NFP - Short LP - Morality Question - HELP!

[MrsMeganMc]

As my husband and I have started using NFP, through my first cycle of charting I discovered I have a short luteal phase - as in really short - like 6 days. (I am using Sympto-Thermal method).

I know that your LP generally does not change from cycle to cycle - but I will obviously give it a few months before I press the “official” panic button.

I also know that luteal phase defects are treatable.

Currently, we are using NFP to avoid pregnancy, but will probably start trying in about a year.

Would allowing this condition to go untreated until we are ready to conceive be morally wrong?

We will continue to follow all NFP rules to avoid pregnancy, and would never break the rules just because we knew I had this condition.

(Also, for what it’s worth, I do plan to speak to my priest about this when I can make an appt)

Thank you!

 

[Lance_O]

Hi,

I can’t see how it would be morally wrong to leave it untreated, but you might want to consider the possible health ramifications of leaving it untreated.

Also, you’re definitely right to wait and watch it for a couple of cycles before going crazy about it.

Finally, it’s very possible if you have just come off some hormonal contraceptives that this is some residual tampering with your system from those. It generally takes at least six months for your body to recover and get back into its own, healthy rhythm.

 

[monicatholic]

Would allowing this condition to go untreated until we are ready to conceive be morally wrong?

no, because you aren’t doing anything to thwart the procreativity of sex.

but i think i understand your misgivings.

i’ve experienced extended seasons when i’ve had very short luteal phases. during those times, i once worried that, though we were trying to avoid pregnancy, if we ***did ***conceive, the baby would not be able to implant because the phase was too short.

should we abstain altogether in order to avoid irresponsibility with potential life? conversely, would it be acceptable to use the short luteal phases to our advantage and relax the NFP avoidance rules?

our conclusions: if we were conscientiously using NFP to avoid pregnancy, then we should be at peace with whatever resulted. but a typically short luteal phase was not permission to be sloppy with NFP avoidance rules, i.e., it would it be wrong for us to rely on a short luteal phase as a means of spontaneous, though unknown, miscarriage. if we had been trying to conceive, we shouldn’t let typically short luteal phase deter us in our attempt. (yes, there are ways to extend the luteal phase had we been trying to conceive.)

in our case, we would continue to conscientiously practice NFP with the intent of avoiding pregnancy. we would be careful of scrupulosity, i.e., perceiving sin where there was none. we would trust God.

while my husband and i were undergoing conscience formation concerning this very specific aspect of our NFP lives together, God did His Own Thing. Despite 17 cycles that typically had 3 to 6 day luteal phases, we conceived. And it ‘took’. This year, she’ll be 6 years old.

What would we ever do without her?