How do you feel about Birth Control?

[christina21 10]

Hi ladies,

 

Well, this is some thread huh? Lol.

Just wanted to see what my sisters in Christ think about birth control as a married woman. I am using the Natural Family Planning method. It has worked, so far.

What are your thoughts on BC? Why?

[heathbar 10]

i'm all for it. i dont know your situation but everybody i know that uses natural family planning has 4,5,6 + kids and they have all said it works so IDK

[brysonsmom 10]

I've always been on the pill. When we wanted to have a baby, I went off of the pill & got pregnant within 5 months. Our son is 6 mos. old now and I've just started taking the pill again. I like it....It's the easiest for me, but I know everyone is different. (I also need to take it because I've had endometriosis in the past. After surgery, staying on the pill has helped keep the endo under control so I really don't have any problems with it anymore. It didn't even interfere with me getting pregnant. That was an answer to prayer!)

[christina21 10]

Well, my husband and I have been using the NTP for almost two years. We weren't saved when we started dating, and a year into our relationship or so we stopped using condoms. I tired the pill and it made me sick everyday for two months. So I stopped. After we got saved, I started looking to the NTP and when we got married, I started it. We have been married for almost 6 months now, and it has worked. I guess I'm not a believer in BC. Or anything hormonal.

 

But don't you think that God is behind things?

I know a lot of people that use NTP and they have so many kids.

But what if God wants them to have all those kids? Afterall, the Bible says kids are a blessing. I mean, aren't be doing harm in our bodies for putting hormonal things into it? Just a thought?

[brysonsmom 10]

I guess it's different for everyone. Not everyone likes the thought of taking hormones....but I prefer taking bc pills over anything else. Some people have convictions against it and others don't, so I guess everyone has to just find what works for them. Had I not been on them for several years after my surgery for endometriosis, I probably wouldn't have been able to get pregnant and have my son because they helped stop the endo from coming back (Endometriosis can cause infertility...and mine was pretty bad).

 

So, I guess we just find what works for us and go with that.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[jamesmommy 10]

what is the Natural Family Planning method? I haven't ever heard of that before. I used to take the pill for a short time and never had any problems with it. But my husband and I only used it for a short time and then I quit. We have been together almost four years (only married for one and a half) and I didn't get pregnant until two years and that was once we actually started trying. Now as a christian I wonder to about that if I should get back on it or leave it to God. Right now I am kind of just leaving it to God, I feel like he will only give me as many kids I am meant to have. And he never gives us anything we can't handle. I agree with Bryonsmom though, it has to be a personal choice. My mom and my husbands mom both got pregnant with us while taking the pill so I guess even the pill won't stop God if he wants you to have a baby lol.

[pray4kids 10]

Loaded question!! But a great discussion. Birth control caused my yeast infection to spread throughout my whole body, which resulted from candida, which took a year of a very strict diet to finally get rid of the candida. So, for that reason, I'm not into the pill anymore. We've used other forms of BC.

 

I believe when I stand before the Lord someday, that He isn't going to be harsh with us about the BC we choose. I also know that if your conscience is not settled, that isn't good. You have to do what you feel comfortable with. If you feel it's a sin, then go with that conviction. If not, be at peace. I certainly don't believe this for everything, but for things of this nature not explicitly in the scriptures, it's best to go with your convictions.

[christina21 10]

Great answers! I am pretty much leaving it to God. I don't want to say I'm against it or for it. Like jamesmommy said, God will give me as many kids as he thinks I was meant to have. And even if we take the the shot, we might end up with 6! Lol. But good answers, and yes, I do think it's a personal choice. Since hormonal birth control methods, and not for me, I want to trust God and let him control my body in that matter.

[onfire4jesus 10]

I was on the shot for 2 years. It took me 2 years and 4 months to get pregnant again. I do not see no harm in using birth control. God has given the doctors knowledge of birth control and the different methods that are out there. I would say that would be the best is to trust God and leave everything in his hands. He knows what is best for us. God bless.

 

Onfire4jesus

[becky84 10]

I have been wondering about this myself. I have a very strong history of cancer in my family, so hormonal versions of birth control make me nervous. I feel like it's not good to change the natural rhythm of your body, because that's when your cells can start to go haywire. That said, I am on NuvaRing right now. And it makes me nervous. But I'm afraid to go off of it, because we already have 2 kids and can't afford any more.

 

We didn't use any birth control when we got married, and I got pregnant in 6 months. Then I went on birth control, mostly under pressure from my GYN because she said I WOULD get pregnant again if I didn't take it. Not what a mom of a 1-month-old wants to hear! So I took the pill for a while, and kept forgetting to take it, etc., so I tried NuvaRing. When we decided to have another baby, I took the ring out and got pregnant on the first try. I am scared that if I do not use birth control, I will just keep having one kid after another, and we can't afford more kids. We would love to have a big family someday but we are still trying to get some sort of savings and stop living paycheck to paycheck. We've been married for 5 years, I am only 24, and we already have 2 kids. I am a stay-at-home mom and plan to homeschool; my husband is trying to get another job because he hates his welding job and he has skin cancer from welding. He is only 25!

 

I don't know what to do about birth control either. We have talked about maybe just using "natural" methods and hoping we don't get pregnant until we are better established, but that is risky because if we have another child we will not be able to afford the cost. I feel terrible because on the one end I am not trusting God with this area of my life, which I know is a sin. On the other end, what if it's God's will that we live in a shack on the side of the road with 12 kids?

[heathbar 10]

I feel terrible because on the one end I am not trusting God with this area of my life, which I know is a sin. On the other end, what if it's God's will that we live in a shack on the side of the road with 12 kids?

 

 

not sure why you feel that, and I highly doubt that it is God's will for you to have 12 kids while living on the side of the road.

 

I think it's admirable that you are taking responsibility and not having kids right now that you can't afford. So many people do careless things and then say well it must be God's will instead of taking responsibility. The only thing I think is God's will in life is that we use the intelligence he gave us instead of hiding behind his "will"

[AshleyL 10]

I think this is such an interesting topic! I believe each person needs to come to a decision on their own through prayer and research.

 

I personally do not believe that contraception is a sin, but I believe limiting the number of kids that we have out of selfish motivation is what is sinful, and anything abortive of course (which some BC pills are, so i would check them out carefully, esp any low-dose hormone pill or mini-pill... there is some debate about all BC pills being potentially abortive, so I would recommend reading about that and developing your convictions on the issue...aka whether or not you believe that there is a potential abortifacent property to all BC pills.)

 

That said though, i do think there are some very acceptable reasons to use the knowledge that we have about how reproduction works in order to prevent pregnancy in non-abortive ways. My real-life example is that our family feels very strongly that we have been called to serve in ministry in Russia. I also know that living daily life here is very hard and given my personal capacity, the size of home available to us, constant travel, etc., I don't think I could be the quality of mother that I feel God is calling me to be if I were to have more children at this time. I love children though, and I am not being selfish by not having more, but rather want to do a quality job at mothering in the midst of the challenges of where we live. We will have more kids, but we are spacing them perhaps more than we would in the US because of the hard lifestyle here and the fact that this culture is not designed to easily accommodate people with more than one or two children. Other reasons to try to prevent pregnancy would be illness, marriage problems, trying to raise children with special needs that require much attention, finances (and I mean true hardship), etc.

 

All that to say, I don't believe contraception is a sin, but I do think that children are a blessing and if our reasons for limiting pregnancies are selfish, we are not believing what God says in His word. Not all reasons for planning family size and spacing are a sin though.

 

Ashley

www.formissionarymoms.com

[SumKay 10]

I am on the pill and feel that it's not a sin to have some type of BC. If God wants you to have a child he's going to give it to you whether you take BC or not.

 

God can not contol our free will. Some people live saying "God will bless us with as many children as He wants..." and they are the ones with 10 kids!!! Once you have your mind set, God can not change that, that's your free will.

 

All you can do is pray about it and ask for His help. He will set you in the right direction!

 

If you feel like you are done having kids, whether it's financially, or you're just happy with you have, take the responsiblity and find a BC that works best for you.

[mommajean 10]

This is a great subject. If you or anyone out there is looking for a new type of birth control I highly recomend an IUD, implanted in to your uterus, you never have to think about it, and for me anyway it all but did away with my periods. It is good for five years or you can have it removed earlier if you want to try for another babe. I have too thought about the fact that we are preventing babies, but I think we need to be responsable too, I also agree that God has made this med, and as long was we carefully consider the options - its ok to plan a family responsably. There isnt much difference in natural planning or bc- its still preventing a baby from happening.

[MommaTo5 10]

not sure why you feel that, and I highly doubt that it is God's will for you to have 12 kids while living on the side of the road.

 

I think it's admirable that you are taking responsibility and not having kids right now that you can't afford. So many people do careless things and then say well it must be God's will instead of taking responsibility. The only thing I think is God's will in life is that we use the intelligence he gave us instead of hiding behind his "will"

I feel this way too...although GOD is the one who has the final say...He did give us the choice on whether or not we choose to have kids...I personally have 5 kids...but I did use different methods of BC between each one...We wanted a big family...I don't think its responsible to be off of BC when you can't afford a family..Its not fair to everyone in that situation....I also used an IUD, and loved it....no periods, and didn't have to worry about getting pregnant when I didn't want to...and as soon as I did, I get pregnant within 2 months...

[jamesmommy 10]

I am considering havin my tubes tied with this pregnancy. I have a nine month old and one due in october. I really don't think my husband and I want anymore. Financially we probably wouldn't be able to afford anymore. I don't know whether or not I think its wrong. I believe God will give us as many kids as he wants but what if he only wants me to have two? Does anyone believe he would be leading me to have my tubes tied?

[DiamondRing 10]

We do not use any form of birth control because The Bible commands us to be fruitful and multiply so we choose to do the Word and we allow God to determine how many children we have. We have one 10 year old and one 1 year old, we have no medical issues that keep us from conceiving, we simply asked Jesus to be Lord over the opening and closing of my womb when we married and we trust that He knows best how many children we can rear up successfully in The Lord.

[Jhoward 10]

We do not use any form of birth control because The Bible commands us to be fruitful and multiply so we choose to do the Word and we allow God to determine how many children we have. We have one 10 year old and one 1 year old, we have no medical issues that keep us from conceiving, we simply asked Jesus to be Lord over the opening and closing of my womb when we married and we trust that He knows best how many children we can rear up successfully in The Lord.

 

I hesitated in responding to this thread but I just skimmed through all the responses and think it would be great to take a deeper look. What does the word of God say about this area???? Many of your responses are common and cover a wide spectrum. And it is very true that everyone has to make their own decisions, regarding every area of life. But the word of God has something to say and has given us guidelines for every area as well, so really our choice is whether or not we choose to learn these guidelines and to follow them - and ultimately that is between us and God.

 

Did you know:

 

*if you take birth control an egg can be fertilized and the bc can simply prevent it from implanting?

 

*if you become pregnant on bc it can cause a miscarriage or birth defects?

 

*there is increased risk of cardiovascular disease if you use bc?

 

*when you take bc you have an increased risk of cervical and breast cancer (it does however dcrease the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer)?

 

*You have an increased risk of liver cancer if you use birth control?

 

This topic can be controversial to some people, but I believe if you search hard enough you can find all the answers to everything in the bible - it is our authority on life. That being said it is not anyone's job to condemn one person's decision. However, it is our job to love one another, and in our love for each other to admonish each other in the Word, and speak truth to each other. So for me, the real question of the thread is, what does the Word of God say about the use or non-use of birth control? Rather than what is our opinion of it.

[DiamondRing 10]

I'm not condemning anyone. My husband and I prayed over the decision to use birth control when we were engaged to be married and God spoke His Word to both me and my husband, then fiance, individually and this is what He said, "Be fruitful and Multiply". When we met together again we discussed our prayer and were both amazed we'd received the same answer from God individually and so we knew this was what God wanted us to do, to trust Him with our lives completely and obey His Word. Other people can do whatever they want, this is what we do. I do however believe that if you feel condemned by anyone's decision to NOT use birth control, regardless of the reasons why you should explore that feeling with God in prayer and seek His wisdom on this. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and I do not condemn you either. My husband and I have made the choice to obey what God desires from us personally and we ultimately answer to Him not anyone else.

[Jhoward 10]

DiamondRing, amen to your post - I love it and totally agree! I was reading this morning and came across a verse I never noticed before in Hebrews, I thought I would share it. I was actually talking to one of my friends last night - her husband insists no more babies, and she is not set on no more, they have really fought fot the children they do have (they are all miracle babies to say the least, it's a long story). The bible has several accounts of God opening and closing a woman's womb, it is amazing - and that specifically has brought me to the conclusion that He is in complete control of this area. I have found nowhere in the bible where a child is not a blessing and a reward(except on the occasion that the child grows older and dishonors his parents). Most of you all probably know the verse about being fearfully and wonderfull made, knit together in your mother's womb, before you were formed He knew you! But this verse kind of reiterates it:

 

Hebrews 7:9-10

And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

 

what an interesting verse - Levi had not yet been conceived yet to God he already existed and was mentioned in the bible!Anyhow, just wanted to share that tidbit I just found!

[DiamondRing 10]

Hebrews 7:9-10

And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

 

what an interesting verse - Levi had not yet been conceived yet to God he already existed and was mentioned in the bible!Anyhow, just wanted to share that tidbit I just found!

That's awesome and yet one more reasons Father's should have a say in an abortion decision also!

[heathbar 10]

I gotta say I hate the word loins it's just weird...anyway

 

As I stated before I believe in birth control it has it's pros and cons. I went forth and was fruitful and multiplied 4 times one was a miscarriage. I have 3 kids and that is plenty of multiplying for me. It's a personal decision for each person.

 

iIn response to your last statement diamond...I AM pro-life, but I think that if a woman doesn't want to have a child for whatever reason, that it is her body and no man father or not should force her to carry it. I know I will probably get slammed for that statement. Again I am Pro-life. When I had my first child I had no desire to nurse her, my husband and I got into several fights about it he called me selfish and I said it is my body and I don't want to nurse and she will be fine on formula, he dropped it after that. Funny thing is I ended up nursing my 3rd child and out of the 3 he has asthma and was sicker than the 2 that were bottle fed. So anyway, I don't believe that anyone has the right to tell anyone else what they can or can't do with their own bodies.

[DiamondRing 10]

Heathbar, from all your other posts I've read I can see we have complete opposite views. I respect your opinion but I do not agree with it. I do not want to fall into strife with you. These are my views and you have yours and it is good to shine light on our views and why we believe what we do anyway. Because my mother originally wanted to abort me and my father persuaded her not to thus I am alive, I believe a father has just as much say in the life of his child as the mother since it is his child as well and I am not bound to change my mind.

I don't believe an abortion is about the body of the mother I believe it is about the body of the human being forming inside her (becuase that literally was me at one time)and if that human's life is killed at a very young age or not. I believe that according to Scripture even if it about a woman's body and that woman's body alone and not about the body of the human within that as Christians we are to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him.

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

My mother ultimately decided to trust God with me. My sister had a genetic heart defect and she just did not want to suffer that again. God honored my Mom's choice to trust HIm and I was not only born free of any heart defect but my sister was operated on two years later with a brand new open heart surgery where they replaced a valve in her heart with a pig's heart. Even then they did not know if she'd live past 18, but today she is a healthy 40 year old!!!

As a final note all I am really saying in any of this is to trust God with your life. If you get pregnant, know he will provide for you and your children if you have faith in His Promises and in Him to fulfill what He has promised. It is faith that moves God to action, and relying on birth control (we do not even use the family planning system at all or the Pull-out method) especially abortion as a form of birth control shows a lack of trust in His ability to care for you and provide for you and all your needs. Your free to make the choice you want to make and have your opinions and I am free to have mine. It is not a condemning you for your choices or opinions but speaking to you that you can trust Him completely with every area of your life. I have experienced a deep and fulfilling peace since simply giving Him control of my life and laying my will down for His. It is a peace I cannot even properly explain with any words. It would not be kind of me to not want everyone to know the peace He gives us when we fully surrender all of ourselves to Him.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,

[Jhoward 10]

I highly recommend a book I just started reading, for the sole reason of a deeper searching of what scripture says about this topic. So far it has been scripturally based and easy to read. Be Fruitful & Multiply by Nancy Campbell.

 

As I and others have stated in several posts, every person needs to make these decisions and it is between them and God. And the word of God should be our basis for all our decisions. This is certainly one of the very few areas that I have come to trust God completely.... and I continue to work towards this level of trust in several other areas of my life.

 

Genesis 24:60 (New American Standard Bible)

 

They blessed Rebekah and said to her,

"May you, our sister,

Become thousands of ten thousands,

And may your descendants possess

The gate of those who hate them."

 

If someone had said this to me several years ago I likely would have thought them crazy!

[heathbar 10]

As a final note all I am really saying in any of this is to trust God with your life. If you get pregnant, know he will provide for you and your children if you have faith in His Promises and in Him to fulfill what He has promised. It is faith that moves God to action, and relying on birth control (we do not even use the family planning system at all or the Pull-out method) especially abortion as a form of birth control shows a lack of trust in His ability to care for you and provide for you and all your needs. Your free to make the choice you want to make and have your opinions and I am free to have mine. It is not a condemning you for your choices or opinions but speaking to you that you can trust Him completely with every area of your life. I have experienced a deep and fulfilling peace since simply giving Him control of my life and laying my will down for His. It is a peace I cannot even properly explain with any words. It would not be kind of me to not want everyone to know the peace He gives us when we fully surrender all of ourselves to Him.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,

 

 

 

I don't think we have completely different viewpoints. I never once said abortion was ok and I sure as heck don't think it's ok as a form of birth control and I am offended that you would even mention it in your post to make it sound as though I implied that. I would never use abortion as a form of birth control and I would never have one, I believe that they are wrong. But I also believe that you have the right to choose what to do with your own body.

 

And frankly to quote Romans 1:16 to me is also insulting, I don't need a definition of the word gospel or salvation. You may think I am being defensive but I'm not. I come from an extremely religious background, I know the scriptures and I know them well. You know very little about me, my beliefs, and where I come from and I don't appreciate the assumption of your reply to my post. The world isn't as black and white as we would like it to be and life is full of gray.