Birthcontrol for health

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imfourkids

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I have a painful disorder called intersistial cystitis or IC. It causes
severe pelvic pain and all kinds of other pain.
It is uncurable, A new treatment has come along,but you cannot
get pregnant at all because it causes birth defects.
My husband and I have 7 kids together and never used birthcontrol
in our 13years together. I cannot just use birthcontrol but im sick of being sick.

please help
what does the church say?
 
imfourkids,

I hear ya…I have to take B/C for abnormal hormone levels. When I don’t take them, I turn all man-ly…not really, but weight gain, facial hair and really, really bad pms.

As far as I know, it is allowed, just as long as your intention isn’t birth control.
 
galaxymall.com/health/fcca/

So many doctors perscrible ‘the pill’ when other things will work too! The link above is a Catholic approved organization for fertitilty and hormonal issues with women (and men).

The founder was on EWTN recently talking about the program.

SV
 
I have heard the claim before that you can have other things besides the pill perscribed in order to treat various female problems like dysmenorhea and endometrios and cysts etc. But no one has ever said what exactly that other medication might be. Is it something besides estrogen and or progesterone?

I went to the site mentioned, but it really focuses only on fertility and a NFP method. They don’t tell you about replacement treatments for diseases and they refer you to a local hospital for info.

Does anyone know exactly what these alternate medications are?
 
I have the same question as Pug.

I am also on B/C-- not for the intention of birth control, but for PMS, irregular cycles, very painful periods and painful/unpredictable ovulation."m sure the latter would serve God well within the binds of marriage, but I am single so it’s really just a health problem with no marriage effects.

I’m considering not renewing my prescription, and I plan to discuss this with my doctor…but I’d like to research the other options prior to seeing her.

( I have to say, though…I"m terrified my skin will go back to the pre-B/C condition with a vengeance! ) :o
 
Is there a primary/secondary effect issue here? If treatment X lowers the chance for pregnancy, even substantially, isn’t that permissible if it is absolutely necessary to fulfill a genuine medical need? Of course, I would certainly say that the treatment with the least chance of preventing pregnancy would be the only acceptable one. Anyone else? Am I way off on this? If someone knows that I’m wrong, I certainly won’t defend this position.
 
Dear imfourkids,

If a fertile, married, woman takes a medication for legitimate reasons and a foreseen but unintended result is birth control, it is acceptable for her to take that medication. (Provided there are no other alternatives which wouldn’t cause sterility.) This is the “principle of double effect” which, i think, you can find discussed in the Catechism.

However, if I understand you correctly, this medication does not have the side effect of birh control but of birth defects. So, are you asking if it is now acceptable for you to take a separate birth control “medication” so that you don’t become pregnant? If so, the answer is “no” since you then would be taking birth control with the sole desire of preventing pregnancy and to do that is never allowed.

If this medication is truly the only solution, it seems that your options are: refuse to use it or use it and practice some kind of NFP.

If anyone thinks I am wrong, feel free to respond.
 
AHHHHHH PLEASE STOP BC!!!

I am not trying to be mean…but think about what you are doing. I understand that you guys are saying “my intent is not to use bc to stop pregnancy” but this arguement doesn’t work. Just think, most forms of bc cause abortions, so does that mean it is ok that you may be killing some of your kids because it is not your intent?

I can understand if you don’t want to have a child because it may have birth defects, but it all depends on what God wants. maybe god wants you to have a kid??? who knows? but that is for your to discern…but anyway…considering NFP is more effective than birth control…I don’t know why you would want to use birth control, especially for the fact of all the bad side effects, some people mentioned them, but they also can cause death to your baby, death to you, depression, infertility, and so many other things, but do your doctors tell you this?? no way because they make to much money off getting you on the pill.

As for the people who use it to regulate your period or other physical reasons…STOP PLEASE…their are sooooo many other alternatives out their, but again, either your doctor is to ignorant, or doesn’t want to tell you. But why would you want to take a pill that could have all these bad side effects to you, kill your baby, trick your body into thinking it is being pregnant (because that is what the pill does). Is it worth it??

Check out the CATHOLIC organization pope paul vi…link below, it shows MANY alternatives
click here
 
Br. Dan:
Dear imfourkids,

If a fertile, married, woman takes a medication for legitimate reasons and a foreseen but unintended result is birth control, it is acceptable for her to take that medication. (Provided there are no other alternatives which wouldn’t cause sterility.) .
Click to expand...
Thanx br. dan, you’re the man. You are correct, but the fact is…their are always other alternatives, so it is kinda just a hypothetical situation. Women really NEVER have to take birth control for medical reasons. It is all just a pharmasutical scam to make money.
 
I’ve researched, I have no other options because other options will effect other medical problems and so on…it’s sad, I know, but b/c makes me able to walk without debilitating cramps…for now, I’m sticking to it. If I happen to become pregnant, much to the dismay of everyone I know, that’s fine, I want a child. It’s just that for now, taking full-time classes and a part time job is a main priority and I can’t do that if I can’t walk or am in too much pain to sit through 3 hour long labs.
 
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imfourkids:
I have a painful disorder called intersistial cystitis or IC. It causes
severe pelvic pain and all kinds of other pain.
It is uncurable, A new treatment has come along,but you cannot
get pregnant at all because it causes birth defects.
My husband and I have 7 kids together and never used birthcontrol
in our 13years together. I cannot just use birthcontrol but im sick of being sick.
ps This is a urinary tract disorder their is no cure.
autoimmune disorder that has only few treatments for.
please help
what does the church say?
Click to expand...
 
I’m not a great surfer, but this is all I could find in the way of alternative treatments (they had NFP fertility stuff) at the links given:
Regimen for menstrual cramps and heavy menstrual bleeding
Click to expand...
Code: 
       The following regimen effectively treats menstrual cramps and bleeding 90% of the time. It also helps with migraine headaches related to the menstrual cycle. There is no need to take oral contraceptives.
Click to expand...
  • Take 800 mg of Magnesium starting 7 days prior to your period and end the last day of your period.
Click to expand...
  • Take 1,000 mg of Calcium starting 7 days prior to your period and end the last day of your period.
Click to expand...
  • Take 3-4 Advil (ibuprofen) with meals starting on the first day of your period. If you are not sexually active, start them 3-4 days prior to your period.
Click to expand...
  • Take Pepcid AC (famotidine) on each day that you take the Advil.
Click to expand...
  • Let your doctor know what you are taking.
Click to expand...
Clearly it is not a replacement for the use of the pill to treat disease, and there are people for whom this regimen will not work (the 10%) and there are people who have acid reflux or ulcers and this regimen would be unadviseable, I presume.

It seems designed to suppress the body having produced a bunch of pain causing prostaglandins (word drawn from memory, may be incorrect). Though I am not sure the effect of having double the RDA of Magnesium, does anyone know?

P.S. If you are a woman reading this, I believe the idea of starting the advil 3 or 4 days ahead could provide more pain control. I am not a doctor, but lots of ladies in my family have these sorts of female issues. The site doesn’t mention it, but that much advil can be unpleasant to tolerate. The pepcid is there to control side effects, I’d guess.

Useless trivia: Vioxx was helpful for this problem (beats Advil cold).
 
So, if a women takes the pill for reasons other than BC, it’s OK? I understand about intention, but what about facts? The pill is abortifacient. It changes the lining of the uterus and makes it hostile to the newly fertilized egg. That’s one of the ways it works. (read the package insert) A woman can conceive, the baby can’t implant, and dies. This can happen repeatedly and the women doesn’t know which month it happens and which month it doesn’t. Are you saying because her intent isn’t for this to happen, she’s not responsible? She knows the pill works this way, but bears no responsibility? —KCT
 
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KCT:
So, if a women takes the pill for reasons other than BC, it’s OK?
Click to expand...
Some women are not sexually active and will stay that way, so with them I see no problem arising from its abortifacient effects. They are not risking those effects. A nun, for example.
Are you saying because her intent isn’t for this to happen, she’s not responsible? She knows the pill works this way, but bears no responsibility?
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No, I don’t think anyone means to say she bears no responsibility. One is responsible to consider the side effects of an action that is otherwise okay to do. It can be unfair to accept a side effect in a particular situation. The woman in question would have to weigh her decision. But someone is not responsible for unwanted side effects in the same way as they are responsible for directly intended things.
 
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imfourkids:
I have a painful disorder called intersistial cystitis or IC. It causes
severe pelvic pain and all kinds of other pain.
It is uncurable, A new treatment has come along,but you cannot
get pregnant at all because it causes birth defects.
My husband and I have 7 kids together and never used birthcontrol
in our 13years together. I cannot just use birthcontrol but im sick of being sick.

please help
what does the church say?
Click to expand...
I would direct you to read Humanae Vitae for starters, which you can get from the EWTN website:

ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/P6HUMANA.HTM

In there it talks about Natural Family Planning which you may know of. I believe that your situation is one that the Church describes as one that entitled to use NFP because of the health risk of yourself and that of any possible child that could come about. I would look into that option firsst and maybe try to find people that it has worked for and see what type of info that you get from them. Also, pray, pray and, pray, that God will provide a solution to this for you.
 
Is this correct?

You have an incurable disease, but there is medication that can alleviate some of the suffering.

However, an unfortunate side effect of the medication is that it almost always causes severe birth defects.

You wish to avoid causing birth defects but also wish to maintain normal marital sexual intimacy.

Therefore, you are asking if in this case you are permitted to use birth control to prevent pregnancy.

If these statements are correct, then your answer is “no” you are not permitted to use birth control pills because your main intent is to avoid pregnancy.

What are you supposed to do?

Option #1: Don’t take the recommended medication that causes birth defects. Find another way to deal with your pain and hope that another drug will come along soon that won’t have the negative effects on future pregnancies.

Option #2: Take the recommended medication and practice strict Natural Family Planning (see www.ccli.org) to avoid pregnancy.

Option #3: Take the recommended medication and practice total abstinence if you feel the risk of birth defects is too great and until another treatment is available or until you reach menopause. If you are married 13 years already, you are at least 30 years old or so and menopause is not more than a decade or so away. While this sounds like forever, it isn’t, and abstaining for the sake of your potential child’s health might be the best thing for your marriage.

I hope I understood your situation correctly. If not, please clarify and I’ll try to help.

LeeAnn
 
I really do agree with most of you but my illness is very painful,it is a urinary tract disorder and the treatments available are pain meds .

This new medicine has improved so many others with IC.
Again my life is boiled down to nothing because i am always in pain.

Not just a little pain, big pain every day evey hour of my life.
I am bed ridden and with 7 kids it has ruiend my life.

This new treatment is the only hope at this time.
Their wont be another one any time soon.

intersistial cystitis is not well known or understood.
I couldnt take care of another baby now .

If i was to participate in the study the doctors are the one who
say you have to be on 2 types of birth control.
NFP is not an option to them.
imfourkids@yahoo.com
 
Actually, I didn’t think of this before, but you do have another option.

You could take the medication and the birth control pills, provided you also abstained totally from sexual intercourse, thus nullifying the contraceptive/abortifacient effect of the pill.

It sounds like this might be your best option. If the medication is necessary and you’re required to take birth control pills to be part of the study, then your only morally licit option is to abstain from intercourse until you are able to discontinue taking the b.c. pills.

Hope this helps! And I hope the medication works out for you.
 
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