off ASAP.

That is a Lie, and i should hope you are not trying to relate birth control to abortion.

Cadaverini, the actual lie is that the pill is NOT abortifacient. This is a matter of verifable scientific fact, not belief. youtube.com/watch?v=jiCU46_lWeE

“From medical textbooks and pharmacy references, to statements from the Pill-manufacturers themselves, this book proves, beyond any doubt, the abortion-causing action of birth control pills. This book should be read by everyone interested in knowing the truth.”

~ Paul L. Hayes, M.D., Board Certified Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists

You need to get your facts straight before you accuse someone of lying.