Is Your

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Is Your
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Relationship
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Good For
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You?
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The Components of a Healthy Relationship
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Intimacy
Intimacy is the capacity to be emotionally close
while also maintaining individual identities. Too
often, people confuse sex with intimacy.
Emotional intimacy is an infinitely more
significant element of a healthy relationship.
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Adaptability Flexibility
Respect involves the ability to recognize and
respond fairly to each others feelings and
needs.
Adaptability and flexibility refer to the ability
to weather changes and roll with the punches in a
relationship.
COMMUNICATION!!!
Communication is defined as the art and technique
of effectively imparting ones ideas.
Communication is an essential component of a
healthy relationship, yet we dont always say
what we really mean to our partner. Why not?
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Self-esteem
Honesty
Before you can feel good in a relationship, you
must feel good about yourself. Accept yourself as
you are, have a positive attitude, feel good
about the decisions you make, and dont try to
change yourself for someone else.
Being candid about thoughts, feelings, and the
desired direction of the relationship will allow
both you and your partner the opportunity to
simultaneously explore yourselves and the
relationship.
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Trust
Over time, trusting your partner will be
necessary for a healthy relationship, but in the
beginning trust is not automatic--it has to be
earned. Always trust yourself to be who you are
and to look out for your well-being. It is
important to remember that trust is hard to earn
but easy to destroy.
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• Individualism
• Dont forget about yourself and your needs in the
  process
• of becoming involved in a relationship. A
  relationship
• should enhance who you already are, not replace
  it.
• Ask yourself the following questions
• What type of relationship am I looking for?
  (friendship, long term relationship, love, casual
  relationship)
• How do my personal beliefs relate to what I
  desire in a relationship?
• What activities am I now involved in that I might
  want to continue doing alone?

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You Should NOT Answer Yes to These Relationship
Questions
1. When angry, does your partner throw or break
things?
2. Does your partner lose his or her temper
easily?

• 3. Is this person jealous of your friends or
  relatives?
• 4. Does your partner ridicule you or put you
  down?
• 5. Does you partner expect to be told where you
  are when you are not with him or her?

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You SHOULD Answer Yes to These Relationship
Questions
1. Is your partner glad that you have friends of
both genders?
2. Does your partner give consideration to your
opinions?
3. Does your partner both talk and listen? 4.
Does your partner have interests besides you? 5.
Does your partner respect your right to make
decisions about your own life?
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Things to Think About When Sex Is Involved

• Consider your personal beliefs about sexual
  relationships before becoming involved in one. Be
  sure that the choices you make are the right ones
  for you.
• You can have a romantic relationship without
  having sexual intercourse don't force it if you
  or your partner aren't ready.
• Sex should be something that you can discuss. It
  is best to communicate to your partner clearly
  and directly about sex.
• If you choose to be sexually active, be sure to
  protect yourself from contracting STIs.
• Understand consent. Consent must be verbal even
  in the context of a relationship. Consent cannot
  be given while under the influence of drugs or
  alcohol.

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Postponing Sex
Postponing sex means making an active choice not
to have sex. It does not mean that the person has
never had sex before, nor does it mean that the
person will never have sex again. It simply means
that the person is choosing not to have sex in
their current relationship.
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The Truth About STIs
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Dont Become an STI Statistic! Protect Yourself
with Knowledge.
2/3 of all STIs occur in people 25 years of age
or younger.
More than 5 million people are infected with HPV
each year.
HPV (genital warts) is the most common STI in
the United States.
STIs know no age, race, gender, social class,
education level, or sexual orientation.
75 of women and 50 of men with Chlamydia have
no symptoms.
50 of all new HIV infections in the USA occur
in 18-25 year olds.
Smokers with the HIV virus develop full-blown
AIDS twice as quickly as non-smokers.
Many people are unaware that they have an STI.
Therefore, these statistics are underestimates!
By the age of 24, 1 in 3 people will have
contracted an STI.
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Bacterial STIs
Syphilis
Gonorrhea
The bad news Bacterial STIs can cause unpleasant
symptoms and may be life-threatening if they go
untreated. The good news Bacterial STIs can be
treated and cured with antibiotics if detected
early.
Chlamydia
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Viral STIs
Genital Warts
Herpes
The bad news There is no cure for viral STIs
and these STIs may be transmitted even when
individuals are asymptomatic. The good news
Anti-viral medications may help alleviate
symptoms.
Hepatitis
HIV
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Parasitic STIs
Scabies
Crabs
The bad news Parasitic STIs can cause unpleasant
symptoms and may reoccur after treatment if all
clothing, bedding and towels arent thoroughly
washed. The good news Parasitic STIs can be
treated and cured with topical creams and lotions.
Trichomoniasis
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Having a sexually transmitted infection increases
your risk for HIV infection. Sexually transmitted
infections that cause breaks in the skin (such as
Herpes or Syphilis) make it easier for HIV to
enter the body. Even diseases such as Gonorrhea
or Chlamydia that do not cause breaks in the skin
can cause an immune response that makes the body
more vulnerable to contracting HIV.
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One of the most common symptoms of an STI is no
symptom at all!
Be Sure.
Get Tested.
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Signs Symptoms

• Though many people who are infected with STIs
  show no obvious signs, there are some general
  symptoms that should raise your suspicions
• Genital sores, itching, pain, unusual discharge,
  pain or burning during urination, unusual
  bleeding and painful sexual intercourse should be
  investigated as soon as they are noticed.
• It is important to remember that regardless of
  whether you have symptoms, if you are infected
  with a STI, you can infect your partner through
  sexual contact.

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The Villanova Student Health Center offers low
cost STI testing.
Whats the Cost?

• Chlamydia- 25
• Gonorrhea- 25
• HIV- 15
• Syphilis- 6

The Student Health Center also offers free and
anonymous HIV testing from an outside agency
twice a semester, and payment plans for STI
testing that allow the student to keep the
testing and treatment confidential.
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Boundaries Looking Fuzzy?
Clear them up!
Alcohol is involved in the transmission of 60 of
all STIs.
You Can NOT give consent to have sex while under
the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
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Know Yourself and Know Your Limits
Make Sure That Your Relationship Is Good For
YOU!