marriage and birth control

[Holygirl1992]

here is my situation I am engaged to my fiancé john and we will be getting married in 3 years but the problem is I am on birth control for female problems and when me and john get married we both want to have children but I don’t want to get off the birth control pill because if I do I will have female problems again my question is does the catholic church require us to have children naturally or can we adopt???

 

[Inquiringperson]

here is my situation I am engaged to my fiancé john and we will be getting married in 3 years but the problem is I am on birth control for female problems and when me and john get married we both want to have children but I don’t want to get off the birth control pill because if I do I will have female problems again my question is does the catholic church require us to have children naturally or can we adopt???

By female problems, do you mean medical issues?

 

[Holygirl1992]

yes

 

[underacloud]

If you have a permanent intention to not have children, you cannot validly marry in the Catholic Church. The intention to adopt does not negate this.

But…

Infertility is another matter. You are currently infertile through no fault of your own. But when you marry, you will need to re-assess your medical treatments in light of this infertility and the general obligation for a married couple to procreate. This is complex and depends of course on the severity of the illness/condition. We cannot advise you medically, so this is an issue you should discuss with your doctor (and perhaps a second opinion too), and perhaps a trusted priest to help you weigh the options.

 

[Allegra]

Don’t consider this medical advice, but don’t the kind of “female problems” most commonly medicated with the birth control pill tend to subside during pregnancy anyway? You may be borrowing trouble worrying about this now. If you talk to your doctor, he or she may be able relieve your anxiety on this matter. Besides that, there may be other forms of treatment available that you don’t know about, or that will be available in the future, before you are ready to have children.

That being said, the Church does allow women to use those medications for medical purposes, if the main purpose isn’t contraception. So you would not be sinning by using it.

 

[ChibiViolet]

If you do continue to use those pills while married, than using NFP (natural family planning) would be best because the pill does not prevent pregnancies, it kills an unborn baby as soon as it is conceived. In a case like this, this would not be considered to be an abortion, but it still kills babies and it does not sit right with me that this is not viewed as being of grave matter.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with adoption; it is beautiful.

 

[Allegra]

If you do continue to use those pills while married, than using NFP (natural family planning) would be best because the pill does not prevent pregnancies, it kills an unborn baby as soon as it is conceived. In a case like this, this would not be considered to be an abortion, but it still kills babies and it does not sit right with me that this is not viewed as being of grave matter.

The OP stated that she is taking the pills for medical reasons, not contraceptive reasons. NFP is a great way to space one’s pregnancies, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis and disorders like that.

 

[ChibiViolet]

The OP stated that she is taking the pills for medical reasons, not contraceptive reasons. NFP is a great way to space one’s pregnancies, but it doesn’t do anything to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis and disorders like that.

You misunderstood what I was saying. I was NOT saying she cannot use the pills, but that if she does, it is best for her to use NFP to ensure that she does not get pregnant and have a baby die inside her instantly afterwards.

 

[underacloud]

You misunderstood what I was saying. I was NOT saying she cannot use the pills, but that if she does, it is best for her to use NFP to ensure that she does not get pregnant and have a baby die inside her instantly afterwards.

You cannot use the Pill (or other hormonal “contraception”) and practise NFP together. The fertility signs are simply not present. If there is a breakthrough ovulation, there is really no way to detect it (some women experience ovulation pain, but even this is generally not reliable).

 

[ChibiViolet]

You cannot use the Pill (or other hormonal “contraception”) and practise NFP together. The fertility signs are simply not present. If there is a breakthrough ovulation, there is really no way to detect it (some women experience ovulation pain, but even this is generally not reliable).

Oh, well if I were her, I would seek alternative medicine for sure then, that being the case.

 

[Allegra]

You misunderstood what I was saying. I was NOT saying she cannot use the pills, but that if she does, it is best for her to use NFP to ensure that she does not get pregnant and have a baby die inside her instantly afterwards.

Oh, I see. I can’t speak for all methods, but the ones I’m familiar with can’t be used while on the pill.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

here is my situation I am engaged to my fiancé john and we will be getting married in 3 years but the problem is I am on birth control for female problems and when me and john get married we both want to have children but I don’t want to get off the birth control pill because if I do I will have female problems again my question is does the catholic church require us to have children naturally or can we adopt???

OP: It is against forum rules to offer medical advice. But I will say this. Many times these “female problems” are commonly treated with the same drug used for Birth Control. This is the first option that many doctors use. There are almost always other options. I would advise finding a Catholic or NFP OBGYN that can help you with this. If you cannot, there is NAPRO Technologies that you can contact for help.

The answer may be just to find another drug that is not birth control. Only a pro life doctor can answer that for you though. Until then there is really no need to debate the future without relevant information.

PS 3 year engagement!? Why!?

 

[ChibiViolet]

Oh, well if I were her, I would seek alternative medicine for sure then, that being the case.

Actually, come to think of it, I believe I recall reading an article written by one of the apologists on this site that NFP is a viable option in this kind of situation.

 

[QuasiCatholic]

If you do continue to use those pills while married, than using NFP (natural family planning) would be best because the pill does not prevent pregnancies, it kills an unborn baby as soon as it is conceived. In a case like this, this would not be considered to be an abortion, but it still kills babies and it does not sit right with me that this is not viewed as being of grave matter.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with adoption; it is beautiful.

You misunderstand how birth control pills work (or most of them at least).

The main form of contraception from the pill is preventing ovulation. So in most cases, yes, the pill prevents pregnancies.

On the off chance that you do ovulate, and that the egg is then fertilized, the pill does not directly kill the baby. It does, however, create changes in the uterine lining that make it difficult for an egg to implant – thus increasing the chance that a fertilized egg will pass out of your system without developing (as many do anyway).

 

[TMC]

Do not take advice from strangers on the internet for something as serious as this. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. If you want spiritual advice, talk to a priest or other spiritual director. Talk to you fiancée. Talk to your parents. Ignore anonymous advice from the internet.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Do not take advice from strangers on the internet for something as serious as this. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. If you want spiritual advice, talk to a priest or other spiritual director. Talk to you fiancée. Talk to your parents. Ignore anonymous advice from the internet.

Including this post?

 

[QuasiCatholic]

Including this post?

 

[TMC]

Including this post?

Absolutely.

 

[UbiCaritas]

Actually, come to think of it, I believe I recall reading an article written by one of the apologists on this site that NFP is a viable option in this kind of situation.

But you can’t use NFP while on hormonal contraception, that’s the point. It’s not possible.

NFP is predicated upon a woman ovulating. The signs and symptoms that are tracked in order for NFP to work aren’t there unless she is ovulating. When one is on oral hormonal contraception, you generally never ovulate, and if you do, it’s a very rare thing indeed, and quite unpredictable.

Cervical mucus buildup/fadeoff? Won’t happen unless she’s ovulating.

Temperature shift post-ovulation? Won’t happen unless she’s ovulating.

Luteinizing hormone/estrogen surges detectable in urine? Won’t happen unless she’s ovulating.

Saliva ferning in the presence of ovulation hormones? Won’t happen unless she’s ovulating.

Post-ovulatory increase in progesterone in the blood, detectable via blood test? Won’t happen unless she’s ovulating.

How on earth is one supposed to track non-existent symptoms?

OP, hormonal contraception may be the best way to deal with your medical problems. On the other hand, there may be other, equally effective ways. The best way to determine what will work most effectively with your body and conditions is to speak with a doctor (I do second the suggestion of at least contacting a NaPro doctor, as they are trained in more precise hormonal regulation than most OBGYNs) about it.

And to answer your original question: you may use hormonal contraception for the specific purpose of treating a medical condition and still have sex with your husband. See Humanae Vitae, the encyclical on such matters written by Pope Paul VI:

["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."](Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) | Paul VI)

 

[WKW_69]

here is my situation I am engaged to my fiancé john and we will be getting married in 3 years but the problem is I am on birth control for female problems and when me and john get married we both want to have children but I don’t want to get off the birth control pill because if I do I will have female problems again my question is does the catholic church require us to have children naturally or can we adopt???

Let me assure you can become pregnant even if you’re taking a low dose of birth control. So you can marry and adopt children. Maybe you will have a surprise one day like Abraham and Shara did.