Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur

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 Malaysia, you can purchase contraception (birth control) without a prescription. You may have to do a basic consultation/screening with the pharmacist, but the process should be relatively straight-forward. According to a 2015 report, 57.1% of Malaysian women (who are married/in unions and of reproductive age) use some form of contraception. The most common methods are the pill (17%), female sterilization (10.1%), rhythm method (8.1%), IUDs (5.4%), various traditional methods (3.7%) and withdrawal (3.6%). However, many women in Malaysia, especially in less developed or urban parts of the countries, may not have adequate education, support or education to receive birth control. According to the same report, 15.4% of Malaysian women (who are married/in unions and of reproductive age) have unmet family planning needs.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Marvelon, a common birth control brand found in Malaysia

• For a list of contraceptive options available in Malaysia, click here.
• You can purchase birth control pills in Malaysian pharmacies. Some pill brands that you can expect to see are Brevinor, Diane, Gynera, Loette, Marvelon, Meliane, Mercilon, Microgynon, Microlut 35, Minulet, Nordette, Noriday, Norminest, Qlaira, Riget, Rigevidon, Tri-Regol, Trinordiol, Yasmin and Yaz.
• There is a Malaysian mobile app, called Pill Insight, which provides information and reminders related to birth control pills. You can read an article about it here.
• If you want a contraceptive shot/injectable, you can find Depo-Provera, Doryxas and Noristerat in Malaysia.
• If you want a contraceptive implant, you can find Jadelle and Norplant in Malaysia.
• If you want an IUD, you can find Mirena in Malaysia.

Costs

In 2014, price for birth control pills were about 20-30 MYR (about $6-10 US) for a month's supply.

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 Kuala Lumpur, you can purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) without a prescription. " You can get postinor-15 rm(1$ about 4,5 rm), also good one but more expensive called ella-50rm."

What to Get & Where to Get It

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.

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.