Córdoba (Argentina)

Argentina / = Córdoba (province) / Córdoba

OVERVIEW

In Córdoba, you will find many health care resources. Contraception (birth control) is fully legal, and you can find birth control pills, IUDs, shots and patches. You can also obtain emergency contraception ("the morning after pill") at pharmacies, public hospitals or health centers. You can purchase pads and tampons in grocery stores, and there is one known seller of menstrual cups in the country. There is no PrEP access but there are many STI testing sites, and there is a national HPV vaccination program in place. For pregnancy, there are some recommended ob/gyns that we have listed in the "Pregnancy" section.

After many years of activism and advocacy, abortion was ruled as legal by the Argentine Senate in December 2020. Before this ruling, abortion was generally illegal in Argentina, which led to a large underground economy of clandestine abortions. General public opinion toward abortion gradually liberalized in the twenty-first century, ultimately leading to the 2020 ruling.

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 Argentina, contraception is legal and widely available. It is estimated that about 61% of Argentine woman use some form of modern contraception, and that 40% are on birth control pills.

However, there are still barriers for many Argentine women. In 2005, Human Rights Watch reported the following: "Decisions about contraception and abortion are difficult, deeply personal, and sometimes wrenching. In Argentina, women are routinely prevented from making such decisions. Despite important advances in the area of women's political participation and economic independence, doctors and spouses continue to exercise control over women's reproductive health through laws and policies that subject female decision-making to arbitrary extraneous interference."

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can buy condoms at pharmacies for AR$10-$30 (three-pack) or up to AR$67 (12-pack).
• If you would like to get birth control pills ("pastillas anticonceptivas" in Spanish), they can be purchased in pharmacies without a prescription for about AR$30-$120. Farmacity is a popular pharmacy chain. Some brands you can expect to see are Ovrette, Microlut, Microval, Duoluton, Eugynon, Neogynon, Nordiol, Ovral, Microgynon, Microvlar, Nordette, Miranova. To see which pills are available in Argentina, check out Alfabeta or Kairos. Please note that Argentina has strict importation laws, so be careful to NOT bring in any birth control pills that aren't permitted in Argentina.
• If you're interested in the ring (like Nuvaring), you can get it at Farmacity for AR$240.
• If you want an IUD, you can get the IUD insertion at a hospital or health center. While you can get it done at a public hospital, you'll find that only non-hormonal IUDs are available. The last for 10 years. if you want the hormonal IUDs, which last for 5 years, you'll need to go to a private hospital. For Mirena, it's about $1700 pesos. The copper IUD (not industria argentina) costs around $500-700 pesos.
  • Recommendation: "Dr. Claudia María Battista is a gynecologist based in Recoleta (3rd floor, Arenales 1611, 4811 6127) who can administer both hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs, after a medical consultation. The best option for each patient and the price of the IUD must be discussed with the doctor, and Dr. Battista speaks English, if your Spanish is not up to par to discuss your reproductive system."
• If you want a birth control shot ("inyección" in Spanish), you can probably get it for free at public hospitals and health centers, like Hospital General de Agudos A. Zubizarreta or Hospital General de Agudos B. Rivadavia. If you would like to get it Farmacity, you can get it for around AR$40. Remember that you need to get injections on the same day every month. Since some pharmacies in Buenos Aires don't carry the shot, you should confirm a stable place to get a weekly injection before you commit to shots.
• If you want the implant ("implante" or "anticonceptivo subcutáneo" in Spanish), this has been available in Argentina since 2012.
• If you're interested in the patch ("parche" in Spanish), you can get it a pharmacies, like Farmacity. It's not covered by the public health system, so expect to pay around AR$150-$200.

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. Copper IUDs may also prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex.

Laws & Social Stigmas

Emergency contraception is legal and can be accessed without a prescription.

What to Get & Where to Get It

In Córdoba, you can obtain emergency contraception (also known as "the morning after pill"). In Spanish, it's called "anticoncepción hormonal de emergencia." You can get EC at public hospitals or health centers for free (for 24 hours/day) after a medical consultation. You can also visit a pharmacy, like Farmacity (many of them are open 24 hours), and purchase EC. There are no age restrictions.

Here are the EC options you can expect to see in Buenos Aires, provided by the Princeton EC Website:

Dedicated Products / Progestin Only Take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• Norgestrel Max Unidosis
• Postinor 1
• Segurite UD

Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• Norgestrel-Max
• Ovulol
• Postinor-2

Oral Contraceptives used for EC / Progestin Only Take 40 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• Ovrette

Take 50 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• Microlut
• Microva

Oral Contraceptives used for EC / Progestin-Estrogen Combined Note: in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later:

• Duoluton
• Eugynon
• Neogynon
• Nordiol
• Ovral

Take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later:

• Microgynon
• Microvlar
• Nordette

Take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later:

• Miranova

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.

Laws & Social Stigmas

You can enter the country if you're HIV+. There are no travel restrictions applied to anyone with STIs. However, according to the National AIDS Law No 23.798, all immigrants are required to take HIV tests.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Testing Facilities

• You can get tested at tons of public hospitals in Córdoba. The wait times will be longer but costs will be very low, and potentially free. For the full list, click here.
• If you would like to get tested at a private facility, the costs will be higher. But the wait times will be faster and facilities will generally be nicer:

Support

• Fundación Huesped: Focuses on sexual and reproductive rights and helping people with HIV. Operating since 1989.
• Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer: Focuses on helping women and health programs; organizes conferences.
• FUNDAMIND: Offers job assistance, education, etc. Helps kids with HIV.
• UNAIDS Argentina: "The goal of UNAIDS is to lead and inspire the world in Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-deaths." Alberto Stella, UNAIDS Country Director, Telephone: + 54 11 4328 4365. Fax: + 54 11 4328 2253, Email: STELLAA@UNAIDS.ORG.

Medications & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

• There has been a national HPV vaccination program in Argentina since 2011. The target age for vaccination is 11 years old, and it was estimated that 50% of the target population was vaccinated in 2013.
• There is currently no official PrEP program in Argentina.

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

In Córdoba, you can find pads, tampons and pantyliners. Pads are the easiest to find in supermarkets, pharmacies and corner stores. You can purchase tampons in Argentina; they'll typically be non-applicator brands, like OB. If you want a menstrual cup, you can buy a MoonCup at COPA ECOLÓGICA (Tomás Le Bretón 4933 Villa Urquiza Buenos Aires, Capital Federal 1431 Argentina (011) - 11564171648). For DivaCup, LadyCup or Lunette, you'll need to buy them online since there are no local sellers in Argentina.

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.

Laws & Social Stigmas

Abortion was ruled as legal in December 2020. For complete information on abortion laws in Argentina, we recommend you visit the main Argentina page & look under the "Abortion" section.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• There are clandestine providers of abortion in Buenos Aires. You may want to consult a physician you trust for details.
• You can potentially purchase the "abortion pill" through Women on Waves. Check out their website for details.
• In Argentina, there is a abortion hotline for women who have unwanted pregnancies: Tel: (011) 156 664 7070
• There is a Sexual Health Helpline that you can consult for information: Tel: 0800-222-3444 (toll-free)

Costs

There were reports of relatively "safe" abortions being performed for around 1500 pesos in 2007 -- and, while the prices have surely gone up since 2007, it's hard to verify the current prices. However, some abortion providers supposedly charge 20,000-40,000 pesos as of 2015.

List of Additional Resources

• Asociacion Civil La Casa Del Encuentro: Focuses on women’s social networks. Lobbies for policies to combat all forms of violence, abuse and discrimination against women and children. Address: 1204 De, Rivadavia 3917, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Phone: +54 11 4982-2550