Contraception for medical problem

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Tiffpark

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Contraception for medical problem
I have a very long personal question.
When in was 23 I stopped menstruating and ovulating altogether. I was not married at the the time and was not taking any contraption, I did not have a period for 3 years. My doctor found a brain tumor that was attached to my pituitary that can not be removed without causing more damage then good. It was causing my hormones to not be working correctly. They put me on some medication to shrink the tumor. I got married when I was 25 and they told me I would have a very hard time getting pregnant but about a year later I did. I had to stop taking my pills to shrink my tumor because it could have cause birth defects and miscarriage, but the bad thing was that certain pregnancy hormones and proaction which makes breast milk is what causes my tumor to grow so it dubbed in size while I was pregnant. I was extremely swollen and could hardly walk because I had extreme fluid retention because of the tumor. I had to have an emergency c section and my son also had a lot of medical problems some of which I believe were caused by some of the other medications I had to take while pregnant to keep my body stable. He has growth hormone problems had a feeding tube and had to have open heart surgery last year because he had 3 heart defects. After I had him I got a major case of postpartum until we got my meds regulated. After all of that my doctor discussed with me that having more children would be dangerous to my health especially until we got the tumor back to the size it was. She did not want me to take birth control because she didn’t want me taking anymore hormones then * I amcurrently taking. Natural family planing is also not an option because my hormones are so messed up, there is no way for me to tell if I am ovulating or not and I only have a period here and there it is no where near predictable. So she suggested a mirana iud because the hormon levels are so low. My son is 5 and my tumor is still not down to the size before pregnancy. I have come to terms that I will only have one child and I am ok with that because I feel like my health and being here for my son and husband is more important.
My question is that I have been hearing a lot about birth control on catholic answers. I know my case is extreme but I just want some clarification for my own peace of mind- I’m I committing a moral sin or is this ok due to my medical condition?
 
My understanding and the one I see most frequently from Catholic apologetics all over is that if you are taking oral contraceptives for any bonafide medical condition and the fact that you will not be able to conceive while you are on them–even if that would mean that you remained on the pill indefinitely and thus probably had only the one child as a result-- there is NO sin and the church allows it. Another words, your primary purpose in taking the pill is to treat your illness–not to prevent pregnancy—even though the prevention of pregnancy is a side effect. It’s not the primary reason you are taking the pill however. It’s a fine line–and in your case I can see how it would be a little confusing to decide what was the primary vs secondary reason for your being on the pill. However, if your doctor tells you that this is the only way to manage your pituitary tumor—then by all means, follow his advice. I am not sure that I completely understood your question however, as I thought you stated that the doctor actually didn’t want you on any more hormones because of the tumor? Did I miss something?🤷
 
Starrsmother said:
My understanding and the one I see most frequently from **Catholic apologetics all over is that if you are taking oral contraceptives for any bonafide medical condition and the fact that you will not be able to conceive while you are on them–even if that would mean that you remained on the pill indefinitely and thus probably had only the one child as a result-- there is NO sin and the church allows it. ** Another words, your primary purpose in taking the pill is to treat your illness–not to prevent pregnancy—even though the prevention of pregnancy is a side effect. It’s not the primary reason you are taking the pill however. It’s a fine line–and in your case I can see how it would be a little confusing to decide what was the primary vs secondary reason for your being on the pill. However, if your doctor tells you that this is the only way to manage your pituitary tumor—then by all means, follow his advice. I am not sure that I completely understood your question however, as I thought you stated that the doctor actually didn’t want you on any more hormones because of the tumor? Did I miss something?🤷
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This is true.

IF the hormones in the medication are treating your condition, then birth control is a side effect.

If you are using birth control, as birth control, for birth control, because of whatever. That is a problem.

So, in my case. I have a medical condition that would be exasperated by pregnancy. Not a brain tumor, but a condition that would put me in bed for most of the pregnancy. I also have a uterine anomaly that makes carrying a pregnancy to term, near impossible. And I am on medication that could cause birth defects, that I would have to stop taking, if I got pregnant. All in all, it would be a really bad idea for me to get pregnant.

I have two options.

Total and complete abstinence. Or periodic abstinence, also known as NFP. Any other means of birth control; condoms, pills, withdrawal, cream or foam is a sin and should be avoided.

Sometimes life isn’t easy. And your cross seems particularly hard. But, based on what you have said here, we share the same two options.
 
I’d contact the Pope Paul VI institute and see if they can get you an alternative treatment that would help you keep that pituitary gland tumor small. If you had to keep taking the BC pill, even for medical reasons, you could develop blood clots or even, depending on how long you took it, breast cancer. There are other side effects as well.

PPVI can also perhaps even help you balance the hormones out so you can get a period regularly again - it might go deeper than the Pituitary gland tumor. They might be able to find a form of NFP that you could use, too. There are many methods to NFP.
 
Tiffpark said:
My question is that I have been hearing a lot about birth control on catholic answers. I know my case is extreme but I just want some clarification for my own peace of mind- I’m I committing a moral sin or is this ok due to my medical condition?
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Contraception is always immoral. Contraception is an action that before, during, or after intercourse seeks directly to prevent pregnancy.

Taking a medication to treat something-- like your tumor-- is not immoral even if it has a *side effect *of sterility.

What your doctor is proposing is contraception-- puting in an IUD to prevent pregnancy. That is always immoral.

Your confusion may have been that on here people talk about taking hormonal pills for medical reasons. I can see how you could be confused by that-- they don’t mean a “medical reason” to not become pregnant, they mean hormones as a treatment of the medical problem. Obviously, an IUD is not a treatment for a pituitary tumor.

Abstinence is the moral course of actions. Either periodically through NFP (including Marquette Model that uses a fertility monitor) or completely until your medical situation is resolved. Complete abstinence is probably the way to go given your serious health condition.

I am very sorry to hear about your tumor. That must be really difficult. So glad you were able to have your son but very sorry that the tumor is not under control yet.
 
Starrsmother said:
I am not sure that I completely understood your question however, as I thought you stated that the doctor actually didn’t want you on any more hormones because of the tumor?
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Correct. The doctor does not want her on any such hormones.
Starrsmother said:
Did I miss something?🤷
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The docctor wants to implant an IUD.

Obviously, an IUD is not a treatment for a brain tumor, it is purely for contraception and thus immoral.
 
While an IUD theoretically works against conception, if that part of it fails, its final action is to render the womb so inhospitable to the baby that miscarriage occurs.

Tiffpark, you are in a difficult situation, and you have my sympathy. There have been so many advances in NFP technology that you *might *benefit from that it would be worth looking into and discussing with your doctor.

However, as the others have said, the IUD’s purpose would not be as medical treatment but as contraception, and so would violate God’s laws.
 
OP, you may want to also investigate natural hormone therapies and see if they help because birth control also runs the risk of birth defects, as well as increasing your risk for certain cancers and in some women, an increased risk of blood clots that could lead to heart attack or stroke.
 
So, I would discuss this with a priest, but on the face of it, it seems that your doctor is recommending the Mirena IUD for the purpose of avoiding pregnancy. I think what is frequently cited that makes hormonal BC OK if used as a treatment for something else is the “doctrine of double effect,” and I can’t personally apply it in this case. The primary intention is to prevent pregnancy, right?

I would recommend talking to your priest, and perhaps contacting the Pope Paul VI Institute as another poster mentioned to see if they have other ideas for controlling the tumor. I think for now that your option, if becoming pregnant is not an option, is abstinence. It’s difficult but it can be done, and perhaps there will be another option for you if you speak with other specialists who can look at it from a Catholic moral perspective vs. “simplest medical treatment.” This is what I am having to do.
 
Yes obviously the iud was not to “cure” my tumor - it won’t 🙂 the iud was suggested by the dr to prevent pregnancy, because getting pregnant again will jeopardize my health- but as I see here the only way to live both healthy and morally is abstinence, which I am fine with but I am not sure how my husband will take that news 🙂
 
Tiffpark said:
Yes obviously the iud was not to “cure” my tumor - it won’t 🙂 the iud was suggested by the dr to prevent pregnancy, because getting pregnant again will jeopardize my health- but as I see here the only way to live both healthy and morally is abstinence, which I am fine with but I am not sure how my husband will take that news 🙂
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You need extra special medical attention and blood tests ( like fsh levels.). If you are not ovulating, you need not abstain. You could get an ovulation monitor. Also your husbands feelings on this DO matter. If he does not consent to total continence or this situation would drive him to sin. . . You would need to talk to a priest.(does your husband want/ talk about getting sterilized to protect your health? ). Not that that’s perfect or church approved of course. . .im just curious.

Also the iud you mentioned was a PROGESTerone containing IUD. Does your Dr think you need the progesterone for some other reason?

I don’t like any IUD personally but the Mirena is FDA approved to treat a few diseases, specifically adenomyosis.
 
Tiffpark said:
Yes obviously the iud was not to “cure” my tumor - it won’t 🙂 the iud was suggested by the dr to prevent pregnancy, because getting pregnant again will jeopardize my health- but as I see here the only way to live both healthy and morally is abstinence, which I am fine with but I am not sure how my husband will take that news 🙂
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Actually, there is no Church teaching that you would have to abstain while using hormone therapy for legitimate medical reasons. Some people argue that since these hormones can cause miscarriages (which they insist on calling abortions) you are morally obliged to abstain. But this line of reasoning does not make sense to me as an increased risk of miscarriage does not, in other situations morally require abstinance. Because of this it seems like it would fall under the principle of double effect, the reduced fertility and the increased risk of miscarriage would both be unwanted side effects of the hormonal medication which you are taking for legitimate medical reasons. I see no reason why you would be required to abstain. 🤷
 
I have heard a lot about doctors prescribing the pill for medical reasons, but I haven’t heard much about doctors prescribing an IUD for a medical reason. I have never heard what the Church thinks about this, but I know there is concern about the possibility of the IUD harming the baby if the person happened to get pregnant anyway.

Since you have a brain tumor, it sounds like this tumor prevents you from triggering normal hormones, such as progesterone. Since the IUD secretes some kind of progesterone-like substance, does the doctor think that this is necessary to balance your hormones?

I think this question is beyond the ability of strangers on the internet, unless a highly skilled medical professional is lurking here.
 
Listener said:
I have heard a lot about doctors prescribing the pill for medical reasons, but I haven’t heard much about doctors prescribing an IUD for a medical reason. I have never heard what the Church thinks about this, but I know there is concern about the possibility of the IUD harming the baby if the person happened to get pregnant anyway.

Since you have a brain tumor, it sounds like this tumor prevents you from triggering normal hormones, such as progesterone. Since the IUD secretes some kind of progesterone-like substance, does the doctor think that this is necessary to balance your hormones?

I think this question is beyond the ability of strangers on the internet, unless a highly skilled medical professional is lurking here.
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“Highly skilled medical professionals” cannot give advice on this forum as it is against the rules. This was pointed out to me once as I’m a women’s health nurse practitioner.😃
 
There are more involved forms of NFP that can be better suited for the more serious needs to avoid pregnancy. I highly recommend contacting the Pope Paul Institute. They will be able to give you much better information than any of us on this forum.
 
Starrsmother said:
“Highly skilled medical professionals” cannot give advice on this forum as it is against the rules. This was pointed out to me once as I’m a women’s health nurse practitioner.😃
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If a medical professional shared his or her knowledge about whether or not IUD’s are ever used for medical reasons other than birth control, how would that be medical advice?
 
I don’t know but it probably would be–so I want to be careful what I say and how I say it. The simple answer is sometimes yes they are used as you say—but I’m not sure this is what I understood that the woman’s physician is primarily interested in. I re-read her statement to be sure I got the drift, and my understanding is that the doc was primarily concerned that she not get pregnant due to the tumor–and IN MY OPINION ONLY— Progestaserts are nearly 100% effective for that purpose–statistically more so than the pill or other forms of artificial contraception–plus no estrogen is involved which MIGHT be what her physician doesn’t want involved, considering her history of pre-eclampsia etc. if you care to check, the literature is available on line–they work in 2-3 ways to prevent pregnancy, so they are considered highly effective. Again, NO advice is offered, BTW. 🤷
 
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