When we talk about building healthy relationships, conversations often revolve around attraction, compatibility, or emotional connection. But there’s another conversation that belongs right at the start: health. Specifically, sexual health. Before a relationship becomes sexual, one of the most important steps anyone can take is to request and share recent STI (sexually transmitted infection) test results.

Talking about sex with a partner isn’t always easy. For some couples, conversations about intimacy flow naturally; for others, it feels like a topic they tiptoe around. Yet open discussions about sexual needs, boundaries, and preferences can strengthen trust, improve connection, and reduce misunderstandings.