Luanda

Angola / Luanda

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 Angola, you can purchase condoms and birth control pills at pharmacies without a prescription. However, for other forms of birth control, such as implants, injectables, and IUDs, you may need to directly visit a hospital or clinic to obtain them.

In 2015, it was estimated that about 16% of women in Angola (who were married/in unions and between the ages of 15-49) were using any form of contraception, including traditional methods. This was lower than the Central African average (about 28% of women). It should be understood that modern contraceptive methods are not very popular and only a small percentage of women use them. The most common forms of contraception were contraceptive condoms (7% of women), injectables (3.5% of women) and pills (3% of women). Less than 1% of women used IUDs or contraceptive implants. Some women also used traditional methods, such as the rhythm method or withdrawal, but this was less than 1% of women per method.

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 to prevent pregnancy. 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 Angola, you can find emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) in pharmacies. While no emergency contraceptive pill brands are officially registered in Angola, many pharmaceutical products (including the morning after pill) are imported from Portugal.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can expect to find brands like ellaOne, Norlevo, Postinor in pharmacies.
• Tip from a local: "Most pharmacies in the capital city of Luanda carry emergency contraceptives. Norlevo is fairly easy to find. EllaOne can be found as well. These products usually come from Portugal."
• Tip: Here's a video from SuzyKnew! about emergency contraceptives in Luanda.

Costs

• The cost for LNG emergency contraceptive pills was 3,109 Kwanza), as of July 2014.

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.

List of Additional Resources

• Ministry of Health
• PSI Angola: "PSI/Angola was established in 2000, initially to work on HIV/AIDS prevention and later broadened its scope to include malaria and diarrheal disease prevention in 2004. In coordination with the Angolan Ministry of Health and many other partners, PSI/Angola is increasing access to essential health commodities and implementing targeted behavior change communications. By leveraging commercial and community distribution channels, PSI/Angola complements public sector distribution efforts and contributes to increasing coverage levels."
• Equaldex - Angola: Click here to learn about LGBTQ rights and laws in Angola. It is important to understand that homosexuality is illegal in Angola.