Thursday, May 01, 2008

The Pill

**If you didn't see pictures of the kiddos from yesterday's post (I posted late), be sure to scroll down past this post.

Back in 2002 I stopped taking "the pill"...you know, the little one that prevents babies from entering your uterus when you don't feel they should. A while after that, for whatever reason, I did a tiny bit of research about that pill. I never had before.

I had heard people say before that the pill caused abortions. I, of course, dismissed those people as being a little on the extremist side...never gave it much thought to be quite honest. I mean, come on, everyone took the pill...geez-a-loo (as Frank Barrone would say).

Well, in my tiny (and I do mean tiny) bit of research, I found a few things that really did substantiate those "extremists'" claims. I found that some BCPs (birth control pills) had 3 actions:
1. inhibition of ovulation
2. inhibition of sperm transport
3. production of a "hostile endometrium", which presumably prevents or disrupts implantation of the developing baby if the first two mechanisms fail

I actually sent out an email (didn't have a blog) when I found that out to many of my friends. I was shocked and appalled. The first 2 are fine, but if they fail and the 3rd action is used to prevent pregnancy, well...if you believe that a life is formed when a sperm meets an egg, and that joined sperm and egg is then prevented from implanting by that "hostile endometrium"...that is abortion folks.

O.K., so in my very limited research at that time, for some reason I was left with the impression that not all birth control pills are this way. I tabled that research...we were in full baby mode for the next few years...until now. We are still in baby mode obviously since we have a few around here, but as mentioned before, we are praying about what to do...yes, still in prayer stages on that one. Quiver full philosophy? Should we prevent? Is prevention O.K., but only with the natural family planning/fertility awareness method? Oh, the questions turn over and over in my mind...still. We will get answers as we do about everything else. He doesn't just leave us hanging, thankfully.

But, just wanted to bring this out. For one thing, well, IF we should choose to "prevent," this is by far my method of choice. But also, really wanted to ask all of you because I know tons of great super-Godly people who use this little pill daily. I look at this research that I've done (again, a bit limited, but more thorough than before) and I'm left with the question, "what the heck do I do with this...there's no ignoring it." So, if all these great people are using it, I can think of one of 3 options why:
1. they don't know this information
2. they don't believe it or just don't care...it works for them
3. they have found this to actually be untrue...all birth control pills are not abortifacient

So...dear people out there in blogland...help me out. Seriously, tell me what you know. My resources are pretty limited and my time even more limited, so what gives (don't you love that Happy Days phrase)?

Here are just a few of the websites that Google gave me when searching out some answers:

http://www.aaplog.org/collition.htm
http://www.prolife.com/BIRTHCNT.html
http://www.epm.org/articles/bcp3300.html
http://www.pfli.org/faq_oc.html
http://www.days.org/birthcontrol.html
http://www.jimanddoni.com/ChooseLife/FactsAboutBC/FactsAboutBc.asp

Oh, there are so many other things that my mind is containing concerning this subject. I might just have to do a series on this topic.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Michawn. We are in the prevention mode as well. We are going with NFP/abstinence. Yep, I said abstinence. It's harder for R than for me, because, well, breastfeeding!
Anyway, if that's tmi sorry.
We have discussed the use of condoms. At least you choose to keep the sperm out, instead of allowing fertilization. Generally, we only use a condom when I am fertile (NFP), but we may just use one every time now, at least until I have regained my health through weight loss.

Wendy said...

I stopped taking it in 2002 also. My reason was that it made me feel weird--just not myself. I had a lot of friends telling me that the synthetic hormones were not good for me. Since I was feeling so bad, I didn't research or anything and just quit taking them. Then my Catholic friend told me about the whole abortion issue and gave me websites to look up the info on it. Everything I read backed her up. I didn't search out different websites. I would love to know what facts anyone can find out about this as I am contemplating started them up again to help with heavy periods.

The Cochran Fam said...

Hi Michawn. I have been reading your blog for a while but never commented. I am currently 9 months pregnant (due in 2 weeks)so I haven't had to think about birth control for a while. I just came across two sister-in-laws blogs that are doing a series on birth control. They mentioned the BCP causing abortions too. I had never heard that before. They have provided a lot of research, a lot of it from Christian sources. You should check them out:

http://www.amberburger.blogspot.com/

http://phylldaniels.blogspot.com/

Amanda said...

I can't wait to look at the research others have done. Johan did a research project at Dallas Christian college, and his findings were the same. He said he found that some functioned in that third aborting way, but some didn't. He said his research called it "making the uterus inhabitable." I remember your email and light research, and neither of my doctors in the past 5 years seemed to acknowledge what I was talking about when I brought it up as being legitimate. But, I went ahead and took the pill with their guarantee that the type I was taking didn't do that. You see, I have to be on the pill for my PCOS. It's better for my hormone imbalance to be balanced by the pill when we're not pregnant, nursing, or trying. That stuff about making the uterus reject the baby (yes I believe once the sperm meets the egg there's a baby) is just not cool and no one tells you that, of course. We never did pursue which ones where aborting. I thought what I was on was okay, but now I think I should have done more research. Can't wait to see what others have found out. In a year I need to get on a pill with more assurance this time of what's best. What a great topic!

kris said...

interesting!
never liked the pill...it made me *potzo*

Steph said...

correct me if i'm wrong. so you are saying that your research leads you to believe that ALL bc pills cause woman to basically have abortions unknowingly. and that my doctor lied to me when he said "no" we asked if the particular "pill" i was getting on after having mattie caused abortions. i at the moment am not on "the pill", but would like some education on this subject.

JennATingle said...

I tried to research Yaz and Lybrel the 2 that I have taken since having my kiddos... still need to do more searching but on the Yaz website it says...

YAZ (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol), a combination birth control pill, contains two types of hormones: an estrogen and a progestin. Combination pills are the type of birth control pills most commonly prescribed by healthcare professionals. Combination pills work in two ways:

Birth control "tricks" the body into thinking it is pregnant. This prevents the release of an egg (ovulation). Without an egg to be fertilized, you can't become pregnant.

The cervical mucus is thickened, making it hard for sperm to travel toward the egg and fertilize it, in case an egg is released.

... I think most b/c pills run the risk of miscarriage if you do become pregnant while on the pill but there has to be a difference in that and the pill having the 3rd job of aborting. I'll keep researching!