When you have a question about your sex life or relationship or you have a problem, you can talk with different health professionals. In most cases you should first contact your general practitioner.
If necessary, your general practitioner can refer you to a specialist, for example a gynaecologist or psychologist. A psychologist/therapist can help you in case of, for example, depression, living with HIV, relationship problems, certain sexual problems, etc. For some, a sexologist might be a good alternative.
If you are attending school, you may also contact the school health service. Here you can cet counselling from health professionals about for example contraception, emotional problems, sexuality, etc.
Most municipalities also have youth health centres, which is a free service for youth under the age of 20. They provide advice and guidance about pregnancy, abortion, contraception, STIs and more.
What to talk about with a health professional
You can talk to a health professional about almost every intimate issue. For example:
How to talk with a health professional
If you want to talk to a health professional, the following tips can help:
- Think about the problem or question you want to discuss;
- Think about what you want from the health professional. For example: advice, an STI test, a referral to a specialist …
- Make it clear if the topic is difficult for you to talk about;
- Describe your problem or question as specifically as possible. For example: ‘I am not able to get an erection’.
- Think about which words you want to use; the dictionary on this website can help you;
- You can take someone you trust with you, so that he/she can help you.
It often seems difficult to talk about intimate topics with a health professional, but this is part of their job. They know these topics well.
