Lima

Peru / Central Coast / Lima

OVERVIEW

Contraception

Laws & Social Stigmas

Contraception, including the birth control pill ("la píldora" in Spanish), is legal and available with prescription. About 70% of Peruvian women are on some form of contraceptive. According to a 2000 study, implants and withdrawal seem to be more common than the pill. Condom usage also appears to be high, with one study finding Peru among the top 15 nations with most prevalent condom usage. n other brands.

What to Get & Where to Get It

At Peruvian pharmacies ("farmacias" or "boticas"), you can buy contraception. For oral contraceptives, Trinordiol 21 is a recommended brand. Otherwise, look for pills from any major pharmaceutical company, like Merck, Pfizer, etc. If you are buying condoms, it is recommended to ask for a brand-name condom. Otherwise, you will be sold the cheap rainbow brand, which may be less effective than some other brands. Some recommended pharmacies are Boticas BTL, InkaFarma and Boticas FASA. Hospitals should also have pharmacies.

Emergency Contraception

Important Note: The earlier you take emergency contraception, the more effectively it works. After unprotected sex, take it as soon as possible.

Laws & Social Stigmas

Emergency contraceptives are available over the counter in Peru (no prescription needed).

Be careful: Many pharmacies in Peru sell "emergency contraception" pills that are not in fact EC. According to Refinery29: "The country's Catholic roots made it slow to warm to regular contraception, much less Plan B. Now, it has some pretty suspicious stuff going on with women’s reproductive rights. A while back, the folks at Prosalud Inter Americana (a nonprofit organization that works to raise awareness about sexual health throughout South American countries) began to suspect something was up with emergency contraception coming through the pharmacies in Peru. So, they decided to do a little digging and sent pill samples to the U.S. for testing at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. What they found: One in four pills wasn’t actually emergency contraception at all. The levonorgestrel (which makes the morning-after pill work) was subbed out for cheap antibiotics. So, when women were heading to the pharmacy to pick up what they thought was protection against an unwanted pregnancy, 25% of the time they were being duped."

More on fake medicine from a travel blogger in Peru: "Sales of fake medicines or medicines past their expiration time (re-branded to appear as new) or medicines of dubious origins are a constant problem in Lima, Peru. Most of these medicines are sold around the poorest areas of Lima and as long as you stick to any of the good pharmacies mentioned above everything should be okay. Always look at your medicine and check the expiration date anyways."

What to Get & Where to Get It

Pill Details

For dedicated EC that is progestin-only, you can find tons of brands in Peru: Dia S MP, Glanique 1, Impreviat, Postinor 1 (Take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex). There's also Auxxil, D-Sigyent, Emkit, Glanique, Glanix, Gynotrel 2, L Novafem, Lenor 72, Mergynex, Nogestrol, Nortrel 2, Novanor 2, Pill 72, Pillex, PostDay, Postinor-2, Pregnon, Prevemb, Preventol, Tibex and Zintemore (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex). If you cannot access EC in time, you can use some oral contraceptives as EC. Make sure to only take from the first 21 pills in the 28-day pack. Here are the oral contraceptives you can use: Ovral (Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later). There's also Anulette, Famila-28, Lo-Femenal, Microgynon, Minigynon, Nordette and Rigevidon 21 + 7 (Take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later). And there's also Loette Suave (Take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later).

Avoiding Fake Pills

While you cannot always predict which pharmacies sell fake EC, you can reduce the chances by doing the following: 1) Go to larger and trusted pharmacies, like Boticas Fasa, Boticas InkaFarma and Boticas Mifarma, or pharmacies attached to large hospitals. These pharmacies are more likely to be legit and sell real medicine. 2) Go to pharmacies in central urban areas, as they are also more likely to sell real medicine.

Some bigger pharmacies in Lima offer a 24 hours delivery service. You order by phone and a motorbike courier delivers to your home. Here are some pharmacies that deliver and seem to also cater to foreigners/travelers:

• Pharmax (Av. La Encalada 1541, Monterrico; 24/7 delivery service; tel. number: 434 1460)
• Pharmax (Av. Salaverry 3100, San Isidro; 24/7 delivery service; tel. number 264 2282)
• Farmacia Deza (Av. Conquistadores 1140, San Isidro; 24/7 delivery service; tel. number:440 3798)
• Las Colonias (Santa Elena Norte 102 - 104 Street, Monterrico, 21st block of Primavera Av.)

Medication & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

Here's a fantastic site for locating medications in Peru: Observatorio de Productos Farmacueticos.

Regarding HIV/AIDS, people are allowed to import antiretrovirals. Also, there are treatment facilities offered to all people, including foreigners. The "TARGA" treatment is provided to Peruvians and foreigners at no charge, which you can find at public hospitals and the Health Centres Network.

Regarding PrEP, according to PrEPWatc: "Peru hosted three sites in the phase III iPrEx trial, and the open-label extension of iPrEx. Several studies have shown the cost-effectiveness of rolling out PrEP in Peru, as well as looked at delivery issues such as provider attitudes and acceptability. Truvada is registered for treatment. In April 2016 the Peru Ministry of Health approved the use of fixed-dose combination of tenofovir disoproxyl fumarate and emtricitabine for PrEP. There is no national PrEP policy or guidance at present. Peruvian NGOs, such as Epicentro and Investigaciones Médicas en Salud (Inmensa), have worked on PrEP research and advocacy."