How did the Church regulate sexual activity in medieval era?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

During medieval period, the great expansion of the Catholic Church allowed it to regulate the lives of people, including sexual activities. In this period, sex was allowed strictly for reproduction and not for physical pleasure. Sexuality was sinful, a manifestation of original sin. The Church not only condemned but also punished the practice of forbidden behaviors with severe acts of penitence or even castration. Sexual dysfunctions were treated as demonic possessions. Not only were sex acts regulated but so were the times during which sexual activity was allowed, and there were many periods of sexual abstinence. There were certain double standards, as women were more often accused of sexual sins while men were allowed some freedoms, but both sexes were required to be virgin before marriage. All of these rules applied primarily to higher classes of society while common people still indulged in sexual activities more often. Prostitution was considered a necessary evil while homosexuality was violently condemned.