Dublin

Ireland / East Coast and Midlands / Dublin

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 Ireland, contraception (birth control) has been legal since 1980. You generally need a prescription to obtain birth control. Once you have a prescription, you can get birth control at pharmacies. You don't need a prescription for condoms. According to a 2015 report, 67.2% of Irish women (who were married or in-unions) used some form of contraception. The most common methods were condoms (23.7%), the pill (17.5%), IUDs (8.5%) and male sterilization (7.3%).

From 1935 to 1980, contraception was banned in Ireland. This was largely due to the Roman Catholic Church's view on birth control, which stated that birth control "deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life" and was therefore "an offence against the law of God and of nature." However, during this period, there were legal loopholes that allowed some people to obtain condoms (like making donations to family planning associations). The first serious attempt to liberalize Irish abortion laws came in 1971, when Senator Mary Robinson tried to introduce a bill into the Seanad, the upper house of the Irish legislature, but was not allowed to read the bill. The bill caused both controversy and discussion, but it was not passed. Later, in 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing marital privacy, which included the right to make contraceptive choices. However, the prohibition on contraceptive sales was not lifted until 1980, when the Health (Family Planning) Bill was passed. In 1985, the law was further broadened to allow the sale of condoms and spermicide (without a prescription) to anyone over 18 years old.

While some Irish people still oppose contraceptives, a large percentage of Irish women today use some form of contraception. However, contraceptive use in Ireland does remain one of the lowest in the European Union, signaling room for further education and accessibility among women.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Ireland, you can purchase condoms at pharmacies, supermarkets, GUM clinics and at vending machines (found in pubs and nightclubs). They can also be found at student unions and health centers, where they're often free. In Dublin, you can get free condoms at HIV Ireland (70 Eccles St., Dublin 7) or, if you're a man who has sex with men, you can get them from the Man2Man Programme (they have locations in Outhouse, Pantibar and The George). For more information on where to find free condoms in Ireland, click here.
• In Ireland, you need a prescription for birth control pills. To do, you should go to a GP (General Practitioner). Once you have a prescription, you can find both combined (estrogen-progestin) and progestin-only (also known as "mini pills") birth control. You can expect to see brands like Yasmin, Ovranette, Ovranette 30, Microlite, Miranova, Microgynon, Cerazette, Cilest, Femodene, Mercilon, Marviol and Minulet at pharmacies. For information on birth control pills in Ireland, as well as general information about pill types, click here.
• If you want a vaginal ring (Nuvaring), it's been available in Ireland since 2003, which is when it was approved by the IFPA.
• If you want an intrauterine device (IUD) or intrauterine system (IUS), you can get it at your GP surgery, genito-urinary (GUM) clinic or sexual health clinic. For example, you can get it at The Well Woman Centre, where you can get the Mirena and Jadelle.
• If you want a contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera),you can get it at your GP surgery, genito-urinary (GUM) clinic or sexual health clinic. While Depo-Provera is the most common type of injectable, there may be other types of injectables in Ireland.
• If you want a contraceptive implant (Implanon), you can get it at your GP surgery, genito-urinary (GUM) clinic or sexual health clinic. Currently, Implanon is the only contraceptive implant used in Ireland, according to Health Service Executive.
• If you want the contraceptive patch, you can get it from your GP, local family planning clinic or sexual health (GUM) clinic.

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 Ireland, you can purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) without a prescription. There are no age restrictions (so, if you're an adolescent or teenager, you can also purchase it). Since 2001, emergency contraception has been directly available behind the counter. The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) calls emergency contraception "a safe, effective and responsible method of preventing pregnancy" and provides thorough information about EC on its website.

Before May 2015, Irish people could only purchase ella (currently considered the most effective EC) with a prescription. However, it is now available for purchase without a prescription. If customers wish to purchase emergency contraception on their medical cards, they may still need a prescription.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can purchase dedicated emergency contraception in Ireland without a prescription. To do this, you can go to a pharmacy, emergency room, public clinic or private clinic and say that you want emergency contraception. They may give you a brief consultation or questionnaire before they give you the pills. You can buy ellaOne (take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex), which is an anti-progestin pill and currently the most effective EC on the market. Here's a link to the ellaOne website for Ireland, if you want more information. You can also purchase progestin-only emergency contraception, such as Levonelle 1500 or NorLevo 1.5mg (for these take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex). You should note that, generally, most EC lasts for 3 days but ella can be effective for up to 5 days.
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use oral contraceptive (regular birth control) instead. To do this, you should remember to only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs. You can take Ovranette or Ovranette 30 (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later). You can also take Microlite or Miranova (take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later).
• You can also get an IUD as emergency contraception. To see your options, check out the "Contraception (Birth Control)" section.

For more information, check out the Princeton EC website.

Costs

You can expect to pay between €35-50 for emergency contraception at pharmacies, depending on the brand.

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.