Warsaw

Poland / Warsaw

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 Poland, birth control pills are only available with a prescription. There appears to be a six-cycle maximum for prescriptions. After six months, women may need to obtain a new birth control prescription. From 1952-1989, Poland was under communist rule as the Polish People's Republic, and it served as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. During these years, birth control pills were legal and widely accessible. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the Polish People's Republic, the Catholic Church became increasingly powerful in Polish society. This has created an environment in which birth control pills are not sold by all physicians or pharmacists (they can refuse to sell them) and they do appear to receive government subsidies, as they do in many other European countries.

Historically, some of the earliest changes came in 1991, when the Polish government removed subsidies for birth control, thereby tripling the price. As reported by the New York Times in 1991, "Since June 1989, when Poland's first non-Communist leaders in half a century took office, elements in the country's Catholic church have been pressing for parliamentary adoption of laws reflecting the church's social agenda. In the last year the Government has introduced voluntary religion classes in the public schools and tightened divorce laws." In the past few years, the Catholic Church has vocally opposed public education on family planning, LGBT rights and even discussion of gender, with posters appearing in schools that stated “Protect Your Child Against Gender" in 2013. As reported by the New York Times in early 2014, "Almost every day there are new pronouncements warning against gender ideology, for example, as when a priest commented in a talk in Poznan that 'gender leads to the devastation of families' and 'is associated with radical feminism, which advocates for abortion, the employment of women and the detention of children in preschools.'"

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.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Note: The longest-lasting EC is currently ellaOne. It lasts up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Check to see if your country carries ellaOne. If your country doesn't carry ellaOne, copper IUDs may also prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. If none of these options are available, and it's been over 3 days since you had unprotected sex, you can still take EC, which may work up to 5 days. Note that EC pills are not 100% effective and should be taken as soon as possible.

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.