Dushanbe

Tajikistan / Dushanbe

OVERVIEW

In 2018, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $32 million grant to help improve health care services in Tajikistan.

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.

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 Tajikistan, emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) are available over-the-counter at pharmacies. No prescription is required. There are no age restrictions, which means that anybody should be able to purchase emergency contraceptive pills (regardless of age). It is common for health care providers to give information about emergency contraception during patient visits, and they may prescribe emergency contraceptive pills in advance of need (so people have a backup). The country has established its own national guidelines for emergency contraceptive usage, and it also follows the “Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use," which were developed by the World Health Organization.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can find emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) at pharmacies and family planning clinics, and they are sold over-the-counter. Some brands you may find are Escapelle, Postinor, Ned72, and Dvella.
• Tip a local: "This [i.e. emergency contraceptive pill] is easy to find at many pharmacies. Specifically, the pharmacy in the grocery store 'Rudaki Plaza' carries a Russian pill called 'Srochno.' It is approximately 50 Somoni." (February 2017)
• 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.

Costs

• Here are some costs for emergency contraceptive pills from around 2013: Postinor (€ 7,81), Escapelle (€ 6,58), Ned72 (€ 2,99), and Dvella (€ 5,36).
• The cost of emergency contraceptive pills is not reimbursed or covered by social security.

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.

What to Get & Where to Get It

The Iranian clinic (Abu Sino), which is located one block west of TSUM shopping center, provides medical pill-based abortions. The gynecological unit is on the second floor and managed by Dr. Sitora. The approximate cost of the pill-based abortion is 200 Somoni and can be received directly from Dr. Sitora. A prescription for pain medication can also be received ("No-shpa" is a very popular choice for this procedure).

Approximately 10 days after ingesting the pills you should return for an ultrasound checkup.