Fertility Test

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Justman

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Greetings

I am new to this forum and have a question and I will like members to help me find an answer. My question is as below

What is the position of the Church on fertility test. Does the Church permit her members to undergo such test as seminal analysis which will result in the destruction of the semen used in such analysis. Is this test required from couples intending to marry in the Catholic Church.
 
Justman said:
Greetings

I am new to this forum and have a question and I will like members to help me find an answer. My question is as below

What is the position of the Church on fertility test. Does the Church permit her members to undergo such test as seminal analysis which will result in the destruction of the semen used in such analysis. Is this test required from couples intending to marry in the Catholic Church.
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Such a test is not required to be able to marry in the Church because infertility is not a bar to marriage. Impotence is a bar but not infertility.

Once married if there is trouble conceiving, a man may use a perforated condom for a one-time only test because this a) leaves the couple open to life while b) allows semen collected in the condom to be used for testing.

Semen being destroyed is not an issue because there is no life. Life begins at conception.
 
I’ve searched a number of Catholic sexual morality sites and found no mention of this matter. Fertility tests are not requisite for marriage of Catholic couples Catholic couples are required to be open to conception, but to be certain of conception isn’t a requirement.
 
thistle said:
Such a test is not required to be able to marry in the Church because infertility is not a bar to marriage. Impotence is a bar but not infertility.

Once married if there is trouble conceiving, a man may use a perforated condom for*** a one-time only test*** because this a) leaves the couple open to life while b) allows semen collected in the condom to be used for testing.

Semen being destroyed is not an issue because there is no life. Life begins at conception.
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Do you have any support for the portion I highlighted? I have never heard that stipulation before.
 
Justman said:
Greetings

I am new to this forum and have a question and I will like members to help me find an answer. My question is as below

What is the position of the Church on fertility test. Does the Church permit her members to undergo such test as seminal analysis which will result in the destruction of the semen used in such analysis. Is this test required from couples intending to marry in the Catholic Church.
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As you have been told testing is not required before marriage because infertility is not an impediment to a valid marriage. If a couple experiences infertility within their marriage then there are several tests and medical procedures they may avail themselves of. See the list below.

usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/treatment.htm
 
CuriousInIL said:
Do you have any support for the portion I highlighted? I have never heard that stipulation before.
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There is no such guideline or rule limiting the couple to one single test. Why on earth would there be a theological reason to restrict a test which may have to be repeated?

Man is suspected to be infertile, obtains a sample in the approved manner, and is borderline. Doctor prescribes therepy of whatever nature, man tries it, still no babies. He can not ever have a second collection and test to see if an alternate therapy may be more successful? Rubbish. Show me a valid reference and I will stand corrected.
 
Newbie2 said:
There is no such guideline or rule limiting the couple to one single test. Why on earth would there be a theological reason to restrict a test which may have to be repeated?

Man is suspected to be infertile, obtains a sample in the approved manner, and is borderline. Doctor prescribes therepy of whatever nature, man tries it, still no babies. He can not ever have a second collection and test to see if an alternate therapy may be more successful? Rubbish. Show me a valid reference and I will stand corrected.
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Calm yourself. I have already asked the poster for a reference.🙂
 
Newbie2 said:
There is no such guideline or rule limiting the couple to one single test. Why on earth would there be a theological reason to restrict a test which may have to be repeated?

Man is suspected to be infertile, obtains a sample in the approved manner, and is borderline. Doctor prescribes therepy of whatever nature, man tries it, still no babies. He can not ever have a second collection and test to see if an alternate therapy may be more successful? Rubbish. Show me a valid reference and I will stand corrected.
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You are right it is not a teaching for a one-time only test. However there is no need for a second. A fertility test for a man determines his sperm count. That’s all. There is essentially nothing that can be done to change his sperm count. All that’s recommended is a change in diet and supplements but its really pie in the sky.
 
thistle said:
You are right it is not a teaching for a one-time only test. However there is no need for a second. A fertility test for a man determines his sperm count. That’s all. There is essentially nothing that can be done to change his sperm count. All that’s recommended is a change in diet and supplements but its really pie in the sky.
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If you’re suggesting that nothing can be done in many cases, perhaps, but if you’re suggesting that there is nothing that can ever be done or that there is no medical justification for testing more than once, T, I’d suggest that you don’t know a great deal about reproductive medicine.

Diet, exercise, hormone supplimentation…and there are other treatments that may be available on a case by case basis. There are other diseases or conditions that may also affect semen production. Please don’t try to convince people of things where you seem to lack knowledge. “Pie in the sky”? I’m guessing you’re a glass-half-full kinda guy. 😉
 
thistle said:
You are right it is not a teaching for a one-time only test. However there is no need for a second. A fertility test for a man determines his sperm count. That’s all. There is essentially nothing that can be done to change his sperm count. All that’s recommended is a change in diet and supplements but its really pie in the sky.
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Actually, there are several types of sperm and several types of tests for the sperm. Most doctors only test the overall sperm count and that information isn’t very helpful. A specialist does a count on each different type of sperm…they test sperm “quality” if you will.

But people don’t usually start with a specialist when they are having trouble concieving. They start with her GYN and one of the first things the doc will do is order a sperm count for the husband…it’s after a year or two of poking and prodding and medicating and still no baby that the couple goes to a specialist for …yay…more tests!:eek:
 
Newbie2 said:
If you’re suggesting that nothing can be done in many cases, perhaps, but if you’re suggesting that there is nothing that can ever be done or that there is no medical justification for testing more than once, T, I’d suggest that you don’t know a great deal about reproductive medicine.

Diet, exercise, hormone supplimentation…and there are other treatments that may be available on a case by case basis. There are other diseases or conditions that may also affect semen production. **Please don’t try to convince people of things where you seem to lack knowledge. **“Pie in the sky”? I’m guessing you’re a glass-half-full kinda guy. 😉
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I have 5 friends who were tested and a low sperm count was found. All of the things you have suggested were tried for years and nothing worked so yes I believe that essentially nothing can be done for a man with a low sperm count.

However this is off topic and we might get the thread closed.

The OP’s questions have been answered, though, in that the Church does not require a test because infertility is not a bar to marriage, and yes the Church allows as semen test as mentioned already and no it makes no difference that those sperm are destroyed because the sperm are not life on their own.
 
Agreed as to the OP’s query, and I would have agreed had you written “In my experience…” or “I believe that nothing can be done”, rather than make a blanket statement about a medical condition, which I will amend and say, that you have limited experience rather than none. 🙂

The facts remain, though, that there are doctors who will ask for multiple test samples, and that condom use for this purpose is not limited to one time use only. I want to make this clear, because you’ve posted on more than one occasion that it’s only permitted once, before amending that claim in this thread.

Good point on the “death of the sperm”:eek: as not being independant life on their own, as some may confuse this with early embryonic death as with some birth control pills.
 
Newbie2 said:
Agreed as to the OP’s query, and I would have agreed had you written “In my experience…” or “I believe that nothing can be done”, rather than make a blanket statement about a medical condition, which I will amend and say, that you have limited experience rather than none. 🙂

The facts remain, though, that there are doctors who will ask for multiple test samples, and that condom use for this purpose is not limited to one time use only. I want to make this clear, because you’ve posted on more than one occasion that it’s only permitted once, before amending that claim in this thread.

Good point on the “death of the sperm”:eek: as not being independant life on their own, as some may confuse this with early embryonic death as with some birth control pills.
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You are right. What I should have said is that a perforated condom is allowed for only one function (that being to collect semen for testing) instead of for one-time testing. I’ll remember that next time this issue comes up.
 
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