Rome

Italy / Central Italy / Rome

OVERVIEW

Contraception (Birth Control)

General Note: There are many types of contraceptives, also known as "birth control," including IUDs, oral contraceptives, patches, shots, and condoms, etc. If you would like to view a full list, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Italy, you need a prescription for hormonal birth control, like birth control pills or shots. You don't need a prescription for condoms. According to a 2015 study, 65.3% of Italian women (of reproductive age) used a contraceptive method, and 48.9% of Italian women used a modern method. It was estimated that 11.4% had unmet family planning needs.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Once you have a prescription for birth control, you can get birth control pills at local pharmacies ("farmacia" in Italian). Some brands you can expect to see are Novogyn 21, Microgynon, Ovranet, Loette and Miranova.
• Nuvaring (the contraceptive ring) is available in Italy. In 2009, it cost around 13 euro. We'll need to update with a more recent rate.
• You can get condoms ("(preservativi") at grocery stores and pharmacies. There are also condom vending machines, which can often be found outside of pharmacies.

Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill)

Important Notes: Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy for three days (72 hours) and sometimes five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Take EC as soon as possible after unprotected sex. If you don't have access to dedicated EC, oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages and time schedules to work as EC 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) They may be less effective than dedicated EC. For general information on emergency contraceptives, click here and here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Italy, you can purchase two emergency contraceptives (morning after pills) without a prescription. LNG EC (Escapelle) and UPA EC (like ellaOne) are available behind the counter from pharmacies for women who are 18 years of age or older. If you want LNG EC, you must get it from a physician (not a pharmacist). If you want UPA EC, you must go to a pharmacy and specifically ask the pharmacy clerk for it, since it's not on the shelves. Also, if you're under 18 years old, you'll still need a prescription to purchase them. However, for all other EC brands, you do need a prescription.

This is a major improvement over past Italian laws, when all EC required a prescription. This caused much distress for women in the past, and you can read a personal account a foreign student's difficulties trying to access EC in the past here. Fortunately, since April 2015, UPA EC has been available over-the-counter, and since October 2015, LNG EC has been available over-the-counter.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Note: The longest-lasting EC is currently ellaOne. It lasts up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Check to see if your country carries ellaOne. If your country doesn't carry ellaOne, copper IUDs may also prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. If none of these options are available, and it's been over 3 days since you had unprotected sex, you can still take EC, which may work up to 5 days. Note that EC pills are not 100% effective and should be taken as soon as possible.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs/STDs)

Important Notes - Learn about PEP and PrEP: If you think that you've been recently exposed to HIV (i.e. within 72 hours), seek out PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a month-long treatment to prevent HIV infection after exposure, and it may be available in your city. Take PEP as soon as possible. For more information, click here. If you are at risk of HIV exposure, seek out PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a daily oral pill that can prevent HIV infection before exposure. To learn more about PrEP, click here.

Menstruation

Note: In addition to pads and tampons, you can also use menstrual cups and menstrual underwear for your period. To learn more about menstrual cups, click here. To learn more about menstrual underwear, click here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Pads ("assorbenti" in Italian) and tampons ("assorbenti interni" in Italian) are available in Rome.

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

• "Excellent structure is fabia mater clinic side street from via prenestina. Clean great place and personnel."
• "The Santa famiglia via dei gracchi IS great!!! There is a convention so it's free." "It's free because it the same as the Hospital Fatebene fratelli, but I think that you can have a room for yourself paying for something."

Pregnancy

What to Get & Where to Get It

• "Clinica S. Anna in Via Garigliano is good in the public sector. They also have an excellent infertility clinic for who can afford the waiting list."
• "If you want to know where the Roman women go to deliver children, I can say that traditionally, there are two places and equipes considered the best in town for giving birth. # 1) The hospital of FatebeneFratelli on the Isola Tiberina. They work jointly with # 2) Clinica Santa Famiglia, a small clinic in via dei Gracchi where you can be addressed if you want a little more privacy and ready to spend some money. Both are working for NHS and the best obstetrician and gynecologists work there. if you are extra-European you may need an insurance. If you are from UK, you don't yet (but may in the future)."

Abortion

Important Note: There are two main types of abortions: medical (also known as the "abortion pill") and surgical (also known as "in-clinic"). For medical abortions, you take a pill to induce abortion. For surgical abortions, a procedure is performed to induce abortion. For general information about medical and surgical abortions, click here.