Lomé

Togo / Lomé

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 Togo, you can purchase condoms and birth control pills at pharmacies without a prescription. While you may technically need a prescription for birth control pills, this is not typically enforced, and birth control pills are available over-the-counter. However, for other forms of contraception, such as implants, injectables, and IUDs, you may need to directly visit a hospital or clinic to obtain them.

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 Togo, emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) are available, but a prescription is technically required. We still need to confirm whether these laws are commonly followed by pharmacists (if you know, update this page).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can obtain emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) at pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics. You may need a prescription (we need to confirm this). Some brands you may find at family planning clinics are NorLevo 1.5mg, Optinor, and ellaOne..
• 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.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Togo, there are no known travel or residency restrictions for people with HIV/AIDS. This means that you can enter the country, regardless of your HIV status, and you should not be deported if you test positive for HIV while you are in the country.

Support

• From HIVTravel: "In principle, HIV treatment is possible in Togo and especially at Lomé (at the private Policlinique Internationale St. Joseph, directed by Dr. Arnold Amatsi). Antiretrovirals are available. Prophylactica against opportunistic infections and reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are available within the framework of the local AIDS programme (Programme national de la lutte contre le sida)... There is an AIDS counselling service in Lomé (CCD, close to the CHU). It offers lifestyle counselling adapted to the local customs, nutrition counselling and psychological support. Due to the high infection rate, treatment of PWAs is not considered unusual in Togo."
• Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Tokoin (CHU): Provides clinical and laboratory monitoring
• Policlinique St. Joseph: Provides clinical and laboratory monitoring
• Centre Diagnostical Regional: Provides clinical and laboratory monitoring

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.

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.

List of Additional Resources

• TOGOLESE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
• The Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ATBEF): "The Association Togolaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ATBEF) was formed in 1975. ATBEF’s services include voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV and AIDS, antenatal and post-natal care, post-abortion care, pre-marital counselling, and infertility treatment. ATBEF carries out its work through over one hundred service points, including permanent clinics, mobile units, associated centres, and community-based distributors/community-based services (CBDs/CBSs)."
• UNFPA - Togo: "Active in Togo since 1972, UNFPA programmes help build capacities to provide emergency obstetric and newborn care, reliable family planning, and sexual and reproductive health services for youth. Maternal mortality in the country is decreasing slowly, but contraceptive prevalence remains low, mostly due to limited health services, poverty and gender inequality. Efforts to prevent gender-based violence include advocacy against early marriage and programs for students in schools. UNFPA also assists in developing skills to analyse demographic data."
• Family Planning 2020 - Togo: "A commitment maker since 2014 and a member of the Ouagadougou Partnership, Togo has made progress both towards its FP2020 commitments since 2012, increasing the mCPR 3 to 23.3% in 2017, up almost 6% from 2013."
• Equaldex - Togo: Click here to learn about LGBTQ rights and laws in Togo. It is important to understand that homosexuality is illegal in Togo.