Mumbai

India / Maharashtra / Mumbai

OVERVIEW

Contraception

Laws & Social Stigmas

In India, contraceptives are fully legal. Oral contraceptives or condoms can be purchased at pharmacies, large stores or online. However, many women report feeling uncomfortable and harshly judged when buying contraceptives at pharmacies. For these reasons, they tend to visit pharmacies outside their neighborhoods or only pharmacies that have very few customers in line. Others avoid pharmacies entirely and buy online. Check out this Quora thread for some perspectives on buying contraceptives in India for details. As someone wrote, "I have bought contraceptives from pharmacies in India but I make sure there are very few customers at the counter. It is definitely an intimidating experience. I am not embarrassed, but always worried about what if someone I know is there at the shop as well. But I can never ask the salesperson for choices. Sometimes, I write it down on a piece of paper and pass it on. If the salesperson is understanding, the contraceptive gets wrapped in a brown paper bag and I just pay for it without even checking the contents." Another user wrote, "Albeit the degree of judgment varies. Even if this female is a middle aged woman, looks married maybe, there is no narrow escape. But if this female looked like a normal college going girl, she would now be branded as a next door harlot."

Regarding condom purchases, Mumbai locals are generally shy. Yet some younger women are becoming more comfortable. One medical worker told DNAIndia, "Women above the age of 35 are quite reserved, but the ones between 25 to 35 are the bold ones. Mostly women ask for condoms for men. A few months ago, a woman asked for female condoms. I didn't even know they existed." Another said, "Mostly men between the age group of 20-40 years buy condoms. We have few women customers who ask for them. Those who live in this area only buy medicines from us. The people who buy condoms don't live anywhere here because many are still very shy."

Statistically, female sterilization is the most popular contraceptive method in India. As written in a 2015 UN Report, " in countries where childbearing begins at a young age, the dominance of a permanent method (e.g., an estimated 65 per cent of use in India is female sterilization) suggests a potential mismatch between the method used and reversible methods that meet preferences for delaying or spacing births ."

What to Get & Where to Get It

Check out the MedIndia website to see which brands you can expect. Some reliable pharmacies in Mumbai are Noble Medicals and Royal Chemists.

Emergency Contraception

Important Notes: The earlier you take emergency contraception, the more effectively it works. After unprotected sex, take EC as soon as possible. If you don't have access to EC, you can use oral contraceptives as EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC (so confirm they work as EC) 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages to work as EC (so get the proper instructions) 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) You must take the pills as soon as possible.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In India, emergency contraception is available without a prescription. There are no age restrictions. Television advertisement of EC is restricted. In the public sector, health workers are allowed to dispense EC. But, in the private sector, you must be at least be a pharmacist to dispense the medicine.

Costs

The price of EC ranges from INRs 2 to INRs 100 ($0.03 - $1.60), as of 2013.

Abortion

Laws & Social Stigmas

In India, medical and surgical abortion is permitted, under certain circumstances, for up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, abortion is permitted under the following circumstances: to save the life of the woman, to preserve physical health, to preserve mental health, rape or incest, fetal impairment or failure of contraceptive device. According to some sources, it is also available for economic or social reasons, but this has been difficult to verify. Overall, failure of contraceptive device is reported as the most common reason used by women in India.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol (the abortion pill) is available on a doctor's prescription.

There are additional restrictions based on permission and facilities. If the woman is a minor (under 18 years old) or mentally disabled, she must obtain the written consent of her guardians. The abortion must be performed by a registered physician. Furthermore, the abortion must be performed in a hospital that is established or maintained by the Indian government or in a facility that is approved for such purposed by the Indian government. If the woman is between 12-20 weeks of pregnancy, a second professional opinion is required to approve the abortion, except in extremely rare and urgent cases.

Historically, until the 1970s, abortion was generally illegal (i.e. only permitted to save a woman's life). But Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, enacted in 1972, significantly liberalized abortion in India.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• For all questions about sexuality, contraception and abortion https://lovematters.in/en/forum • Marzee Hotline for information about contraceptives and safe abortion: +919075764, Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm

If you would like to obtain the abortion pill, here are some brand names of Mifepristone that are available in India: Abopill, Mefeprin, Mifegest, Mifeprin, Mistrone, Mtpill, Termipill. Here are some brand names for Misoprostol that are available in India: A-Kare, Misonac, Misoprost, Cytotog, Zitotec, MsKare, Misogest.