The best thing to do is to contact your local women’s health center and/or hospital gynecology department. The relevant ASL will definitely be able to tell you where to find the closest location. You can also look online to find the most convenient location, or if you prefer to remain unnoticed, you can go to a different area from where you live, far away from prying eyes. You can request the presence of a linguistic-cultural mediator during your visit in a women’s health center, as well as in many hospital gynecology departments. This person can be instrumental in allowing a foreign woman and/or immigrant to speak about intimate and sensitive issues with greater ease, and to feel understood. In many cases, it’s even better that the woman is able to talk alone, without the presence of her husband or family, who can unknowingly translate distorted information on intimate and reproductive health, of which the woman, of any culture, must be fully aware. Additionally, in women’s health centers and in doctors’ offices there are often illustrated materials that are translated into major languages that can be taken home to read calmly, after which you can return to ask for additional information or explanations. Often there are also specific times dedicated to girls and boys, even those who are underage, to talk with people who have a lot of experience communicating with adolescents, including on issues that are particularly sensitive and maybe embarrassing.
