Oranjestad

Aruba / Oranjestad

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.

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 Aruba, you can obtain emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) without a prescription.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can obtain emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) without a prescription. Some of the brands you may find include Duet, Optinor, Postinor 1, and Pregnon. Most of these brands are available in pharmacies, but some of them (such as Optinor) may be only available at family planning clinics.

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 Tourism, Public Health and Sports
• The Foundation for the Promotion of Responsible Parenthood (FPRP): "The Foundation for the Promotion of Responsible Parenthood (FPRP) runs 2 permanent clinics and provides a range of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to the people of Aruba. FPRP is part of an umbrella organization known as the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA). It is the only regional non-governmental organization (NGO) devoted to family planning and sexual and reproductive health in the Caribbean."
• Equaldex - Aruba: Click here to learn about LGBTQ rights and laws in Aruba.