Addis Ababa

Ethiopia / Oromia / Addis Ababa

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 Ethiopia, you can purchase birth control without a prescription. While many contraceptive options are available to Ethiopian women, and some are entirely free, the rate of usage is not supremely high. It is estimated that about 36% of Ethiopian women (of reproductive age) use some form of contraception. The most popular methods are injectables (25.1%), implants (7.6%), pills (4.2%) and other traditional methods (3.2%). When young women (ages 15-24) engage in unprotected or "high-risk" sex, about 17% use condoms.

This can be partially attributed to the fact that many Ethiopian women live in rural areas, where the nearest access to a health center can be a full day's walk. Furthermore, religion plays a critical role in Ethiopian society, with the most predominant religions being Ethiopian Orthodoxy (43.5%), Islam (33.9%) and Pentay Protestantism (20.6%). The Ethiopian Orthodox Church prohibits any form of contraception, while women of many religious backgrounds feel social, cultural and religious pressure to avoid contraception. This means that, even for urban women, where they may have health care facilities in their own neighborhoods, they may not seek out contraceptive methods. Some women may even choose to have secret occasional abortions rather than engage in a regular contraceptive plan. However, the rate of contraceptive usage is increasing in Ethiopia, jumping from 8% using hormonal birth control in 2000 to 29% in 2014.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can get male and female condoms at pharmacies. For a 3-pack of Sensation condoms, you can expect to pay 3 Ethiopian birr. There are also many free or low-cost places to obtain condoms in Ethiopia, which are geared toward Ethiopian nationals.
• You can get birth control pills at pharmacies and you don't need a prescription. If you want the combined pill (estrogen-progestin), you can ask for " “Estrogen/ progestin pill ifeligallehu” (Amharic) or "“Estrogen/ progestin pill ideli iye” (Tigrigna), which both mean "I want the estrogen-progestin pill." The pills are typically sold in 3-month supplies. Some brands you may see are Microlut, Microval, Eugynon, Neogynon, Ovidon, Lo-Femenal, Microgynon-30 and Nordette. For a 3-month supply of pills, you can expect to 20 to 30 birr. If you're an Ethiopian national, you can probably get birth control pills for free.
• You can get the implant (Impanon) in Ethiopia at health centers. You'll be asked to consult with a nurse first. If you're an Ethiopian national, you can probably get the implant for free.
• You can get an IUD in Ethiopia at health centers. You'll be asked to consult with a nurse first. The IUD has to be implanted by a Maternal and Child Health nurse. If you're an Ethiopian national, you can probably get the IUD for free.

Costs

If you're an Ethiopian national, you can get birth control (condoms, birth control pills, shots, the IUD, etc) for free. If you're not an Ethiopian national, you will need to pay standard market prices, based on the rates set by the pharmacy, clinic or hospital.

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.

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.

Medications & Vaccines

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

• Marie Stopes International - Ethiopia: "We provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services through a network of centres. These facilities provide a wide range of services including: general medical consultation, comprehensive family planning; pre- and post-natal care; child health checks; free condom provision; voluntary testing and counseling on HIV; and STI screening and treatment." Address: Marie Stopes International Ethiopia, P.O. BOX 5775, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Pregnancy

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.

Advocacy & Counseling

List of Additional Resources

• Tigray Trek 242: "Tigray Trek 242 is 242 kilometer run through the Tigray region of Ethiopia designed to be an attention-getting way of raising awareness of HIV and teaching dynamic and interactive approaches to HIV prevention to over 1000 Tigrawa people by Peace Corps Ethiopia volunteers and their community counterparts."