What about Period Sex?

What about having sex during your period (as a married Catholic woman)? What are some things to think about? There are no moral prohibitions to this in the Catholic faith. Different NFP methods may have guidance around avoiding period sex if you're trying to avoid pregnancy. Some women may just avoid it because they assume it's yucky, but in this episode, Sarah challenges this thought. It is beautiful to be a woman, and having a period is part of the goodness of God's plan in creating women. 

Sarah shares practical tips, as well as a book consideration for hormonal health, Hormone Intelligence by Aviva Romm.

Related: On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, by St. John Paul II (1988)

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Transcript

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What about period sex? I have some ideas, thoughts, recommendations for you about this that I'm going to share with you in this episode. First of all, there's no moral prohibition in our Catholic church against having sex during the wife's period. Unlike in the Jewish religion when she's considered ritually, impure, or unclean during that time. We have no such belief like that in our Catholic faith, and so it's totally time that is morally available for you to come together. If you're using natural family planning to avoid pregnancy. Depending on your method, your protocol may have certain guidelines about avoiding sex during your period so that you don't miss the onset of fertile mucus. That during a very short cycle, could possibly occur during the last days of your period. And in that case, you know, why don't you look at the, the first days of your period, you're pretty unlikely to conceive on cycle day one. Or two or three. So that could be a time when you could come together and, Hey, extra lubrication. I would just recommend putting down some dark towels on your sheets. Maybe taking a little shower or bath first or doing an extra good wipe. And of course talking together as husband and wife let's destigmatize and desham these bodily functions. It's a totally normal human thing for mature. Women of childbearing age to have periods. This is how God made us. This is good. It's part of his plan. We see the truth in Genesis that when God created man and woman, he said they are. It is very good. So you, your body, your feminine body, it's very good. And the incredibly elegant cycles the dance of hormones that our bodies, enact cycle to cycle. It's really a work of art. And this is good. So let's not be ashamed of or afraid of of our periods or think they're taboo. This is just normal and healthy and we can talk about it and we can talk with our husbands about it too.'cause he's married to you and he is a, he know you're in a union together and he needs to know about this and be able to talk about it as well. Okay. Of course you don't wanna try to pressure your husband to have sex with you during your period. If he is averse, you can respect that and let it let it be. But if it's you feeling like, oh, I just feel so unclean during my period, I would encourage you to see if you can work on that and shift your mindset and learn to really celebrate that you have a period, God made you this way. You're a woman. This is great, and see it as okay or even good. And consider that you are a gorgeous woman even when you're having your period, and perhaps your husband would love to come together with you during that time. maybe. When you have your period, you feel bad, you maybe you have really heavy clotting or bad cramps, or you just feel blah and gross. Of course, that might not feel very sexy to feel gross like that or in pain. Okay, so then don't try to force it. You know, just care for yourself. Give yourself the care, the extra rest, the extra good nourishment, that you need. And I highly recommend the book Hormone Intelligence by Aviva Rom to help give you some ideas about how you can nourish and care for yourself your hormonal wellbeing, and your cycles. But maybe you just feel really gross or bad or in pain like at a certain time during your period, maybe days one, two, and three, and then your bleeding tapers off and you start to feel better days three, four, or five of your period. You know, just observe yourself and then think, well, okay, maybe, maybe I could be open to making love during those days when I am still having my menstrual bleeding, but. I feel O okay enough, right? And so I just want to tease that there, like just nudge. Think about could you be okay with that? Especially if you're using natural family planning to avoid and you have limited days in your cycle that are available for love making and you have just written off period days, why don't we get that back on the table and really give it a good think That could give you some more available days. That's, that's what I'm seeing here. I think that's basically it for period sex. If you guys have questions, go ahead and email me at head steward@canafeast.com. But anyway, just wanna celebrate how beautiful it is to be a woman. You are, good. God made you good, having periods, having your cycle. This is a good thing. Don't feel shameful and bad about it because. God made you and he delights in you, and I hope you'll find true. Joy and delight today and I'll catch you in the next episode.