Would fundies approve "medicinal" use of the pill?

[celestial]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11 ... c=fb&cc=fp

I read this article and it made me think of our fundies. It's about how a large number of women (some of whom aren't sexually active) take the pill for reasons other than birth control. For example, easing cramps, treating acne, etc. Do you think fundies would be ok with using the pill for that, if the woman wasn't sexually active or was infertile? And if not, what about the fact that there are tons of drugs that could potentially harm a fetus, but have useful medical benefits-- so are they categorically opposed to those drugs too?

[starfish]

From what I gather, they are against all uses of the pill. They think you should use some type of ineffective herbal remedy, such as eye of newt, for those pesky symptoms.

Part of their opposition has to do with the pill suppressing sexual desire on the part of women. They feel that the woman should never refuse her husband's sexual needs, and the pill interferes with that. The man has sexual needs which must satisfied at all times. Poor fundie man needs sex!

[VeraAnne]

If a woman isn't sexually active, then there's no reason to oppose it other than that it might not be the best medicine to treat her condition. There are some things that the pill makes better symptom wise, but doesn't actually heal, such as Endometriosis.

Otherwise, you do what you can to limit harm while treating your condition. If the condition can be treated in a way that isn't harmful to the child, you try that first. If it can't, then you take the drug. As long as the intent is to treat a condition and not to actively cause harm, it falls under the law of double effect.

I'm thinking specifically of using Methotrexate to treat RA. You would try to use safer drugs to treat the RA first, but if it got the point where nothing at all would stop the joint deteroriation, you take the drug that can cause miscarriage.

Now, some women themselves would refuse to get treatment because they would rather suffer the harm of the disease than do anything that could possibly cause harm. But when it comes to the generic pro-life answer to dangerous drugs during pregnancy, they pretty much default to double effect.

[CanadianHippie]

All the anti-pill people I have spoken to have been of the "well I have cramps/etc too and I don't need the pill I just deal with it" completely ignoring the fact that there are women for whom the cramps are so bad they can't even get out bed. I've heard people argue the "I deal with it" point of view against a woman who said her cramps were worse than labour.

[bananacat]

They'd probably just tell women to pray harder for the symptoms to go away, or they would claim that constant pregnancy and breastfeeding would cure any symptoms. Or they would just assume that certain women are being drama queens, making excuses to not have more children, or just being selfish for caring about their own comfort over the potential babies.

[Patsy]

Apart from those who follow the judgments from on high (what does Gothard think? What does Dougie think?) it'd be an individual thing influenced by culture. I know that for some, that 'appearance of evil' bullshit would rule, but I think others would be willing to allow for it, seeing as it's not actually doing tha bad things (contraception). Course if alleviating female suffering is one of tha bad things...

[Lainey]

Ha! Clearly these people have never experienced the joy of (grossness and TMI coming up, be warned):

having to, when using the washroom, hover over the toilet and then quickly yank your clothes down, because blood is pouring out of you and has been for the past six months, and if you don't do that, you'll get it on the floor and possibly on your clothes. Nor have they experienced once you sit down, and it sounds like you're peeing, but you haven't started to do that yet--it's just the blood again. And trying to clean yourself up afterwards, which is difficult. Nor have they, apparently, experienced having to wear two big, maximum-coverage pads, because if you don't, you'll have a wardrobe malfunction of a sort. And it NEVER stops.

And then you take the pill, and like magic, it's gone. Ahhh, sweet relief. You can be normal again.

[dairyfreelife]

Probably not. My Ob/gyn believes I have endometriosis. The pill actually can treat the condition, but not always. It does alleviate the symptoms. I tried diet and exercise, but nothing helped. Pain relievers, heat, teas, nothing eased my symptoms during my cycle. A week of every month was spent waiting for the awful pain to stop before. The pill did not take it all away, but it had made it bearable and only causes pain for a day or two instead of seven. I'll take it. The pill is the safest way to ease and treat something like endo. The other ways are more invasive and dangerous, including surgery and hormone therapy. I'd love to not need a pill. It's annoying to have to remember to take the thing every night and it messes with my mood a bit, making me emotional at times, but it's the price for less pain.

As for decreasing libido, it depends on the woman.

[dairyfreelife]

They'd probably just tell women to pray harder for the symptoms to go away, or they would claim that constant pregnancy and breastfeeding would cure any symptoms. Or they would just assume that certain women are being drama queens, making excuses to not have more children, or just being selfish for caring about their own comfort over the potential babies.

Yeah, except that many conditions that cause said symptoms also cause infertility, so good luck with that.

[Nomorearrows]

I think without the pill, I would have been suffering from serious, and I mean REALLY serious, anemia. I had a really really heavy period which caused my blood level to drop really low (I needed 2 blood transfusions! and I also couldn't walk without feeling dizzy and falling - really scary time), and then after I was discharged from the hospital, I took the pill. It was great and I've been getting regular periods ever since (It happened 2 years ago).

I agree with the poster who said that the family would probably think that the girls are being drama queens or overreacting or just wanting to stall the baby train.

[VeraAnne]

Dairyfree and Lainey, I might have said this before, but there's hope at the end of the tunnel when you're done having kids/if you never plan to have kids. Endometrial ablation can really help. The only down side is you have to know that you will never have any more children, because if you did get pregnant after having it done, you could face a life threatening condition where the placenta gets stuck to the uterus.

So sorry that you are having to deal with it, but glad you have some relief.

[ceg045]

I may be wrong on this (I've been pretty lucky with all things reproduction-related), but I think it was a roommate of mine in college who took the pill for medicinal reasons. She said that her dosage was low enough that it wouldn't be effective in preventing pregnancy--she wasn't supposed to rely on it as a means of contraception.

[uber frau]

I went to school with a girl whose parents refused to allow her to take the pill for acne-but things with more SE like vitA (which, ironically, comes with warnings to prevent pg for 2 years after discontinuing Tx because of the potential for tetragenic SEs) were fine. Another girl was eventually allowed to take it for endometriosis, but only after she had tried every other option short of iron infusions.

[debrand]

My 15 year old daughter has suffered with cramps and irregular periods since she started at age 11. Yes, she is on a low dose pill. It helps her and I feel no guilt over her taking it. She isn't sexually active and has never had a boyfriend.

I have no idea if this is related but both her siblings have commented on how sweet her mood has been lately. If you had met my grumpy daughter, you'd understand how exciting having her in a good mood is for our family. LOL

I imagine that my daughter would be shamed into silence or seen as being a bad child.

[emmiedahl]

And then you take the pill, and like magic, it's gone. Ahhh, sweet relief. You can be normal again.

Unfortunately, I know exactly what you are talking about. I have a set of dark blue towels (the rest are white) just so I don't stain up my others in the time it takes to dry enough to use feminine products.

[Wolfie]

I have times when I am mostly incapacitated by hormonal migraines. Those times also tend to coincide with occurances of ovarian cysts. Everything is so much better when I am on a low dose pill. I'm not even in a relationship right now and I take it religiously at the same time each day. Only occasional migraines now.

[AnnieC 305]

And then there are those of us who have to take massive doses of hormones and hormonal antagonists in order to keep the tiny benign tumors in our heads from trying to put us through a sex change. Seriously, if these people had their way and all hormones were banned I would have to move. No option, I am not going back to being unmedicated. Ever.

[1004srs]

One of my friends works for a Catholic school. Their health insurance would pay for the pill, if it was for medicinal purposes.

On the other hand, my Mom just had me suffer with cramps. (Hot tea, heating pad, midol, etc) I had them bad enough to stay home from school 2 days a month when I was in high school. Once I was on my own, I went on the pill. It sure did help.

[Lainey]

Unfortunately, I know exactly what you are talking about. I have a set of dark blue towels (the rest are white) just so I don't stain up my others in the time it takes to dry enough to use feminine products.

I don't have the problem anymore, thank Yasmin. But when I did, I was working, and that was very awkward. Somehow I managed, but it was difficult. And then there's the freaky feeling of knowing there's something very wrong, and not knowing exactly what it is (I hate going to the doctor...stupid, I know). I was starting to get a little weak and craving beef all the time (for iron, I guess...not sure) by the time I went. I'm surprised I wasn't weaker, actually, considering the amount of blood I was losing.

Whoever mentioned endometrial ablation, I am not sure what that is, but I don't seem to have endometriosis. I have PCOS. But no cysts. Weird, right? :confusion-shrug:

BTW: Not sure what caused this, but by the time I went back on the Pill, I was out of my mind. I knew there was something wrong when I was sobbing desperately and uncontrollably to my now-husband about all the pets I ever had from the time I was born, and how much I missed them all. :? ALL. Even the ones who've been dead for over 20 years. I mean, I couldn't handle it. I was hysterical. It was bizarre.

[buddingmedievalist]

My problem (I have endo and PCOS) is that I don't bleed at all on my own, so I need the pill to regulate my hormones enough to get a day or two of faint, faint bleeding. Right now I'm a single gal, but when I eventually get married and want to have kids, I don't know what I'll do

[Constance Vigilance]

No, because fundies don't care about women's health.

[mrs]

Hi, I'm new here but I've been reading the message boards for awhile.

I have a unique view on this. I went to the Catholic University of America and have been raised in a strict catholic family. During college, my roommate, who was even more conservative then myself experienced cramps that sent her monthly to the emergency room. Her mother approved the use of the pill, but there was no chance she would ever have the "opportunity" to get pregnant since she abstained till marriage.

So, maybe in that situation the pill would be purely used as medical treatment and be ok since there is no baby making opportunity.

I have personally been put in this situation since I have an irregular and cycle and wish to become pregnant. My husband and I practice the Catholic version of "family planning". Currently I am altering my exercise, diet and stress level in hopes of regulating my cycle. If that fails, my husband and I will cross the "pill as means of regulating your cycle so you can get pregnant" bridge then. :) I hope I provided some thoughtful insight, and will limited TMI in the future;)

Thanks.

[Crackedeggs]

My daughter can't tolerate oral contraceptives, but she uses a Nuva Ring, and it stops her horribly heavy periods and intense cramping.

As for fear of loss of libido.. I'm surprised the fundies don't outlaw menopause!

[bananacat]

When the pill regulates your periods, it also suppresses ovulation so I don't see how you expect it to help you get pregnant. I'm pretty sure the cycle regulation stops as soon as you stop the pill. I did know a Catholic boy in high school who thought that taking the pill for regular cycles would somehow magically still allow ovulation, but surely most people aren't as uninformed as he was.

[mrs]

LOL, IDK thats what my doctor told me. She said its important to have a regular cycle to get pregnant. I will have to do some more reading on it :) Hopefully life style changes will do the trick.

Thanks.