Gynopedia needs your support! Please consider contributing content, translating a page, or making a donation today. With your support, we can sustain and expand the website. Gynopedia has no corporate sponsors or advertisers. Your support is crucial and deeply appreciated.
Taipei
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 Taiwan, you can obtain birth control without a prescription.
What to Get & Where to Get It
- You can go to a pharmacy and get birth control without a prescription. Some brands you can expect to see are Duoluton, Neovlar, Nordiol, Primovlar, Minigynon 30, Nordette and Loette.
Costs
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.
Laws & Social Stigmas
What to Get & Where to Get It
Costs
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.
Laws & Social Stigmas
There are residency restrictions for individuals who have HIV. However, the Taiwanese government is working on potentially removing these restrictions in the future. For this reason, you may want to check the HIV Travel page on Taiwan in the future to confirm. However, as of January 2017, here are the restrictions: If you are HIV positive, you can visit Taiwan as a tourist without restrictions (no HIV test required). While you may technically not be allowed into the country, they have no way to test or prove your HIV status. However, if you want to stay longer than 90 days, or if you want to become a legal resident or worker, you must take an HIV test. If you are found to be HIV positive or if you refuse to take the test, you will be expelled from the country. If you already have a Taiwanese residency permit and you're found to be HIV positive, you may lose your residency permit. If you contracted HIV as a legal resident and from another Taiwanese resident, you can stay in Taiwan (but you must prove how you contracted it). According to HIVTravel, "There is an established appeals process, which allows foreigners who have been expelled from the country to appeal for re-entry. However, the appeals process is complicated and shrouded in secrecy (cf. pending case of Mr. & Mrs. Chang, http://archives.healthdev.net/pwha-net/msg00271.html)."
What to Get & Where to Get It
Testing Facilities
"Foreigners who wish to get tested in Taiwan are advised to get an anonymous test performed first. In the case of a positive test result, the government will not be notified and it should not be any problem to leave/re-enter Taiwan."
- STD Clinic Taipei: Anonymous tests with rapid response are possible without any problems. Address: 2F, 100 Kunming Street, Phone: +886 2 2370 3739.
Support
Costs
Medications & Vaccines
Laws & Social Stigmas
What to Get & Where to Get It
- The HPV vaccine is available in Taiwan. However, it's unclear if the government has an official vaccination program that it subsidizes. As of 2015, it was not yet subsidized by the government.<ref<Experts call for free HPV vaccines for girls</ref> and was available at National Taiwan University, for example, for TWD 2394.[1]
- There is no official PrEP program in Taiwan, but you may still be able to access PrEP.
Costs
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.
Laws & Social Stigmas
What to Get & Where to Get It
Costs
Gynecological Exams
Laws & Social Stigmas
What to Get & Where to Get It
Costs
Pregnancy
Laws & Social Stigmas
What to Get & Where to Get It
Costs
Abortion
Laws & Social Stigmas
Abortion has been legal in Taiwan since 1985. Abortion is legal for medical and psychological reasons, rape or incest, "seduction" (which includes but is not limited to statutory rape,) and to prevent psychological issues of a parent from being passed on to a child. Abortion is not a right for all women. Unmarried women under the age of 20 need parent permission to terminate a pregnancy. A married woman of any age need permission from her husband. A woman labeled as mentally handicapped needs permission from her guardian. Although abortion is not available on request in Taiwan, some doctors do not ask for proof that you meet the criteria for abortion. Furthermore, the definition of "seduction" or psychological distress is vague and easily applied to many circumstances. [2]
What to Get & Where to Get It
- Ko's Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic - Address: 1F., No.10-1, Linsen S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Phone: 02-33933939 ext.9
Costs
Taiwan's national health insurance does not cover the cost of abortion under any circumstances. A blog post last updated in 2013 lists abortion prices in a private clinic ranging from $6,350 - $8000 NTD [3]