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Vanna
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| Posted: July 29 2008 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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yesterday...
I have been having really terrible problems with my cycle for a long time now. It has become very heavy, painful and is lasting 9 to 14 days at a time. Somedays I can't even walk it's so painful.
He suggested birth control pills. This is a dr who works at a Catholic hospital. He says he thinks that this is the only thing that will regulate it...short of a hysterectomy.
Has anyone ever had this problem? Would bc pills even be allowed in this situation? I took the prescription but told him I didn't think I would fill it.
I'm not sure what to do if this is my only option. I really don't want to have this problem but I don't want to do something morally wrong to fix it either.
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insegnante
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I think this is too complicated for me to attempt to address the whole thing (if somebody doesn't send you a good well-sourced link that does, I'll try to find one later) but I think the abortifacient potential is the biggest concern, along with questioning whether the bc pills are really an appropriate solution to the problem itself.
If the pills were actually intended to treat a significant health problem, and not being used to make yourself infertile because of the health problem, but still had a side effect simply of preventing conception, then from everything I've read that would be morally okay. But since one of the mechanisms of how hormonal contraception "works" may be to prevent a conceived baby from implanting in the womb, it becomes a whole different topic, doesn't it?
I'll pray for you to figure all of this out and for relief from the cycle problems!
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Theresa
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Lavenderfields
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I don't have an answer for you, but I will pray you find the right answer. My cycles have changed too, but, only go for the most 7 days.
God Bless
Robynn
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mama251ders
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My devout Catholic family physician prescribed bc pills for me for the very same reason last year. I took them for about 3 months and then was able to stop because the pills corrected the weird hormonal surges I was having. I was having 10 day periods every 3 weeks, they were very heavy and debilitating. Of course, we were already resolutely avoiding pregnancy via NFP at that point because of the health problems that accompany my pregnancies, so that may be different form your case. My doctor believed that my period problems were because my body was adjusting to not having a period or really any kind of cycle for 6 years. I'll pray for you about this! It's a hard decision.
Blessings,
Betsie
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Lara Sauer
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I would recommend that you start with Marilyn Shannon's wonderful book: Fertility Cycles and Nutrition. There is a lot of wonderful information there that might help you without resorting to using the contraceptive.
On a side note, when the birth control pill is prescribed not for birth control, but rather to "help" with the health of another part of the body, the use of the pill is covered by the what I think is called the law of second effect, or something like that. It would be licit to use it for your health (primary effect)if you were not using it with the intention of preventing conception (secondary effect), even though its use might have this unintended side effect.
However, with that said, many doctors simply prescribe the pill because they don't really know what else to do in situations like yours. Once the birth control pill was invented, it seems like most research into women's health issues went out the window. I would be hesitant to use the pill without seeking out more natural and less potentially damaging remedies, mostly because it does carry the potential for acting as an abortifacient. There are many other not so pleasant side effects that come with using the birth control pill, ranging from weight gain to a decrease in libido.
Another place to possibly look into would be Creighton University. They have done a ton of research into issues of natural family planning and they might be able to offer some wisdom in this regard.
In the meantime, please accept my sympathy and prayers. I am sure that the pain and the discomfort make this a very difficult cross to bear.
Peace.
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JodieLyn
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You might try going to http://www.onemoresoul.com and checking out the pro-life doc listing they have.. these would be docs that won't prescribe the pill.. you might be able to get a second opinion from one of them along with other options.
also you might check the Pope John VI Institute
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mavmama
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I second this! I went there when I was having the same issues, and Dr. Hilgers absolutely would not use the pill. For me, I had to have a hysterectomy  to finally resolve my health issues, but I know that that is not the case for many, many of the patients he treats.
The whole Institute is a life affirming place, with a wonderful, caring staff. Please do try to contact them--I'm sure they can help.
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insegnante
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Just wanted to post a corrected link to the Pope Paul VI Institute.
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monique
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Lara Sauer wrote:
Another place to possibly look into would be Creighton University. They have done a ton of research into issues of natural family planning and they might be able to offer some wisdom in this regard.
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I second this ideas as well as the Pope Paul VI Institute.
Most of the time bcp are just covering up the problem and not fixing it. These two resources get to the root of the problem.
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PDyer
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Lara Sauer wrote:
| On a side note, when the birth control pill is prescribed not for birth control, but rather to "help" with the health of another part of the body, the use of the pill is covered by the what I think is called the law of second effect, or something like that. It would be licit to use it for your health (primary effect)if you were not using it with the intention of preventing conception (secondary effect), even though its use might have this unintended side effect. |
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Principle of Double Effect is the technical term. We walked this road in deciding how to address the medication I used to take. Thomas Aquinas wrote criteria for deciding the morality of an act in the Summa. I wish I could find the nice summary we used when we were hashing our decision out, but the info I want to add to the above is there are additional criteria necessary, including that the person minimize the likelihood of the unintended secondary consequences of the act.
I agree with the others who suggest looking into other resources for help with your difficulties. This is very trying situation and I will be praying for you.
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JodieLyn
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Quote:
Just wanted to post a corrected link to the Pope Paul VI Institute.
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Thank you!
 See what happens when you post in a hurry in the morning with one handed typing  Can you believe I actually looked at the link and still typed it wrong.. *shaking head*
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snowbabiesmom
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I would also recommend calling the Pope John Paul VI Institute. They offer you a free consultation and talk with a nurse.
Also the Marilyn Shannon book is very helpful too. From what I remember reading, if you take the bc pills temporarily to help correct your health problem, you must abstain during the treatment because it will abort a baby trying to implant
BC is putting chemicals into your body that you are free of right now.
I will pray for you to be lead by God in this situation
I could not take bc, but I too am facing constant bleeding since delivering Karoline in May..
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Lara Sauer
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PDyer, many thanks for the clarification on the Principle of Second Effect.
And most importantly about attempting to minimize the consequences of the second effect. I believe Dr. Bruchalski, who is a wonderful pro-life physician here in Northern Virginia and whose office the Tepeyac Family Center (http://www.tepeyacfamilycenter.com) would be another place to consult, has advised friends of mine in the past who were in similar situations and who needed to use the pill for either short term or long term to help regulates cycles to chart their temperatures to confirm there has been no ovulation for the month. This will require a lot of patience on the part of the couple, but the effect of minimizing the risk of the pill as an abortifacient would make it worthwhile, I would hope.
You will remain in our prayers for a happy resolution to your current health problems.
Peace.
(Perhaps the women who touched the cloak of our Lord's garment would be a good person to go to for intercessory prayer?)
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PDyer
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Lara Sauer wrote:
| I believe Dr. Bruchalski, who is a wonderful pro-life physician here in Northern Virginia and whose office the Tepeyac Family Center (http://www.tepeyacfamilycenter.com) would be another place to consult, has advised friends of mine in the past who were in similar situations and who needed to use the pill for either short term or long term to help regulates cycles to chart their temperatures to confirm there has been no ovulation for the month. This will require a lot of patience on the part of the couple, but the effect of minimizing the risk of the pill as an abortifacient would make it worthwhile, I would hope. |
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Yes, the information gained through the use of NFP can be a gift in certain situations.
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Patty
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Dawnie
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I hate to tell you this, but any fertility signs you observe and chart while on the pill will reflect the artificial hormones in your body, and not what your own hormones are doing. The Couple to Couple League (CCL) ran an article about this in their last issue of Family Foundations. They say it's impossible to tell from a woman's NFP chart whether or not she is ovulating while she is on the Pill. Unfortunately, my kids ripped up the magazine, so I don't have a hard copy of the article anymore, but I'm sure I could track it down for anyone who wants to read it. PM me if you'd like me to try to find it for you.
This is a very difficult issue and there seems to be a lot of confusion in the Church over it. CCL (and others, including Christopher West) advises couples who need to take the Pill for a medical reason to abstain completely while on the Pill in order to avoid the abortifacient effect of the drug. There are others in the Church who say that total abstinance is not neccessary if the wife is truly in need of the drug to treat a medical condition and not using it for birth control.
Dawn
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Vanna
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I have decided to hold off on taking the pill until we investigate further. My doctor has set up an ultrasound for next week because I have a missing ovary. Where could it have possibly gone?!? We have also found out from blood results that I am very anemic. So maybe once we locate my ovary  and get my iron levels up, I'll see improved health overall. Hopefully.
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guitarnan
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Vanna, I will pray for you! Nothing like reproductive surprises. I know boosting your iron will help you feel much better...
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Dawnie
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Vanna wrote:
| I have decided to hold off on taking the pill until we investigate further. My doctor has set up an ultrasound for next week because I have a missing ovary. Where could it have possibly gone?!? |
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How strange!
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I don't think your ovary is missing, Vanna...They probably just couldn't find it on the ultrasound. I had a similar problem last month, the sonographer couldn't find my right ovary but didn't give up and eventually "found" it.
I am praying for you and your reproductive/female concerns. You are not alone; it is a heavy cross.
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Praying for you! Thanks for starting this thread, I've had similar problems with my cycles and of course the doctor suggested BC (but I got pregnant before I even had time to consider that!) My mother (not Catholic) had severe bleeding issues as well and did use BC to help it but even depo eventually couldn't stave off the bleeding and she had to have a hysterectomy, so it's something I'm concerned about.
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