Kiev

Ukraine / Central Ukraine / Kiev

OVERVIEW

Contraception

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 Ukraine, contraception (birth control) is available without a prescription. According to a 2015 report, 66.5% of women (who are of reproductive age and married or in unions) use some form of contraception and 10.2% have unmet family planning needs. The most common forms are contraception are condoms (26.1%), IUDs (15%), withdrawal or the "pull out method" (12.5%), birth control pills (6.9%) and the rhythm method (2.6%).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Ukraine, you can purchase birth control pills at pharmacies, including phasic pills and combined pills. Many of the pills come from Germany, Hungary and the USA. Some brands you can expect to see are Anteovin, Diane, Diane-35, Femoden, Jeanine, Logest, Marvelon, Mercilon, Microgynon, Microgynon-30 and Minisiston.
• You can find contraceptive shots/injectables, including Depo-Provera SAS 150mg/ml and Noristerat.
• You can find contraceptive implants, including Implanon.
• You can find IUDs, including Mirena.

Emergency Contraception

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.

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.