tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post3005769797224234658..comments2024-03-09T00:51:33.602-07:00Comments on Little Catholic Bubble: The Pill: Masking vs. HealingLeila@LittleCatholicBubblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-3433089502583621692013-11-24T18:16:14.683-07:002013-11-24T18:16:14.683-07:00For the record, this comment was posted by an M.D....For the record, this comment was posted by an M.D. specializing in the treatment of endometriosis. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-47416319270293397492013-11-24T17:53:37.200-07:002013-11-24T17:53:37.200-07:00I believe that good ethics is good medicine.
It do...I believe that good ethics is good medicine.<br />It does not make sense that hormonal suppression which can be contraceptive and abortifacient would be the best medical option. <br /><br />Endometriosis is a good example of this.<br /><br />Hormonal suppression through birth control pills (inducing a chemical pregnancy) or by injections like Lupron (inducing a chemical menopause) are symptomatic treatments at best, at least while on them.<br /><br />However, hormonal suppression DOES NOT diagnose endometriosis, remove endometriosis, prevent progression or recurrence, nor help fertility.<br /><br />Please see this article for more details and references:<br />http://endometriosis.org/news/opinion/endometriosis-morbidity-can-it-be-prevented-with-early-diagnosis-and-complete-excision/<br /><br />Traditionally, it was presumed that women who felt better while on hormonal suppression had endometriosis (which is thought be to hormonally activated). However, we now know that lack of response to hormonal suppression when taken for pain almost guarantees having endometriosis among adolescents:<br />http://www.obgynnews.com/single-view/endometriosis-found-in-98-of-adolescents-with-chronic-pelvic-pain/ff01a6c55e074ee763eda711107dc6d1.html<br /><br />Modern medicine is recognizing that a delay of diagnosis and intervention (and the use of hormonal suppression for symptomatic relief without a diagnosis is part of that)<br />http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23739215<br /><br />Clearly, the status quo of hormonal suppression (which is the standard way to treat adolescents and women with pelvic pain) is not working. We can and need to do better for women.<br /><br />If hormonal suppression were sufficient, there wouldn't be such an effort to promote awareness of this disease and to encourage early intervention:<br />http://www.endofound.org/<br />http://www.millionwomanmarch2014.org/Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16661269574886536984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-41834289176894072002013-11-23T20:12:13.921-07:002013-11-23T20:12:13.921-07:00Hahahaha. Oh good. I can dig that! Start a whole n...Hahahaha. Oh good. I can dig that! Start a whole new brand. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15188319685568262029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-19743550783538011032013-11-23T18:12:20.121-07:002013-11-23T18:12:20.121-07:00Leila - I will give you the short answer of option...Leila - I will give you the short answer of options for infertility treatment that is morally acceptable. <br /><br />1. For many couples simply charting is enough so that they can recognize their fertile times, and use fertility focused intercourse. This is often very effective as many women ovulate at different times and when they weren't expecting it!<br />2. Vitamins and supplements are often used - specific ones based on circumstances<br />3. Medications to increase ovulation (clomid or femara) - these are very effective methods of ovulation induction and morally acceptable<br />4. Injectable medications to increase ovulation - these are riskier but effective and morally ok, as the marital act remains at the center of this treatment (making this very different from IVF treatments)<br />5. Luteal phase progesterone support - timed appropriately with a cycle<br /><br />This is not an exhaustive list, but at least gives you a good idea of the treatments we offer.<br />Mike Czerkeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08445008549365367211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-285328958628784612013-11-23T16:27:09.503-07:002013-11-23T16:27:09.503-07:00As for the medical issues, NaPro has helped many p...As for the medical issues, NaPro has helped many people, but it's NOT the only option. My wife had a very bad experience with Creighton Model/NaProTechnology. It's not a cure-all, but has it's own benefits and drawbacks. It seems to be more focused on pregnancy achievement than on quality of life. <br /><br />Fortunately, we've had more success with a Billings Method based program. (BTW, the Billings Method website is fantastic.) <br /><br />Don't rule out non-sectarian sources either. Alisa Vitti has a nutritional program to treat many cycle issues that sprang from her own experience with PCOS.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16426782100196550563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-74392062104193688682013-11-23T16:13:32.748-07:002013-11-23T16:13:32.748-07:00James, I hope I made that clear in the OP when I s...James, I hope I made that clear in the OP when I said:<br /><br /><i>I want to be clear: There is nothing inherently immoral about taking the Pill to ease the symptoms of a disorder.</i><br /><br />That doesn't mean that the Pill is generally good medicine, even if there are times when it can be used licitly. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-32430111272122650402013-11-23T16:09:46.085-07:002013-11-23T16:09:46.085-07:00http://www.revolutionoflove.com/mamas/articles/nfp...http://www.revolutionoflove.com/mamas/articles/nfp/bc_unsafe.html<br /><br />Is Birth Control Safe for My Body?<br />by Bobbi<br /> <br /><br />Your Body Ecology<br />I read a small pamphlet the other day called "Your Body Ecology". It stated the following:<br /><br />"Our body ecology is the natural balance of the inner environment of our body and the way it reacts to how we care for it. Just as we can disrupt nature on the planet by one single pollutant, we can disrupt the delicate balance of the inner environment of our bodies. We often fail to realize that the hormonal cycles that control our reproductive system also affect every part of our physical and mental well being. An offense against our reproductive system therefore is a serious offense against our general health."<br /><br />This statement makes incredible sense, particularly when you see all the damage that artificial contraceptives can do to a woman’s body. This is something that many women (both Christians and non-religious) are beginning to realize. Without talking morals into consideration, they are seeing that birth control is wrecking havoc within their bodies.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Chemical Contraceptives<br />The main forms of artificial contraception are made up of two types of artificial steroids that mimic the effects of the naturally occurring hormones, estrogen and progesterone. (Some make use of synthetic estrogen and progesterone and others use synthetic progesterone only.) These chemical contraceptives can be taken orally (i.e. the Pill, the mini-Pill), injected (i.e. Depo-Provera), or inserted under one’s skin (i.e. Norplant).<br /><br />Their effectiveness relies on three mechanisms. Only the first two actually prevent fertilization (the conception of a baby.) The last works as an abortifacient if a baby is conceived. The mechanisms are the following:<br /><br />Preventing ovulation from occurring.<br />Changing the cervical mucus to prevent or delay the sperm from entering the uterus.<br />Preventing the implantation (nidation) of a newly conceived baby onto the lining of the mother’s womb by changing the endometrium (lining). The unborn child is then aborted.<br />(Note: According to Dr. Bogomir Kuhar, in Infant Homicides Through Contraceptives, it has been estimated by various sources that the third abortifacient mechanism comes into play anywhere form two to ten percent of female cycles per year. These forms of birth control take an estimated 8.1 to 12.75 million newly conceived lives each year.)<br /><br />These contraceptives work diligently at transforming a woman’s once fertile and baby-nurturing body into hostile ground. The normal womanly functions of ovulation, thinning of the cervical mucus to better aid sperm, and the protection of a newly conceived child within her body has been turned completely upside down. Altering a woman’s fertility so radically comes with a price. There are numerous side effects ranging from the annoying to the deadly.<br /><br />Because the Pill using hormones to make a woman’s body believe that it is pregnant (that’s why she doesn’t ovulate) she often experiences the same symptoms that a newly pregnant woman would - moodiness, weight gain, water retention, nausea and lowering of the sex drive. Other side effects include headaches, increased PMS symptoms, cramps, eye disturbances, liver tumors, cancers, high blood pressure, circulation disorders and blood clotting, and future temporary and permanent infertility. Side effects for injected and inserted contraceptives are similar.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Maria Theresehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383883031468303487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-48660797486685788072013-11-23T16:05:36.225-07:002013-11-23T16:05:36.225-07:00
Please read the posts my dear Catholic friend Bob...<br />Please read the posts my dear Catholic friend Bobbi wrote several years ago on birth control:<br /><br />http://www.revolutionoflove.com/mamas/articles/nfp/wrong_bc.html<br /><br />http://www.revolutionoflove.com/mamas/articles/nfp/bc_unsafe.html<br /><br /><br />Maria Theresehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383883031468303487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-58391697311826772842013-11-23T16:00:26.480-07:002013-11-23T16:00:26.480-07:00Let's not confuse medical issues with moral is...Let's not confuse medical issues with moral issues.<br /><br />Pope Pius XII addressed the Catholic position on medical uses of the Pill when it first came out. (Sadly, there is no better English language source.) <br /><br />http://www.pamphlets.org.au/australia/acts1454.html<br /><br />Humanae Vitae 15 reiterates this.<br /><br />As for the abortifacient issue, the possibility of the Pill having any post-conception effect is theoretical and highly unlikely. Essentially, the hormonal effects of completed ovulation (which is a sign the Pill isn't working) and from the newly conceived embryo are far stronger than those of the Pill. Furthermore, a woman with a severe ovulatory disorder that would require such treatment is far more likely to miscarry off the Pill than on it, because she wouldn't be ovulating or conceiving on the Pill.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16426782100196550563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-50072183758342156242013-11-23T15:45:56.975-07:002013-11-23T15:45:56.975-07:00Maria, you know how sorry I am about your situatio...Maria, you know how sorry I am about your situation. :(<br />I agree with M., can you consider foster/adopt? That is not an expensive route to take to become a mother to children who need a safe home.Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-79836749558632610842013-11-23T15:33:34.492-07:002013-11-23T15:33:34.492-07:00I am so sorry, I didn't mean to go on about it...I am so sorry, I didn't mean to go on about it or get emotional, but it hurts. Hopefully some of you can understand and use what I've shared here to help (and pray for) others. May God Bless! Praying for all of us! Maria https://www.blogger.com/profile/01620122996830327060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-78385880871549786042013-11-23T15:27:32.284-07:002013-11-23T15:27:32.284-07:00I am sorry, but I just can't keep thinking - i...I am sorry, but I just can't keep thinking - if only I was properly diagnosed in my twenties or thirties, had that surgery to remove that so called "functional cyst", ect. Maybe then I would have a houseful of children (I would have accepted as many as God wanted to send!). But it's too late for me. And I think God's answer to all the prayers I said since I was in my thirties, was a painful no. I do not understand why. I used to wonder - am I being punished? Is it because of something I've done? I don't think so. I think I've been a pretty good Catholic all my life - not perfect, but pretty good. I have been a daycare teacher for twenty six years and given my whole life to help children. I still don't understand why I can't even have one. All I can think of is that because my endometriosis stage four developed from age 11 until 41 when I was finally treated, it somehow devastated my womb and conceiving is next to impossible. That's what I've been told. It's not easy to accept this, but what really helps me tremendously is praying for others, praying the rosary, and concentrating on the blessings I have been given like my husband. <br /><br />All I want are two things:<br /><br />1) For physicians to be trained better to recognize the symptoms of endometriosis.<br /><br />2) For all women to know that it's NOT normal for your period to be painful and if it is, to seek proper medical care (and if a doctor doesn't listen to you, seek a second opionion, a third, a fourth, ect. if you have to until someone listens!).<br /><br />3) For all women to know that the pill is NOT the answer!<br /><br />Maria https://www.blogger.com/profile/01620122996830327060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-4858410056976781032013-11-23T15:27:04.845-07:002013-11-23T15:27:04.845-07:00I'm so sorry to hear about your story, Maria. ...I'm so sorry to hear about your story, Maria. Can you do foster care? Many foster parents end up being able to keep the children they care for. You usually get state support for foster care (including medicaid for the child). Also, these children are usually the kids who really need it (they were abused, their parents are drug addicts, etc). I can't tell you the number of children I treat in the ER who I just WISH I could take home with me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08701043942979791482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-90584023709375973152013-11-23T15:17:49.060-07:002013-11-23T15:17:49.060-07:00As for my story with living with endometriosis, as...As for my story with living with endometriosis, as far back as I can remember my cycle has always been very painful. I thought it was normal for your cycle to be painful so I never complained. I suffered silently. I very rarely called in sick during my cycle and only a few times the pain was so bad that I couldn't move from my bed. All my life I had to take pain killers every day of my period. I also knew when I ovulated because that was painful too. Sadly, when I was in my thirties and had a CAT scan done for a kidney stone, they first noticed a cyst on my ovaries. They kept saying "we don't know if it's cancer", which scared me so much. They said they would have to watch it and if it grew, I would need surgery. I was sent over to a GYN who scared me even more giving me the CAT-25 test for ovarian cancer. I saw that GYN three times, she would give me an exam every time, but that was it. No mention of my needing a surgery or endometriosis was ever mentioned by any of these medical doctors. The one time I mentioned I had painful periods in my thirties my primary physician's response was: "Take three Aleve!" Again, no mention was ever made that I might have endometriosis. Nothing! No diagnosis or treatment ever given - just CAT scans and follow up visits to keep an eye on the cyst. I was told by my primary physician that many women develop them and they are called "functional cysts."<br /><br />So a couple of years past, I'm praying 54 day rosary novenas to meet a good Catholic man to marry and for the grace to be able to have children someday (I can't hardly write that without bursting into tears. Do you know when I was single and being treated for this cyst I had several dreams where I am pregnant and give birth to a child and wake up relieved? That was my fear - a fear of NOT being able to have children after getting married.), I meet a wonder Catholic man, we get married, we try to have children, we say no to IVF, birth control, even an offer from a friend to be a surrogate for us. And you know what? My fear, my worst nightmare came true - here I am at age 47, happily married, diagnosed with endometriosis at age 41, , and my arms and my womb is still empty except I have a womb full of endo. Sad! For several years of marriage, I used to cry myself to sleep over this. But seriously, what can I do? I'm 47 now and in hormonal decline. There is nothing I can do. We can't adopt. We simply don't have the $$$. Maria https://www.blogger.com/profile/01620122996830327060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-7291264784957936052013-11-23T15:09:31.949-07:002013-11-23T15:09:31.949-07:00Thanks, M! I understand now what you were saying. ...Thanks, M! I understand now what you were saying. <br /><br />I wonder if Mike can speak to the issue of morally licit options for treatment of infertility when endometriosis is the culprit (treatments other than surgery). Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-63876817662182418142013-11-23T14:52:20.281-07:002013-11-23T14:52:20.281-07:00Maria: At present, the pathogenesis of endometrio...Maria: At present, the pathogenesis of endometriosis is unclear. There are several <b>theories</b> about how is starts, but not one of them is proven. An autoimmune etiology is only one of them (and is actually not the most commonly accepted theory) , so your "secular" doctor was not lying to you. I doubt that someone's "secular" nature has any bearing on the quality of medical care they will give. I consider myself to be a Catholic physician, but I have several non-religious (as in either agnostic or even atheist) colleagues who I would entrust my life to.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08701043942979791482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-37331217639914421662013-11-23T14:43:52.526-07:002013-11-23T14:43:52.526-07:00Leila: I'm thinking you may have either misund...Leila: I'm thinking you may have either misunderstood something I said or someone else said that, because I really don't have the experience (or knowledge) to make such a claim. My specialty is Emergency medicine, so infertility treatments are really WAY out of my scope of practice. The only thing I think I may have said that may have given you that impression was my objections to the way the NaPro website presented their own infertility treatment data against other non-NaPro methods (which included IVF).<br />It's so funny how God works, though. I had been reading up a lot about this area because I just attended a day-long conference on Catholic Bioethics which was sponsored by my local St. Luke's Guild, (a group of Catholic healthcare professionals). We spent LOTS of time on stuff like IVF and infertility treatments.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08701043942979791482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-64301203303776936592013-11-23T14:12:49.885-07:002013-11-23T14:12:49.885-07:00Amen! Love your blog!
Soon after getting married ...Amen! Love your blog!<br /><br />Soon after getting married at age 41(Thanks to the 54 day rosary novena! God and the Blessed Mother are the BEST match makers! Please come visit my blog?), I was diagnosed with endometriosis stage four. I needed two surgeries (My first one was with a secular ob/gyn who did not do a very good job, according to my Napro doctor. He just drained the cysts on my ovaries - he did NOT take them out. A year later, the cysts returned and I needed another surgery - this time with a surgeon my Napro doctor highly recommended!). I was told that I needed a prescription for the pill in order to control it. I told them, "No, thank you! I'm NOT taking that!" Thank God, I found a wonderful Napro doctor in my state (we have to travel three hours to see him, but he is worth it!) who recommended the Creighton Method and has a clue how to properly treat endo which is an auto immune disease (Secular doctors will try to argue with you and tell you it is not.). I also was told by another secular doctor that because I have endo, I need to have my uterus taken out because we seem to have a higher chance of developing ovarian cancer. Again, I consulted my Napro doctor and he told me: "No! You do not need to have your uterus taken out!" I love and trust my Napro doctor. I do not trust the secular doctors so much anymore. <br /><br />I highly recommend learning the Creighton method AND being treated by a Napro trained doctor especially if you have endometriosis, pcos, or any other reproductive disorder. My heart goes out to us all! Praying for all of us! <br /><br />Maria https://www.blogger.com/profile/01620122996830327060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-92221001226156106732013-11-23T13:37:58.855-07:002013-11-23T13:37:58.855-07:00M. Albinoni, you had mentioned (if I remember corr...M. Albinoni, you had mentioned (if I remember correctly) that other treatments for endo-based infertility might be more effective than surgery. Could you elaborate on those treatments? I immediately assumed you were talking about IVF and that opens up a whole new discussion, but I may be wrong in assuming that. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-77264290534193077622013-11-23T13:06:21.570-07:002013-11-23T13:06:21.570-07:00"...endo can not be diagnosed any other way t...<i>"...endo can not be diagnosed any other way than through surgery."</i><br /><br />You are right in saying that in the sense that laparoscopy is the most sensitive method (and the gold standard) for diagnosis. It is also often therapeutic because if a surgeon sees implants during the laparoscopy, the obviously they will go ahead and remove them! It is also the only way you can determine staging, but many women are treated for endometriosis without laparoscopic confirmation. You can make a clinical diagnosis by taking a good history and physical, and/or doing imaging studies. An ultrasound may pick up large endometriomas, but a pelvic MRI would be much more sensitive. Surgery is an invasive procedure. If a woman responds to medical management, why would you cut a hole in her abdomen? Again, <i>your</i> personal experience does not translate into the experience of every other patient with endometriosis. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08701043942979791482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-45047086801364374552013-11-23T11:21:55.874-07:002013-11-23T11:21:55.874-07:00Sew, You'll just have to take my word for it, ...Sew, You'll just have to take my word for it, then. I assure you I <b>do</b> have a medical degree. :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08701043942979791482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-87244522504753758202013-11-23T09:45:59.701-07:002013-11-23T09:45:59.701-07:00What gives your life, thoughts, words and actions ...<i>What gives your life, thoughts, words and actions structure, and especially, purpose and meaning? Be nice now and tell!</i><br /><br />My faith. <br /><br />Ok. This time I really will stop. Damn OCD!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06976342950011924171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-56706661485225814792013-11-23T08:51:36.324-07:002013-11-23T08:51:36.324-07:00Oh, but Professor, those things you recommend I cr...Oh, but Professor, those things you recommend I cross out of my life are precisely the things that give my life - and all that I think , say and do - structure and purpose and meaning! <br /><br />What gives your life, thoughts, words and actions structure, and especially, purpose and meaning? Be nice now and tell!Francis Choudhuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01146223983345452362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-71637769402791209002013-11-23T08:34:45.179-07:002013-11-23T08:34:45.179-07:00Bill, surely you have sensed that the frustration ...Bill, surely you have sensed that the frustration with your comments has a common theme (even from those who have come out of lurkdom to comment): You throw out your opinions as facts. You back nothing up. This is annoying, and it's completely non-productive. It adds nothing to the discussion. We get your opinions, we have heard them numerous times. But if you can't back them up with logic or <i>something</i> other than "Bill believes it, therefore it's true", then please stop. <br /><br />It's not that we don't like you and don't want you to be happy. It's that people are busy and it gets tiring. I would not be surprised if I have lost readers on these threads where you go on and on about the same exact things, offering your subjective opinion and nothing more. Leila@LittleCatholicBubblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09357573787143230160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240447238522390484.post-31192349683670929932013-11-23T08:07:13.911-07:002013-11-23T08:07:13.911-07:00Francis,
Just make a list of what things you cons...Francis,<br /><br />Just make a list of what things you consider life to be all about and then just cross out what I said that it is no about. That's what it's about. You probably live that way anyway. I'm sure you don't walk around thinking about how you can get into Heaven and minimize your time in Purgatory. You might think about that every now and then. Just don't. It's not relevant. Just be the best person you can be and feel good about being that way. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06976342950011924171noreply@blogger.com