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→Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill)
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===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ===Laws & Social Stigmas=== | ||
In Zimbabwe, emergency contraceptive pills (also known as the morning after pill) are available at pharmacies, clinics and social marketing programs.<ref>[http://www.cecinfo.org/country-by-country-information/status-availability-database/countries/zimbabwe/ EC Status and Availability: Zimbabwe]</ref> <ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> However, they do require a prescription. We are not sure if this prescription is actually enforced by most pharmacists (we're still investigating). At both public and private clinics, nurses are the lowest cadre of health workers who are allowed to sell or dispense ECPs. | |||
While some women in Zimbabwe understand how to use ECPs, many do not. According to a 2010 report, it was found that 19.6% of Zimbabwean women had knowledge of ECPs.<ref>[http://www.cecinfo.org/country-by-country-information/status-availability-database/countries/zimbabwe/ EC Status and Availability: Zimbabwe]</ref> | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
* In Zimbabwe, you can access dedicated emergency contraception pills (also known as the morning after pill) with a prescription. You can find them in pharmacies, public sector clinics, private clinics and social marketing programs (such as Population Services International, Marie Stopes International, DKT International, etc). Some brands you can expect to see are Postinor-2, which is produced by a Hungarian company and distributed internationally, or Pregnon, which is produced by an Indian company and distributed internationally. For these brands, you can take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. You may also find Revoke 1.5 and Revoke 72, which are ECPs produced by an Indian pharmaceutical company and generally distributed to various African countries.<ref>[http://www.cecinfo.org/country-by-country-information/status-availability-database/countries/zimbabwe/ EC Status and Availability: Zimbabwe]</ref> <ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | |||
* If you cannot access dedicated emergency contraceptive pills in Zimbabwe, you have other options. You can use regular birth control pills as replacement ECPs. To do this with progestin-only pills, you can take Ovrette (take 40 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex) or Microval (take 50 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex). To do this with combined progestin-estrogen pills, you must remember that, in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used. You can take Ovidon (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later) or Ovral (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later). Alternatively, you can also take Lo-Femenal (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later), Nordette (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later) or Rigevidon (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later).<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | |||
* If you cannot access dedicated emergency contraception pills, you can also get an IUD, which can act as emergency contraception. Please refer to the "Contraception (Birth Control)" section for more information on IUD access in Zimbabwe. | |||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||