What is LOVE?

Do you remember your first

crush? Who is he/she?

What did you feel back then?

Is love an emotion or it is just
a product of chemical reaction
inside the brain?
The Chemistry of Love: The
Science behind Lust,
Attraction, and Companionship
three stages of falling in love:

1. LUST
2. ATTRACTION
3. ATTACHMENT
LUST
 Driven by the desire for sexual gratification;
evolutionary basis for this is our need to need to
reproduce; through reproduction, organisms pass
on their genes, and thus contribute to the
perpetuation of their species.
LUST
 Thehypothalamus of the brain plays a big role by
stimulating the production of the sex hormones:
Testosterone: from the testes; increases libido
Estrogen: from the ovaries; increases sexual
motivation in women during ovulation
ATTRACTION (Falling in love)

 Involves romantic or passionate love,

characterized by euphoria; physical symptoms of
falling in love include loss of appetite, inability to
sleep, lack of concentration, wet palms, and
butterflies in the stomach.
 ATTRACTION (Falling in love)

 These
symptoms are caused by surging brain cells called
monoamines:
Norepinephrine- high dosage are released during attraction:
these chemicals makes us giddy, energetic, and euphoric even
leading to decreased appetite and insomnia. Also known as
noradrenalin
 Dopamine- produced by the hypothalamus, release when things that
feel good to us like spending time with loved ones and having sex.
 ATTRACTION (Falling in love)

 These
symptoms are caused by surging brain cells called
monoamines:
Phenylethylamine- a natural amphetamine; gives the feeling of
being on-top-of-the-world that attraction can bring; and gives
the energy to stay up day and night when in love.
Serotonin- hormone that’s involved in appetite and mood;
gives the overpowering infatuation that characterized the
beginning stages of love.
 ATTACHMENT (staying together)

 Attachment mediates friendship, parent- infant bonding,

social cordiality, and many other intimacies as well.
 Oxytocin- “cuddle hormones”; released during sex (peaks during
orgasm), breastfeeding, and childbirth
 Vasopressin- “monogamy chemical”
 Endorphins- produced to cope with pain or stress; “feel-good”
chemicals because they can act as a pain reliever and happiness
booster.
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Heterosexual-sexually attracted to people of the opposite
sex; commonly referred to as straight
Homosexual- sexually attracted to people of their own
sex; gay or lesbian;
Bisexual- sexually attracted not exclusively to people of
one particular gender; attracted to both men and women;
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
GENDER IDENTITY
Transgender
Cisgender- relating to a person whose sense of personality
and gender corresponds with their birth sex
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
RELATED MINORITIES
LGBT or LGBTI- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/
transexual people, and sometimes intersex people
Understanding Sexually
Transmitted Infections
Why is it important to learn
and understand these sexually
transmitted diseases?
STI VS
STD
STD VS STI

A “disease” is usually an obvious medical

problem with clear signs and symptoms.
“infection” may not have clear signs and
symptoms and sometimes people who have it
are not aware of their illness.
1. CHLAMYDIA

One of the most common STI’s; caused by

bacterium that exists in vaginal secretion and
semen (cum); can be spread by vaginal, oral, or
anal sex without condom or latex/polyurethane
barrier; pregnant women can pass it to their
babies during delivery.
1. CHLAMYDIA
1. CHLAMYDIA
 Symptoms:
 Vaginal discharge and burning during urination
 Treatment:
 Antibiotics, if left untreated, it can spread to a woman’s
upper, internal reproductive organs (ovaries and fallopian
tubes) and can cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID);
PID can lead to infertility and make it difficult or impossible
to become pregnant.
2. GENITAL WARTS
 Caused by viruses (Human Papilloma Virus- HPV);
some type of HPV causes warts on the hands or feet,
others can cause infections in the genital area that can
lead to genital warts, cervical cancer or cancer of the
vulva, vagina, anus or vagina.
 Treatment:
 Regularcervical screening tests are a good way to check for
HPV, vaccines
2. GENITAL WARTS
3. GONORRHEA
 “the clap”
 Bacterial sexually transmitted infection exists in
vaginal secretion and semen; it can be spread through
vaginal, anal, or oral sex without condom r
latex/polyurethane barrier
3. GONORRHEA
3. GONORRHEA
 Symptoms
Yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge and a burning
feeling when urinating; can also affect the anus and the
throat
 Treatment
 Antibiotics if left untreated, it can cause Pelvic Inflammatory
Disease
HERPES
 Caused by a virus that lives in the nerves
 Two common types:
 Herpessimple type 1 (HSV-1)- usually causes cold sores around in
the mouth
 Herpes simple type 2 (HSV-2)- usually causes sores in the genital area
HERPES
HERPES
 Symptoms
Include itchy or painful blisters; spread through skin-to-skin
contact with sores, but it may also spread even before sores can be
seen on the infected person.
 Treatment
There is no cure for herpes but the antiviral drugs Zovirax
(acyclovir), Valtrex (valacyclovir), and Famvir (famciclovir) can
reduce the number of outbreaks if taken daily and can shorten
outbreaks and make them less severe if taken as soon as symptoms
begin.