ANSWER by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM on June 3, 2004

Dear Becca: There are, to my understanding, no case in which birth contol pills must be used for other purposes other than the prevention of pregancy. In fact the only use of birth control approved by the Food and Drug Administration is "the prevention of pregnancy in women . . . as a method of contraception."* Some unapproved uses, considered experimental, include its use as a "morning after" pill (causing an early abortion), and for relief from the symptoms of mild endometriosis.** Sources: *Demulen (1992). Physicians’ Desk Reference, 2253. **Oral Contraceptives (Nov 1989 insert). Facts and Comparisons. 107c In addition there are MANY side-effects to the Pill including tumors and cancer. There just isn't any real reason to use the Pill for unapproved purposes of non-contraceptive purposes. Here are some excerpts of an answer to this question from Paul L. Hayes, M.D. when asked by one of the EWTN experts: "Birth Control for Medical Reasons" is a commonly used phrase indicating that contraceptive hormones are being used to treat a medical condition such as abnormal bleeding but this phrase is NOT intended to indicate that the contraception aspect of the hormones is the desired medical treatment. I personally disagree very strongly with the "use of birth control pills for medical reasons" as there are safe and legitimate alternatives that are not contraceptive to treat ANY of a woman's medical conditions... ...If a woman had such a severe medical condition that would make pregnancy dangerous, NFP is the only legitimate method approved by the Church as you can see that if you used contraceptive hormones to avoid pregnancy, regardless of the medical condition, you would be using them WITH contraceptive intent which is never permitted by the Church for any reason... ...the Church's stand in this area is uncompromising. Bottomline, as Dr. Hayes affirms, "there are safe and legitimate alternatives that are not contraceptive to treat ANY of a woman's medical conditions." I would check with the Couple to Couple League about finding a doctor who can prescribed the proper medication for your condition without resorting to contraceptives. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary