Riyadh: Difference between revisions

[[File:Marvelon saudi.png|300px | thumb|left|frame|'''Marvelon pills at a Saudi pharmacy''']]

In Saudi Arabia, you can access and purchase birth control at pharmacies. While official sources state that you need a prescription to obtain birth control,<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]</ref> local sources (for example, a local blogger and a private conversation with a pharmacist) say that you don't need a prescription.<ref>[http://thearabmode.com/expat-birth-control-contraceptives/ BIRTH CONTROL, CONTRACEPTIVES, VIAGRA, CONDOMS IN SAUDI ARABIA]</ref> This means that, in most cases, you can walk into a pharmacy and purchase contraceptives, such as pills or patches, without a prescription. Furthermore, you typically don't need to show a marriage certificate. While you may technically need to be married to obtain contraceptives, this isn't usually enforced. Based on our conversation with a pharmacist in Saudi Arabia, as well as our online research through personal blogs,<ref>[http://thearabmode.com/expat-birth-control-contraceptives/ BIRTH CONTROL, CONTRACEPTIVES, VIAGRA, CONDOMS IN SAUDI ARABIA]</ref> we have found that, in most cases, you don't need to show a marriage certificate in order to purchase contraceptives in Saudi pharmacies. However, this is not to say that you have zero chance of being asked for a prescription or a marriage certificate, so one should be aware that such things can happen.