Doha: Difference between revisions

In Qatar, birth control pills and condoms are available without a prescription. There is no emergency contraception (the morning after pill) available in Qatar, but you can use regular oral contraceptives (birth control pills) as replacement emergency contraception. Check out the "Emergency Contraception" section for details. STD/STI tests are common, and they are required if you wish to be a long-term resident, if you're pregnant, and in other cases. If you're a foreigner and found to be HIV positive, you may be deported. It is illegal to be an unmarried pregnant woman in Qatar. If you are pregnant and married, you will want to consider whether you will receive treatment and deliver the child in a public or private hospital, as different restrictions apply to the public ones. Abortion is generally illegal, except for in very rare cases, so it is best to seek an abortion outside of Qatar.  

In Qatar, you can purchase birth control pills and condoms over-the-counter (no prescription is required) at pharmacies. You don't need a marriage certificate and there are no age restrictions. Condoms are also available at stores. It is estimated that about 36.7% of Qatari women use some form of modern contraception and 19.2% have unmet family planning needs. According to a 2015 study, the most popular forms of contraception are birth control pills (used by 15.8% of Qatari women of reproductive age), IUDs (12.7%) and injectable (5.1%). There is relatively low usage of condoms as the primary contraceptive method (5.1%),<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref> which may be partially due to the government's strong emphasis on sex after marriage.

* You can purchase '''birth control pills''' at pharmacies without a prescription. There are over 20 birth control pill brands registered in Qatar, all of which come from major pharmaceutical companies like Bayer, Pfizer, Merck, Wyeth, etc. Some brands you can expect to see are Cilest, Diane, Diane-35, Exluton, Femulen, Gynera, Logynon, Marvelon, Microgynon, Microgynon-30, Minulet, Nordette, Ovulen 50, Ovysmen 0.5/35, Synphase, Trinordiol, Trinordiol 21, Trinovum, Yasmin and Yaz.<ref>[http://contraceptive.ippf.org/search?search.searchtext=&search.component=&search.countrycode=QA IPPF Qatar]</ref>

* You can purchase '''condoms''' in supermarkets and pharmacies for reasonable prices (avg <0.5 $/condom in 2013) without any legal restrictions or regulations limiting their distribution. While some stores only carry Durex condoms, other pharmacies have a wider selection (especially on Al Merqab St), selling brands like Masculan, Sico, Coral and Moods. condoms are available in all supermarkets  

* If you want a '''contraceptive shot/injectable''', you should be able to find Depo-Provera SAS 150mg/ml (produced by Pfizer) in Qatar.<ref>[http://contraceptive.ippf.org/search?search.searchtext=&search.component=&search.countrycode=QA IPPF Qatar]</ref>

 

* Local tip from Ola Diab: "There are at least three pharmacies in Al Merqab St. that sell contraceptives without restrictions and condoms are even sold in supermarkets on the street like Family Food Center. This is not only common in Al Merqab St. pharmacies in Al Merqab St. but also in pharmacies and supermarkets in other areas in Qatar."<ref>[https://oladiab.com/2010/07/12/if-you-think-accessing-contraceptives-in-qatar-is-hard-think-again/ If You Think Accessing Contraceptives in Qatar is Hard? Think Again!]</ref>

For the following pills, take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later:<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/worldwide/ Princeton EC Website]</ref>

For the following pills, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later:<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/worldwide/ Princeton EC Website]</ref>

* You can easily find '''pads and pantyliners''' in Doha.  

* If you want to buy '''tampons''', you can find them at Boots (sells OB), Megamart and Carrefour.  

* If you want to purchase a '''menstrual cup''', you have a few options. Some local stores may sell menstrual cups (for example, a Doha local reported seeing menstrual cups sold at [http://www.spinneys.com/Qatar/Default.aspx?pageid=2158 Spinneys] in the past), but this isn't confirmed. A more reliable option is to buy online through retailers like [https://www.ubuy.qa/en/brand/Menstrual%20Cup Ubuy], a South African retailer that provides products to Qatar. They sell many brands of menstrual cups, like DivaCup, Blossom Menstrual Cup, LENA Feminine Hygiene Cup, etc. You can also visit [[Dubai]], where DivaCup is sold in select stores.

If a woman is found to be illegally inducing an abortion, or if she consents to an abortion, she may face up to five years in prison. For individuals who perform abortions, they may face up to five years in prison (if the pregnant woman consented to the abortion) or 10 years in prison (if the pregnant woman did not consent to the abortion). For more details on Qatar's abortion laws, click [https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/population/abortion/Qatar.abo.htm here].