I know its against church law to use Birth Control but

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MrsATurner

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What about for medical reasons? I have Poly Cystic Ovrian Syndrome and my doctor put me on BC because it helps balance out my hormones. Without BC I don’t ovulate anyway so theres no way I can get pregnant. I didn’t have a period for 9 months and gained 150 lbs because my hormones where unbalanced.

Also not taking BC could cause cysts to get out of hand and cause permanent damage and infertility.

The doctor did say if I am able to loose the 150lbs (already lost 50 of it) My periods may return to normal but theres no guarantee.

The other option is to take hormones which double as fertility treatments but I have been told that Fertility treatments are against church canon as well.

What am I supposed to do? I just came back to the church and I don’t know what to do about my BC. Should I stop but be put at risk of causing serious medical issues? Or should I continue to take the BC?
 
This is something you need to discuss with someone much more knowledgeable than whom you find on a message board. Try contacting the Paul VI Institute–they specialize in these issues and may be able to clarify your situation.
 
From what I understand, it is not against Church law to take birth control if it is used to treat a medical condition. This might fall into the principle of double effect where there is a legit act (treating a medical condition) that can cause an effect that you must otherwise avoid (birth control). But you would need to talk to some much more knowledgable in cannon law for a better answer.

Also, have you spoken to other doctors particularly one who understands the moral delima of artificial birth control? There might be other treatments for your condition that your particular doctor does not know about. Nothing wrong with a second opinion.
 
As said, its not against Church teaching if you are taking said drugs for viable health reasons.

As that stands, there are other non-BC medications that you can take that do the same job and without the horrible side effects. I took one that is actually not intended for hormonal regulation, but its a side effect of it.

Do your research, talk to your doctors with yoru concerns, and talk with a priest.
 
I have PCOS too, and there are definitely non-birth-control methods of dealing with it. (I mean, remember, birth control pills do regulate hormones, but only by throwing them into an unnatural, infertile state. They don’t actually treat the PCOS - they simply mask the symptoms.)

Seriously, the Pope Paul VI Institute, as mentioned above, can actually treat this problem. (I didn’t cycle for 15 years…but, after treatment, I’m cycling now!) 😃
 
Something else to consider…

If a couple must use birth control for a legitimate reason then there is the option to practice NFP along with this to “be in order” with Church teaching, so to speak. I’ll explain a bit to help what I mean.

My wife and I decided 17 years ago, when our last child was born, to permanently solve the kid problem; we had her tubes tied after our son’s birth. At the time we had no reason to believe that what the Church taught about this was authoritative or worth any of our energy to worry about, we were the cafeteria style Catholic. We have come to realize now we were ready to give God everything, except what we were not ready to give Him, control of our family; I’m sure we are not alone here.

Well, long story short, we have come to understand the truth and have been through reconciliation, we have come to forgive ourselves and those who helped us decide to do this and now we live our married life with this fact that we chose to totally control what God asked us to allow Him to control; so we now follow NFP type of regiment which in part simply means abstaining most of each month. Our sex life is more meaningful and beautiful now than it has ever been and our marriage is stronger than ever.

We have three beautiful children, two biological and one adopted; I can only imagine what our family would be if we had not taken control and left God in charge. What is the meaning of the vow we take at the wedding ceremony, “will you be open to children?”

Birth control is a GIANT issue; many believe the whole culture of death has flowed in part from this one issue.
 
MrsATurner said:
What about for medical reasons?
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Treating a disease is not prohibited even when the secondary side effects are temporary or permanent sterility.
MrsATurner said:
The other option is to take hormones which double as fertility treatments but I have been told that Fertility treatments are against church canon as well.
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I don’t know who told you that, but they are wrong.

Perhaps they are thinking of procedure such as in vitro fertilization, which is immoral. Taking drugs to assist in your fertility is not immoral.
MrsATurner said:
What am I supposed to do? I just came back to the church and I don’t know what to do about my BC. Should I stop but be put at risk of causing serious medical issues? Or should I continue to take the BC?
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I suggest you look at the doctors at Pope Paul VI Institute, who may be able to help you with your fertility issues without hormonal drugs that have serious side effects.

But, ultimately this is up to you under consultation of your doctor.
 
Lapey said:
If a couple must use birth control for a legitimate reason then there is the option to practice NFP along with this to “be in order” with Church teaching, so to speak.
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This is not accurate.

A person using hormones to treat a disease are not “using birth control for a legitimate reason”. They are not contracepting.

One **cannot **“practice NFP” while taking hormonal medications such as off label uses of the Pill due to the effects of the pill on the reproductive system. There are no fertility signs to observe.

Nor is it necessary to do so to “be in order” with Church teaching. This implies the person is somehow “out” of order and they are not.
 
MrsATurner said:
What about for medical reasons? I have Poly Cystic Ovrian Syndrome and my doctor put me on BC because it helps balance out my hormones. Without BC I don’t ovulate anyway so theres no way I can get pregnant. I didn’t have a period for 9 months and gained 150 lbs because my hormones where unbalanced.

Also not taking BC could cause cysts to get out of hand and cause permanent damage and infertility.

The doctor did say if I am able to loose the 150lbs (already lost 50 of it) My periods may return to normal but theres no guarantee.

The other option is to take hormones which double as fertility treatments but I have been told that Fertility treatments are against church canon as well.

What am I supposed to do? I just came back to the church and I don’t know what to do about my BC. Should I stop but be put at risk of causing serious medical issues? Or should I continue to take the BC?
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First I ought to note that it would be better to say that contraception is contrary to God’s Law…for sometimes people think it is something that is a Church discipline (which too is of course important!) or something…

As for your question: I agree with this:
St_Francis said:
This is something you need to discuss with someone much more knowledgeable than whom you find on a message board. Try contacting the Paul VI Institute–they specialize in these issues and may be able to clarify your situation.
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👍👍👍

And note that they have trained doctors all over the place (not only in the USA)…who can help you while avoiding even any “medical use” of the hormone containing pills …which can have very bad possible side effects …(check on such with a pro-life source).

Now if you are married and thus sexually active…there is also the question of the potential un-intended abortive effects as well (which as I recall were not so much known when Humanae Vitae came out). I know I have seen various opinions in good Catholic circles as to if such would require total abstinence etc during its use…one could contact the “National Catholic Bioethics Center” ncbcenter.org/ (call to speak with Fr. Tad etc) and discuss the morality more in depth with them. I myself would tend at this time towards the safer course here.

ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=493570&Forums=0&Experts=8&Days=2010&Author=&Keyword=the+pill&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

From EWTN responder and a Doctor ( I know we are not to give medical advice…but this is referring to an off site doctor -source…one would of course need to see if what he says is about your situation…in ANY case…please contact the Paul VI institute):

ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=594562&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2010&Author=&Keyword=the+pill&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=39&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ID+DESC&start_at=
 
Lapey said:
…second thought…no comment.
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I should have included this in my prior post:

I totally get why you are doing what you are doing, and that you are voluntarily offering this up in reparation for the tubal AND as a way to foster intimacy in your marriage. And, that is a wonderful thing that you have chosen to do. You and your spouse clearly find spiritual benefits in this chosen course of action. It is, of course, completely voluntary and not required by the Church. You are 100% forgiven by virtue of confession.

However, it is not applicable in the OP’s situation because unlike a tubal, hormonal contraceptives obscure fertility signs and they cannot be tracked. Also, your suggestion does imply that the OP is doing something wrong or something that needs to be “made up for”, but she is not doing anything wrong.
 
1ke said:
I should have included this in my prior post:

I totally get why you are doing what you are doing, and that you are voluntarily offering this up in reparation for the tubal AND as a way to foster intimacy in your marriage. And, that is a wonderful thing that you have chosen to do. You and your spouse clearly find spiritual benefits in this chosen course of action. It is, of course, completely voluntary and not required by the Church. You are 100% forgiven by virtue of confession.

However, it is not applicable in the OP’s situation because unlike a tubal, hormonal contraceptives obscure fertility signs and they cannot be tracked. Also, your suggestion does imply that the OP is doing something wrong or something that needs to be “made up for”, but she is not doing anything wrong.
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Well, my post may not exactly deal with the OP’s situation; it was simply an option to help. I don’t think my post implied that anyone by doctor’s orders and pastor’s direction is doing anything wrong. My quoted comments were simply about the feeling of doing wrong. The fact that our conscience works on us is a good thing, a properly formed conscience should cause us to take action when ever that feeling is present; whether warranted or not.

My comment simply was addressed to that fact that with these situations do come with those regretful feelings sometimes, whether it is a sense of scrupulosity or it is legitimate, there are options to ease this feeling. That is all. It appears to me that the OP is having such feelings, If I have misread the OP, I am very sorry.

Part of our obligation is to help, even the scrupulous to deal with these issues in a pastoral way. Now I am speaking as a clergy member in a position of guiding the laity, I know not everyone is in that position.

As for the inability to monitor the cycle, a person and a couple can follow the cycle somewhat to lesson the chances of conception. Is it NFP exactly? No, but one can abstain when they know there is a higher probability of conception.
 
TraderTif said:
I have PCOS too, and there are definitely non-birth-control methods of dealing with it. (I mean, remember, birth control pills do regulate hormones, but only by throwing them into an unnatural, infertile state. They don’t actually treat the PCOS - they simply mask the symptoms.)

Seriously, the Pope Paul VI Institute, as mentioned above, can actually treat this problem. (I didn’t cycle for 15 years…but, after treatment, I’m cycling now!) 😃
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I’m interested to know about this treatment. I will really have to check them out.
 
I’m using bcp’s because of health conditions and my Priest is aware of this. I have ovarian cysts and I also am on chemotherapy due to an autoimmune disease. My dr. told me it would be extremely dangerous for me to be pregnant because of the medicines I am on.
 
Sandalwood said:
I’m using bcp’s because of health conditions and my Priest is aware of this. I have ovarian cysts and I also am on chemotherapy due to an autoimmune disease. My dr. told me it would be extremely dangerous for me to be pregnant because of the medicines I am on.
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Please, contact the popepaulvi.com/

Taking BCPs for contraception (to avoid pregnancy, even due to chemo) can be a serious matter.
 
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