Guilt & contraception

[underacloud]

My husband & I have been practicing NFP for the last 5 years…our entire marriage! We have a sweet boy named Gavin who is almost 4. I was diagnosed recently with severe endometriosis which causes pain, heavy menstrual cycles, and infertility. I’ve had one surgery already but the endo has gotten much worse. My OBGYN advised us to make the pain go away to get pregnant (pretty difficult to do when endo causes infertility), go on continuous birth control for 3 months & then try & get pregnant, get a shot to put me into a chemical menopause, or a full hysterectomy.

I chose the continuous birth control. I’m 33 and we would like to grow our family God willing. I thought the other alternatives were way to drastic. I’ve never been on birth control before. It is working because my pain is much more manageable. I feel so guilty for taking birth control. I feel like I’m disobeying the Church. I feel so inadequate when going to mass and all my friends with their 4+ kids and I only have 1. I feel like they would shun me if they knew we were no longer practicing NFP and was on birth control. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Rest assured that you are not disobeying the Church. Treating medical conditions is perfectly fine, even if it has an affect on your fertility (as others have addressed, this is allowable under the principle of double effect). This is explicitly covered in Humanae Vitae:

Lawful Therapeutic Means

1. On the other hand, the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever.

Please do not feel inadequate or compare yourself to others. You are doing what is best for your family and trying to work out God’s will for you. My wife has struggled with both endometriosis and PCOS, so I know it can be hard. We are lucky enough to be blessed with four children, but not everyone who has such conditions will be as fertile. I wish you all the best and will remember you in my prayers.