IUD

[cathoichelp]

That is a lot of “ifs” and as someone who is not a medical doctor, I think it’s safest to just say “don’t do it”.

I hear the Pope Paul VI institute has helped women who might otherwise use hormones to control their periods do so naturally.

agreed.
It is rare. And in general an IUD is not an acceptable answer for a Catholic -

 

[EvelynEVF]

There is mucus which is hostile to sperm! It has something to do with pH, iirc. Anyway, if a woman is watching her mucus, there are very clear changes, and it isn’t just from nothing to something. I’m sure it varies from woman to woman.

 

[cathoichelp]

There is mucus which is hostile to sperm! It has something to do with pH, iirc. Anyway, if a woman is watching her mucus, there are very clear changes, and it isn’t just from nothing to something. I’m sure it varies from woman to woman.

True and I had an IUD ( and will have another - although I am not currently having sex so it doesn’t matter at all at the moment haha)
And I charted my cervix and mucus when I was trying to conceive my daughter -
there are HUGE differences once I had the IUD-
The last 3 months i had the IUD I definitely think I was ovulating - which is odd because I hadn’t the first 2 years I had it (that I know of) I asked my dr and she said that for a reason they are unsure of after 3 years many women start to ovulate again she gave me a study. But the fail rate of the IUD remains unchanged-
This is a hormone IUD (mirena) and it works for 5 years-
I had normal cycles of cervical mucus 3 months in a row and had periods all three of those months … the last one being really bad!
Which is why I took it out. It was not really working for the medical issue it was suppose to. So in a few months I will try again and then go from there if it doesn’t work.

 

[1ke]

Does anyone here buy the whole “thickening the mucus makes it hard for the sperm to travel” etc ?

Yes, because it is true.

I have been under the opinion that any kind if mucus can help facilitate a pregnancy.

There are two types of mucus.

Mucus conducive to sperm transport is produced by high levels of estrogen-- it’s called Type E mucus. It forms parallel strands that form channels thorugh which sperm can travel.

Mucus inhospitable to sperm is called Type G mucus. It is produced when estrogen levels are low and progesterone levels are high. It is thick and dense and acts as a barrier to sperm penetration.

 

[mathgirljk]

No.

Since one of the primary actions of the IUD is to irritate and thin the uterine lining preventing implantation of an already-conceived child, I would say that your version is inaccurate.

That it has multiple ways of acting does not negate this very important one.

Also, whether abortifacient or merely contraceptive, IUDs are immoral in all cases.

If a woman is celibate, and the purpose of the IUD is a treatment for heavy, painful, irregular periods, is an IUD still immoral?

 

[EvelynEVF]

No, but lots of folks here, including me, will suggest that relieving the symptoms of a problem by leaving a foreign object in a woman’s womb, where it can cause infection, might not be the greatest solution. An NFP physician ought to be able to help such a woman get to the root of the difficulty and truly solve the problem.