Sex in Marriage with an STI

[tm0427]

Looking for practical advice only. How does one practice NFP while living with an STI spread through contact. Other threads have mentioned this but do not provide practical advice. My fiancé and I are looking to practice NFP in our marriage, but he has genital herpes.

Other than abstinence, which is not realistic for a healthy marriage, as one wouldn’t be fully life-giving (giving 100% of yourself to the other person), condoms are the next effective means of preventing the spread of this STI. The biggest challenge is that this can be spread when no symptoms are felt or visible. So basically at any time.

Does the church allow condoms as a means of preventing the spread of this infection NOT as a form of contraception?

And please no comments about “accept that you’ll get it” because this can lead to several other health prolems such as newborn infections for our children, meningitis, encephalitis, inflammation of the spinal cord and nerves, problems with liver, lung, and joints. Though most people live healthy lives with this infection, we are overly cautious and are considering the worst possible outcomes.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[Hoosier-Daddy]

No that is not allowed.
Medically we cannot give advice here but I think Nfp might require extra abstinence here. You should see about treatments for him as well.
You might also want to prepare for the possibility the throughout an entire marriage, condoms or not, you might very likely contact the infection yourself.

 

[Psalm30]

Please talk about this with your medical professional and your priest.

 

[TheLittleLady]

which is not realistic for a healthy marriage, as one wouldn’t be fully life-giving (giving 100% of yourself to the other person)

A Josephite marriage is just as Sacramental, loving and valid as one with regular marital relations.

The “fully life giving” is one of those nice phrases for NFP advertisement books, but, it is not very accurate.

I promise you, if the day after your marriage, one of you has an accident or illness that renders you incapable of the marital act, you marriage is not devalued or somehow less.

To the question about herpes, by consenting to the marital act, you are eyes wide open that you may also contract this very, very common virus. You will sit down with a doctor and talk about medications and practices OTHER than condoms and about pregnancy precautions if you pick up the bug.