Lisbon: Difference between revisions

In Portugal, contraceptives are legal and accessible. You can informally buy birth control pills without a prescription. This means that, while you may technically need a prescription, this isn't typically enforced. You can visit a pharmacy and purchase birth control pills over-the-counter.<ref>[http://ocsotc.org/wp-content/uploads/worldmap/worldmap.html Global Oral Contraception Availability]</ref> <ref>[http://freethepill.org/where-on-earth/ Free the Pill: Where on Earth]</ref> However, if you contact a pharmacy over email, phone or Facebook with questions, they may recommend that you consult with a physician before getting any birth control pills. Meanwhile, if you want to purchase condoms, these can be acquired without a prescription.

Furthermore, contraceptives are widely used, and Portugal has one of the higher rates of usage in Southern Europe. According to a 2015 UN report, it was found that 74.3% of Portuguese women (who are reproductive age and married or in unions) use some form of contraception. This is similar to rates in [[Spain]], which are at 72.7%, but noticeably higher than [[Italy]] and [[Greece]], which both show rates lower than 70%. However, there is some room for improvement, as the study found that 6.6% of Portuguese women still have unmet family planning needs. The most common forms of contraceptives in Portugal were birth control pills (49.9%), condoms (9.5%), IUDs (6.2%), female sterilization (4.3%). Some traditional methods were also found to be used, including the withdrawal or "pull-out" method (4.2%) and the rhythm method (2.5%). There appeared to be practically no users of contraceptive injectables or implants in the study, but these methods may have become more popular in the years since the study was released.<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use 2015]</ref>