Question on "the pill"

[1ke]

DVIN CKS:

How does one go about finding a pro-life Catholic doctor in their area?

www.omsoul.com has a listing of pro-life doctors. However, there are doctors who are not on the list who are pro-life. I’d suggest contacting your diocesan NFP/Family Life office and asking them or an NFP instructor for a referral.

 

[redtech]

I was on the pill for a few years in my late teens and early 20s. I’ve always had the WORST cramps and my periods would last a week and a half. The pill really regulated everything for me and did help with alot of the pain too.

Of course, I’ve been off of it now for years and been either pregnant or breastfeeding for about 3 years straight so I haven’t had much in the way of ovulation anyway. I did notice that after I quit breastfeeding and my period came back, my periods were not as bad.

 

[Seatuck]

ekindermann:

Seatuck,
I went to this site early on while trying to research this for my the family member in question. I had no luck finding articles related to the issue. Maybe I didn’t look ion the right places. Do they have articles there to read? If so, how should I access them? Or do they just help guide you to good docs, etc?
thanks for the soulcysters site. That one I hadn’t seen andf plan to spend a good amount of time reading there.
Beth

Not articles to read. People to contact. I have heard they have affiliated in other parts of the country now. They are slowly building a base. More and more doctors are recognizing the use of the pill and hysterectomy as not the best option for women with reproductive problems.

 

[ekindermann]

1ke:

You cannot use NFP while on the pill.

so right. Big duh on my part. I did say I was tired when I replied!
NFPfamily said:

It is actually advised to use more of a ‘rhythm based’ method (abstaining for 5-7 days approximately 2 weeks before ovulation), if you have no prior charting experience to estimate from. This would at least make an effort of approximate guessing of ovulation to avoid a possible abortion of an embryo. In this sense, it is called using NFP, but should be understood that someone under the influence of those hormones cannot accurately chart cycles with any true reliable accuracy.

Thanks for that explanation. I did not know that this was what is advised.
redtech said:

I was on the pill for a few years in my late teens and early 20s. I’ve always had the WORST cramps and my periods would last a week and a half. The pill really regulated everything for me and did help with alot of the pain too.

Of course, I’ve been off of it now for years and been either pregnant or breastfeeding for about 3 years straight so I haven’t had much in the way of ovulation anyway. I did notice that after I quit breastfeeding and my period came back, my periods were not as bad.

Thank you for the encouraging story. I do hope that is how it works out for us, God willing.
Beth

 

[1ke]

ekindermann:

Thanks for that explanation. I did not know that this was what is advised.
redtech said:

Beth,

I have never heard of trying to use a “rhythm method” approach to approximate NFP for women on the pill.

Personally, I don’t think this is good advice or reliable, as you don’t know when you might ovulate in a Pill-induced cycle.

 

[JSmitty2005]

1ke:

Personally, I don’t think this is good advice or reliable, as you don’t know when you might ovulate in a Pill-induced cycle.

I agree. This does not sound like a good idea at all considering the risk of causing an abortion.

 

[NFPfamily]

1ke:

Beth,

I have never heard of trying to use a “rhythm method” approach to approximate NFP for women on the pill.

Personally, I don’t think this is good advice or reliable, as you don’t know when you might ovulate in a Pill-induced cycle.

As an NFP teacher, I can tell you that it is advised through resources from the Couple to Couple League and we advise it in our classes. Agreed, it is not known when ovulation may take place, mostly it shouldn’t take place at all. Again, it is just an effort to avoid the occurrance of an abortion.

Stressed even more than what I mentioned above is finding out the root cause of whatever is going on that the pill would be prescribed for. That seemed to be covered pretty well in this thread, so I didn’t want to be redundant. Many women are so set in their mind that their Dr. is rightfully prescribing the pill, despite the information we give them, so that is why an effort to avoid relations during supposed ovulation is recommended by the CCL.

 

[siamesecat]

YinYangMom:

Not directed toward your girlfriend specifically, but generally…this is just me:

I don’t understand what’s going on these days with young women complaining about pain coming with monthly cycles.

I mean, I get that it’s no fun, but really, Midol and Tylenol can minimize the discomfort, and proper diet helps a lot as well.

But I get the impression that any discomfort or pain freaks young people out. It’s life. It’s part of being a woman. Part of being capable of nurturing life. It’s no picnic, for certain, but I’ve come to embrace and rejoice in my monthly reminder of God’s gift to me and I wish we’d teach our young women to look at it from a more positive perspective. 3-4 days a month of discomfort offered up for the souls in purgatory can do wonders. What a prime opportunity to serve our Lord these women are passing up!

Instead they want to avoid pain by going on the pill. Yet, long term pill use has serious ramifications, and that’s what really concerns me most. They’re starting on the pill for ‘medical reasons’ at 13, 14 years of age! Let’s say they marry at 25 - that’s 12 years of messing with their fertility cycle, deceiving it. That’s 12 years of putting into their bodies chemicals which are tied to cancer, can increase risk for stroke, and present varicose veins.

I just don’t understand the reasoning behind trading all those risks to avoid monthly discomfort when there are other treatments available.

Of course, this does not apply to those women who do indeed have ovarian troubles or uterine troubles or other true medical issues, though I agree with the earlier poster that advice from a pro-life physician will probably be beneficial.

Stepping down from the soapbox now…

I’m not a wuss but I can relate to his gf. I am 16, and when I first got my period years ago I had minimal discomfort, nothing a tylenol couldn’t handle. But now, for the first half an hour to an hour and a half I get my period, the pain has become unbearable, and I get an upset stomach. It gets worse each time I get my period, I don’t know what I’ll do if it happens again during school. It’s literally to the point I can’t talk. It only lasts for around an hour but it’s worse than anything I’ve ever felt and no medication helps. I really don’t know what to do about it. at least im not like some women who feel that way the whole time…I’m not sure what I’d do.

 

[crohnie4life]

in my experience over the yrs. my pms symptoms have really worsened my Crohns right after ovulation (usually post peak 5 until after my period started). Then to make it worse, the cramps started to become unbearable so I had my gyn check me to r/o female problems (negative Thank God)and then I saw my GI in regards to handling the “hormonal” flares because I was in agony all the time.

He told me that alot of his female pts. with CD and other GI disorders have noticed that their symptoms tend to worsen around that time frame and the only thing he could offer was prescribing pain medication to keep the Crohns from hurting (he knows that I wouldn’t abuse it since I hate meds to begin with), putting a heating pad on the area that’s sore (that helps), and eating smaller meals. I’ve found that the Thermacare heat wraps for the back help. I use it for my stomach area so I can sleep 8 hrs.and it works as well.

Hope this can help those suffering with cramps. Hang in there gals.

 

[Peace-bwu]

I can’t see how taking the pill for those normal problems, cramping etc. could be worth the side effects. I took the pill for a few months during my first year of marriage (before I knew it was against Catholic teaching) Not only did if feel completely wrong, but I had morning sickness day and night from the pill. It also makes me sick to think that I might have unintentionally caused my own baby to be aborted without knowing it. It haunts me. There are plenty of other more natural ways to help with menstrual cramping and excessive bleeding. The pill is not a cure all.

I have severe cramping and bleeding due to pelvic prolapse, It has been recommended that I have a hysterectomy at 30 yrs old, and I am wouldnt’ take the pill because I don’t want the side effects. I would rather use natural remedies to manage the pain and discomfort.

 

[Seatuck]

Remedies for menstrual cramps

Tylenol
NSAIDS- non steroid anti inflammatories.
Ibuprophen. I use Advil . Works awesome. I start with two .

Natural Remedies.
Drink plenty water all throught the month. 6-8 8oz glasses a day.Not including other fluids like soda , coffee tea etc. Just water.
Exercise. Especially walking . Keeps you healthier but also assists the body to remove what it has to using gravity and good blood flow.

Heating pads to abdomen or Back.

Keep the feet warm. This is a trick I learned in nursing school. You’d be amazed at how keeping the feet warm can reduce all kinds of pain including surgical pain.

Raspberry Leaf Tea-get this at the health food store. Not Raspberry Zinger at the grocery store.

Good Multi Vitamin. Extra B’s if you have severe cramps.Make sure vitamin has magnesium or you may have to take one of those. Don’t forget calcium or have high calcium foods.

Evening Primrose Oil.( I just started this one .)

Get a physical and make sure there isn’t anything else wrong.

I found a whole lot of natural remedies on line but some of them were really odd.

And if all that suffering gets you down take a look at that latest study which shows that menstrual blood is full of stem cells. Researchers took those stem cells and made heart tissue of of them. So see there is a higher purpose after all.

 

[candicami]

I don’t know how much help I can be… but I have a good friend who went through a series of trial-and-error due to her HEAVY bleeding and extreme pain which lasted longer than any normal period should. Of course her doctor got her on the pill (which she agreed to only because she was not married), and over the course of about a year and a half she must have tried about 4-5 different kinds, because it would not help for the first month, then help for a month or so, and then stop working or cause even more unpleasant side effects. I can still remember her telling me about her mood changes on ‘blue pill days.’

Anyway’s… after giving up on the pill and just suffering through the pain and praying that her bleeding would not be so heavy for two + weeks, she somehow ended up at a chiropractor with a friend. He took a look at her, and basically diagnosed her problem right away. She went ahead and gave him a chance since she had tried everything else (what else did she have to lose?), and after two treatments she was noticing some very positive changes. She continues to go to this chiropractor and has been doing much better… which is good because she is getting married in a few months.

I’ve never been a proponent of chirpractors (my mom pounded PT into my brain), but if you can find the right one who understands your fiance’s issues (may not be easy, because chiropractors are not all trained in the same techniques, etc.) it may be worth a try. My friend does not have to deal with as much or as severe pain, and I believe her bleeding has lessened.

Good luck, and try very hard to aviod going the ABC route.

I will pray for you and your fiance.

 

[YinYangMom]

siamesecat:

I’m not a wuss but I can relate to his gf. I am 16, and when I first got my period years ago I had minimal discomfort, nothing a tylenol couldn’t handle. But now, for the first half an hour to an hour and a half I get my period, the pain has become unbearable, and I get an upset stomach. It gets worse each time I get my period, I don’t know what I’ll do if it happens again during school. It’s literally to the point I can’t talk. It only lasts for around an hour but it’s worse than anything I’ve ever felt and no medication helps. I really don’t know what to do about it. at least im not like some women who feel that way the whole time…I’m not sure what I’d do.

My 16 year old daughter is like you. She started out ok at 14, no problems. Then a couple of months later discomfort set in so she was on Advil. Several more months and it was on to Midol. Two months ago she had to come home from school in the afternoon because she couldn’t breathe from the pain. We started examining her diet over the prior 4 cycles to see if there was anything in there that may have made her more susceptible to the heavy pain that one month. She made adjustments with some items she suspected might have contributed to the pain and last month went smoothly. The flow was heavier but it was back to discomfort level instead of breath-taking pain. We’ll see how this month goes.

If the pain had continued for three cycles I would have taken her to see a physician and a nutritionist. Listening to Colleen Kelly Mast on Relevant Radio (The Doctor Is In) on Mondays and Fridays has made me aware that there are many holistic and nutritional ways to alleviate common problems. I would like to explore those options before medical ones, and the pill would be my absolute last resort - especially on my daughter who fully intends to bear children one day. I would not compromise her future for pain in the present and she says she won’t do it either - she’d rather deal with the pain.

I think Colleen Kelly Mast has a website you can visit. She’s really open and helpful and has been through so much herself, miscarriages and complicated pregnancies. Visit RelevantRadio.com and click on the Doctor Is In area to find out more about her.

 

[jbuttrey]

Keep questioning the PILL

FDA has recently investigate d estrogen as a carcinogen.

Good advice here.

Church Heals with

Eucharist
Holy Water
Confession
Sacrament.

I’m praying for those on PILL

John

 

[NFPfamily]

It is so nice to hear people wanting to seek alternatives to the pill- very refreshing from what I’m used to!

Usually, I present all the evidence and get treated like a quack because that’s not what their Dr. said.

Or, people like to debate the “it’s okay because we’re not using it for the primary purpose of contracepting” so they talk themselves into using it for cycle regularity when they in fact are enjoying the fact that it is acting as a contraceptive. :banghead:

Suffering is difficult, especially in young girls, but if you weigh the pros and cons of using ABC, I would hope that it screams not to do it! An excellent book is Marilyn Shannon’s Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition, available at ccli.org