Oslo

Norway / East Norway / Oslo

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 Norway, oral contraception (birth control pills) is only available with a prescription.

According to a 2015 report, it was found that 78.6% of Norwegian women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception and 6.1% of Norwegian women have unmet family planning needs. The most common forms of contraception are birth control pills (27%), IUDs (20.3%), condoms (11.1%) and female sterilization (6.7%). There were rather low rates of usage for traditional methods, such as the withdrawal method (4.0%) and the rhythm method (3.1%), as well as contraceptive implants (2.9%) and injectables (0.0%).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Tip: After losing our luggage by the airline, we went to the pharmacy Boots Apotek Grunerløkka, located Sofienberggata 6, 0551 Oslo, Norway. The pharmacist very kindly helped me to find the equivalence of my pill in its database and sold it to me without problem.

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

In Norway, emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) are available over-the-counter. No prescription is needed and there are no age restrictions. You can obtain emergency contraceptive pills at family planning clinics, youth clinics, pharmacies, supermarkets, gas stations, schools and IPPF-affiliated programs. They can also be obtained online from Norwegian websites.

You can also obtain an IUD, which is included in the national policy guidelines as a valid form of emergency contraception. However, this will require a visit to a licensed health care practitioner to insert the IUD, so this will take more time than simply obtaining ECPs over-the-counter.

The official guidelines for emergency contraceptive usage in Noreay can be found in the Metodebok: Sex og samfunn, which was revised in 2012.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Norway, you can obtain emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) at family planning clinics, youth clinics, pharmacies, supermarkets, gas stations, schools and IPPF-affiliated programs. They can also be purchased online from Norwegian websites. No prescription is needed and there are no age restrictions. Some pills you can expect to see are ellaOne, which is the longest-lasting EC is currently ellaOne. It lasts up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. You also may find Levonelle 1500 or NorLevo 1.5mg. You may also find Postinor For updated instructions on how to take these pills, click here.
  • Tip: You can try to get ECPs at Norsk forening for seksuell og reproduktiv helse og rettigheter (Address: RFSU Norge AS, Kirkegt. 5 Oslo, 0152)
• You can also use an intrauterine device (IUD) as a form of emergency contraception. Contact a licensed health care provider in Denmark to learn more details.
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use regular birth control pills are replacement ECPs. To do this, you can take take brands like Follistrel, Microluton, Eugynon, Follimin, Microgynon and Nordette. For updated instructions on how to take these pills, click here.

Costs

The cost of ECPs are not reimbursed by the Norwegian health system. However, ECPs are always free for rape victims. They are also often delivered free of charge to young people at youth clinics or to vulnerable populations at public health centers. Generally, for LNG type of pills (like Levonelle 1500, NorLevo and Postinor), you can expect to pay around€ 26,50, as of 2013. For UPA type of emergency contraceptive pills (like ellaOne), you can expect to pay around € 39, as of 2013.

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.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Menstrual cups are available to order from https://www.menskopp.se/. They offer free shipping worldwide.

Gynecological Exams

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