Worried Doc will Push "The Pill"

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skigirl1689

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First off, I know the forum prohibits giving medical advice and I am not asking for any :).

I am seeing a new provider (nurse practitioner) next week for some issues I am having. My other provider retired but when I broached the issue with her she just pushed me to take “the Pill” without testing for PCOS or anything, which I think may be causing the issues (heavy bleeding, excessive hair growth, etc).

I am not Catholic and I know the Church allows the use of the pill for medical reasons. I just do not want synthetic hormones in my body, for any reason, period. My aunt has stage 4 breast cancer that feeds off of hormones and though they tell me I don’t have an increased familial risk since she is my dad’s sister, I don’t want to take a chance as I have a big history of cancer from both sides of my family (I’ve had 8 blood relatives diagnosed with cancer, 5 died from it, 3 in their 50s).

How do I successfully push for alternative treatments? I have looked for pro-life OB/GYNs in my area, the closest is 4 hours away is not a viable option as it’d be a burden on my family. I tried looking on the NaPro website and the Pope Paul (?) website that is often sited on this forum, but I did not find much information pertaining to treatment options.

I’m at least thankful my mom pulled some strings to get me into someone my pastor’s wife recommended as the alternative was be on a wait list for the new provider they just hired. Come to find out she worked for Planned Parenthood while going to school:eek:. That would have probably made my issue a lot harder to handle.
 
I have family members with PCOS, and your symptoms sound precisely like that. The first thing I would do would be to go to a PCOS specialist, and see what they say. Keep in mind that if you have PCOS, the ovarian cysts can be a risk for cancer in themselves, so you should be sure of what you have.
 
Rolltide said:
I have family members with PCOS, and your symptoms sound precisely like that. The first thing I would do would be to go to a PCOS specialist, and see what they say. Keep in mind that if you have PCOS, the ovarian cysts can be a risk for cancer in themselves, so you should be sure of what you have.
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Thanks, I am going to insist on testing…my friend is a nurse and she recommended testing too and seeing a specialist if needed.
 
1ke said:
Just be polite but firm.

Also, there are som NaPro pratitioners in Michigan:

fertilitycare.org/
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Thanks, but I’m on the border of WI (yes, I checked WI, I should check MN too as that is sometimes closer than MI docs, but my insurance demands in-state docs unless you appeal for a legit reason) so you can see how my location is not ideal. But I really appreciate it! You reminded me to look in MN:).
 
skigirl1689 said:
Thanks, but I’m on the border of WI (yes, I checked WI, I should check MN too as that is sometimes closer than MI docs, but my insurance demands in-state docs unless you appeal for a legit reason) so you can see how my location is not ideal. But I really appreciate it! You reminded me to look in MN:).
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If you can make the drive, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is one of the top hospitals in the world for PCOS.
 
Here’s a site where you can punch in your zip code or State.

aaplog.org/aaplog-physician-directory/

Here’s a link to a few Michigan NaPro clinics:

fertilitycare.org/michigan-medical-consultants/

As far as some complications, most doctors have been taught that the birth control pill is the only remedy. There are Catholic doctors out there that can provide alternative treatments.

stlouisreview.com/article/201…ic-doctor-says

Click on the two links for NaPro and Creighton Model.

I also recommend:

catholicpediatrics.com/ar…-control-pills

For other problems that occur before or after the first child, I suggest women contact:

aaplog.org/ and onemoresoul.com/

Even if there is not a doctor near them, I think they should make a phone call, or, if possible, travel to one.

The encyclical Humanae Vitae does say that the Church allows for therapeutic procedures as long as there is no other motive involved.

"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. (19)"
Full document here: vatican.va/holy_father/pa…-vitae_en.html

Peace,
Ed
 
Can you not ask to have your hormone panel done? I realize it may not be free, but it is pretty common. You have to be off oral contraceptives to get the tests.
 
Warandpeace said:
Can you not ask to have your hormone panel done? I realize it may not be free, but it is pretty common. You have to be off oral contraceptives to get the tests.
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That’s what I’m thinking I need to ask for…and no, I am not on any hormonal treatments/meds. I just want to avoid them and use alternative treatments if there is a hormonal issue causing my symptoms. Last time I just felt my nurse practitioner threw the pill as a “fix all” and did not even offer testing. And it was not like it was a cost factor, I’d pay for it out-of-pocket if need be. I think I was just stressed out that day and did not have the frame of mind to question her.
 
Warandpeace said:
Of course you can say no, but then you’re left with the same medical problem.
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The doctor will just throw their hands up in the air if you refuse one form of treatment? I’m sure if you ask for an alternative treatment, they’ll get you one.

Or am I just being naive?
 
Threep said:
The doctor will just throw their hands up in the air if you refuse one form of treatment? I’m sure if you ask for an alternative treatment, they’ll get you one.

Or am I just being naive?
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I think doctors honestly want what’s best for their patient, and in their opinion the pill is the answer.
 
skigirl1689 said:
Thanks, but I’m on the border of WI (yes, I checked WI, I should check MN too as that is sometimes closer than MI docs, but my insurance demands in-state docs unless you appeal for a legit reason) so you can see how my location is not ideal. But I really appreciate it! You reminded me to look in MN:).
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There are a lot of NaPro practitioners in WI.
 
I’ve never had a problem with providers pushing the pill or any form of birth control on me, and I go to a public college health center for my medical needs! I also work in medical records at this health center, and so I know that about 70% of what they do is reproductively related. It makes me incredibly sad to work with this on a daily basis and I have considered quitting because of the high numbers of people coming in for birth control and such. If I had patient contact and was required to educate or say anything about birth control I would.

There has been twice where I have been seen while at work because I come close to passing out often while on my menstrual cycle. Both times, the doctor suggested I start BC, I kindly declined, and that was the end of it. They one time asked if it was for financial reasons because there are programs that could help me, I said it was not, and they were happy with that.

I don’t think you’re problem will be with the provider pushing the pill on you, but with getting information on NFP. Most medical providers dont receive much, if any, education on natural family planning.
 
Monicad said:
God bless you! I don’t think the main issue here is a medical issue at all. I think the concern here is that you do not seem to posess the courage to stand up for yourself and what you beleive is in your best interest.

You are not alone, this is not an easy thing to do. In fact, I beleive 100% that this is a gift from the Holy Spirit, but you have to be open to his help. Turn to him. Pray and tell God that you need his strength to help you. Being a kind but strong Christian will be a gift to your life in more ways then you can possibly imagine.

Once you have this confidence you will still worry about things, but you won’t be overly concerned about being pushed into something the way you are now. Jesus loves you so much and he longs to give this gift to you! Pray, pray and pray some more. I will pray for you too. Hope this helps some. God bless you.
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I realize this is the one time I did not stand up and question the doctor who would not test for an underlying condition but just recommended the BCP. I’ve been seeing specialists since I was about 2 for an unrelated lifelong condition and my parents always taught me to interact with the doctors, know my medical history, and question my treatment plans. I even persuaded my surgeon to do a double (identical) procedure instead of doing them individually 1-2 years apart. Believe me, he thought I was nuts but it was the best thing for me: one surgery, one hospitalization, and one recovery period.

I think what happened this time was my doctor said I could not have the condition because I did not have one of the major symptom. Now I know this is incorrect.
Warandpeace said:
I think doctors honestly want what’s best for their patient, and in their opinion the pill is the answer.
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Yes, I agree with this as the pill does solve the said issues, but it does not get to the underlying causes this issue.
learningtolove2 said:
I’ve never had a problem with providers pushing the pill or any form of birth control on me, and I go to a public college health center for my medical needs! I also work in medical records at this health center, and so I know that about 70% of what they do is reproductively related. It makes me incredibly sad to work with this on a daily basis and I have considered quitting because of the high numbers of people coming in for birth control and such. If I had patient contact and was required to educate or say anything about birth control I would.

There has been twice where I have been seen while at work because I come close to passing out often while on my menstrual cycle. Both times, the doctor suggested I start BC, I kindly declined, and that was the end of it. They one time asked if it was for financial reasons because there are programs that could help me, I said it was not, and they were happy with that.

I don’t think you’re problem will be with the provider pushing the pill on you, but with getting information on NFP. Most medical providers dont receive much, if any, education on natural family planning.
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Glad you have had good experiences, I just have not. It’s kind of like another doctor (my favorite) who always tries to persuade me to get the flu shot…am always repeating myself that I do not want the shot for personal reasons. I think he finally got it after 10 years of “nos.”
 
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