hello,

i am having a bit of a moral dilemma. i am VERY pro-life and i just gave birth to our firstborn a month ago via emergency c-section. my doctor told me that i should not get pregnant for at least 18 months to give my uterus time to heal. from what i understand, there is a risk of uterine rupture and premature labor if you get pregnant too soon after c/s. i asked my priest in Confession if it was allowable to be on the pill or some other form of contraception given the situation. he also knows that after i had a miscarriage a year ago, my doctor had suggested the possibility of putting me on the pill as a means of treating my depression/anxiety. i told her that i had felt better than i had in ages with the pregnancy hormones. i mentioned to my priest that at the moment being 4 weeks postpartum, i honestly felt good regarding depression/anxiety (hopefully it will stay that way and not go the other way!). my priest said that he thought that this situation needed a bit of prudence and that he thought it would be alright to be on the pill or such; that it would do me and my family a disservice if something bad should happen, and that it was good to focus on the child we have right now. though i thought it rather relieving at the time, it has been REALLY bothering me. i know contraception is wrong and a mortal sin unless for valid medical reasons. my husband (he is methodist)and i have used NFP in the past (for about a 1-1.5 years...we have been married for almost 3)until i had the miscarriage and became pregnant 3 months later. honestly, i am rather terrified of getting pregnant again too soon both for physical and emotional reasons. given all of this, should i follow my priests advice? i feel really horrible just for asking him if it was o.k. because a part of me wanted it to be so, and yet part of me was thinking in terms of medical necessity...i'm not quite sure what to think. any light you can shed on this matter (or any myths or misunderstandings to debunk) would be greatly appreciated. also, if he is in the wrong, what do i do then?? thank you for your time! peace in Christ:) becks:)

Dear Becks :)

Here is the response from Dr. Anthony Dardano who is an ob/gyn:

I vividly remember some 40 odd years ago as a young intern, asking a senior gynecologist a question as we were scrubbing up for a cesarean section. I asked, "Dr. XXXXX. how long would you recommend this patient wait before she can get pregnant again?" He replied, "young man-that question shows me you know nothing about wound healing. The fibroblasts are laid down to form the scar within 10 days. The wound will never get any stronger after that". Of course over the years, my teacher's advice proved to be very true. Theoretically, by the time normal menses has resumed through the first cycle, the uterus is functionally able to repeat the pregnancy process.

Of course most women are not financially, emotionally, or practically ready but that is another issue. I therefore disagree with both the physician who recommends waiting 18 months and the priest who would allow contraception. I do not believe your health would be in jeopardy with another pregnancy now nor do I feel that the principle of double effect would apply here to allow contraceptive use. The pill would not be a medical therapy with the secondary effect of infertility. The usage would be primarily for a contraceptive purpose and therefore not permitted. The very fact you are troubled with the decision to use contraception means that you would be going against your own conscience. Going against your own formed conscience of course is what constitutes sin. Go back to using NFP. Since the accuracy of NFP might be off post partum, I suggest investing in an over the counter ovulation detector. This simple morning urine test predicts ovulation and is a great boon for those using NFP as well as to those trying to conceive. Finally pray to Our Lady that She might give you the graces to handle your dilemma in a morally acceptable way. She won't let you down.

Anthony N Dardano, MD, FACOG, FACS

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