Kabul

Afghanistan / Eastern Afghanistan / Kabul

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 Afghanistan, oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are technically legally available over-the-counter (i.e. no prescription required). However, the reality is that birth control pills can be hard to find. According to one local contributor: "There is almost no access for local women to contraceptives other than condoms. It is possible to get a prescription for combined oral contraceptive pills, but the quality is not comparable to the assortment of pills in Western countries. There are NGOs in the country providing contraceptives of all kinds in Afghanistan, but not all local women have access to these NGOs."

According to a 2015 UN report, it was found that about 29% of Afghan women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception, including traditional methods, and about 27% of women have unmet family planning needs. This rate is much lower than the average rate of contraceptive use in Southern Asia, where about 57% of women use contraceptives, or Western Asia, where about 58% of women use contraceptives. In Afghanistan, the most commonly used birth control method is contraceptive injectables, which are used by about 12% of Afghan women, and birth control pills, which are used by almost 7% of women. There are very low rates of usage for all other forms of contraceptives, including traditional methods (3.8%), condoms (1.6%), IUDs (1.5%), withdrawal (1.5%), contraceptive implants (1%) and female sterilization (0.7%).

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 Afghanistan, no emergency contraceptive pills are registered for usage. However, it is reportedly legal to import emergency contraceptive pills through licensing. While there are no emergency contraceptive pills procured through the government, they may be available through certain NGOs or programs affiliated with the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• It may be difficult to access dedicated emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) in Afghanistan. However, you can try to use regular oral contraceptives (birth control pills) as replacement ECPs. To do this, you can take Stediril-d (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later). For updated information on how to use birth control pills as replacement ECPs in Afghanistan, please visit the Princeton EC Website.
• From one local: "In Kabul, there are several international clinics and hospitals, mainly treating expats and providing Western contraceptives, such as the morning after pill. There is no such service accessible for local women." (October 2017)

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.

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

Most upper middle-class Afghan women tend to get a visa to either Pakistan or India to get their gynecological treatment, as they do not trust the Afghan medical facilities and doctors.

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
• Afghan Family Guidance Association: "Afghan Family Guidance Association (AFGA) is an Afghan non-governmental, not-for-profit and non-political organization established in 1968. AFGA has been working in the field of Reproductive health and Rights since its inception and has recently become an associate member of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). AFGA activities were suspended due to war and conflict in the country for ten years (1992-2002) and resumed its activities in 2002 with financial support from International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). IPPF is an alliance of 151 family planning associations known as Member Associations which has projects in over 180 countries. IPPF continues to be the largest civil society provider of reproductive health information and services in the world."
• Family Planning 2020 - Afghanistan: "Afghanistan has finalized its Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent (RMNCAH) strategy as well as the Costed Implementation Plan (2018-2022) for family planning. Afghanistan has made strides since making its first FP2020 commitment in 2016 by increasing the number of public health facilities offering family planning and expanding contraceptive choice..."
• Click here to learn about LGBT-related laws in Afghanistan. Be aware that homosexuality is illegal.