Uruguay

OVERVIEW

As one of the most progressive countries in Latin America, you will find many health care resources in Uruguay. Birth control pills can be purchased over-the-counter, and many contraceptive methods (such as condoms, pills and IUDs) are widely used by Uruguayan women. Emergency contraception (the morning after pill) can also be purchased in pharmacies. There are no travel or residency restrictions related to HIV status, and free HIV tests are offered by the public health care system. You can find pads, pantyliners and tampons in supermarkets and pharmacies. While menstrual cups and ecological menstrual products are less common, they are certainly sold through online and indie sellers, which we list in the "Menstruation" section. Regarding pregnancy, women receive 12 weeks of maternity leave with 100% of wages covered. Finally, abortion has been fully legal since 2012 during the first 3 months of pregnancy.

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 Uruguay, you can purchase birth control pills over-the-counter at pharmacies. No prescription is needed.

In some respects, Uruguay resembles many developed nations regarding family planning. The fertility rate is 1.81 children born per woman (2016) and, according to a 2015 UN report, it's estimated that 77% of Uruguayan women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of birth control. The most common birth control methods were found to be condoms (30.3%), pills (23.5%), IUDs (12.1%) and female sterilization (5.3%). There were very low rates for injectables (0.2%) and practically no users of implants (0%). This same study found that 7.6% of Uruguayan women have unmet family planning needs, but for some populations, the numbers may be higher. According to a 2015 UNFPA report, only 54% of women reported that they had enough autonomy to discuss contraception with their partners, and 65% of adolescent pregnancies are unplanned.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• For a comprehensive list of contraceptive options available in Uruguay, click here.
• In Uruguay, you can purchase birth control pills over-the-counter without a prescription. Some of the brands you can expect to see are April, Cilest, Combignor, Diane-35, Diva, Divina 21, Divina 28, Exluton, Femexin, Femiane, Genoderm, Gynera, Harmonet, Linosun, Lo-Femenal, Marvelon, Mercilon, Microgynon, Minesse, Minifem, Minulet, Mirelle, Neolette, Nordette, Qlaira, Secret 28, Yaz, Yasmin and many more.
• If you want an IUD, you can find Mirena in Uruguay.
• If you want a contraceptive shot/injectable, you can find Cyclofem, Cyclofemina, Depo-Provera SAS 150mg/ml and Mesigyna in Uruguay.
• If you want a contraceptive implant, you can find Implanon NXT, which has been available in Uruguay since 2016. For more information about Implanon in Uruguay, click here (article in Spanish).
• If you want a contraceptive patch, you can find Evra in Uruguay.

Costs

One local reported that she paid 380 pesos for a one-month supply of birth control pills (May 2017).

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 Uruguay, you can purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) from a pharmacy. No prescription is required. If you're not a legal adult, you may be required to purchase EC with an adult (this is unverified and needs to be confirmed).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Uruguay, you can directly purchase EC (the morning after pill) over-the-counter. No prescription is required. Some brands you can expect to see are Evitaren, Imediat N, Postinor-2, Prikul and Secufem. These are all progestin-only pills. You should take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex in order to prevent pregnancy.
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) as replacement EC. If you do this, remember that, in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used. See below for instructions:
  • For these pills, take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later: D-Norginor, Neogynon, Nordiol, Ovral
  • For these pills, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later: Lo-Femenal, Microgynon, Nordette, Nordette 150/30 and Suginor
  • For these pills, take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later: April, Femexin, Miranova

Costs

You can expect to pay around 158 pesos for the morning after pill (May 2017).

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 no known travel or residency restrictions related to HIV status in Uruguay. If you're a foreigner, you won't be deported if you test positive for HIV, and you're allowed to carry antiretroviral drugs for personal use. In Uruguay, it is estimated that there are about 10,000 adults (about 0.5% of the population) living with HIV. The most at-risk populations are commercial sex workers, injection drug users and street children, and these groups have about a 5% infection rate. For transgender women who participate in sex work, the HIV infection rate has been estimated to be between 20-30%. To learn more about transgender sex workers in Uruguay and their work to attain welfare benefits, click here. As the HIV infection rate has been on the rise in the last few years, some nonprofits and NGOs are working to help people or children affected by HIV in Uruguay.

Testing Facilities

For local recommendations, check out the city pages, like the Montevideo page.

Support

• UNAIDS Uruguay: Alberto Stella - UNAIDS Country Director. Telephone: + 54 11 4328 4365. Email: STELLAA@UNAIDS.ORG.
• Uruguayan Red Cross: They do work related to HIV, health and development. Address: Avenida 8 de Octubre, 2990, 11600 Montevideo. Contact Information: Tel: (598) (2) 480 21 12. Fax: (598) (2) 480 07 14. Telegram: CRUZ ROJA URUGUAYA MONTEVIDEO. Email: cruzrojauruguaya2016@gmail.com.
• Asociación Trans del Uruguay (ATRU), or Transgender Association of Uruguay: This is an organization that helps trans people and people affected by HIV. Tel: +598 2411 1335. Email: atru2006@yahoo.com.ar
• Caritas Uruguay: "Since 1987, Caritas Internationalis has taken a lead role in promoting just and compassionate care to people living with, or affected by the virus." This is a social justice organization affiliated with Uruguayan Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic Church. Postal Address: Calle Soriano 1461, esquina Barrios Amorín, Montevideo, Uruguay. Telephone: +598 2419 4314. Fax: +598 2419 4605. Email: direccion@caritasuruguaya.org.uy.

Costs

Uruguay has a public health system that provides free HIV tests. If you're not covered under the Uruguayan health care system, you may need to pay.

Medications & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

• If you have a yeast infection ("infección por levaduras" in Spanish), you can ask the pharmacist for Fluconazole, which is antifungal medication. They'll be able to give you Fluconazole or something similar.
• If you have a urinary tract infection ("infecciones de las vías urinarias" in Spanish), you can contact a doctor/pharmacist to find out next steps.
• In Uruguay, you can get an HPV vaccine. There is also a nationwide vaccination program, which was established in 2013 and targets 12 year old girls.
• There is no official PrEP program in Uruguay, as of May 2017.

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

• You can find pads, pantyliners and tampons in many pharmacies and supermarkets.
• If you want reusable, ecological menstrual pads/pantyliners, here are some Uruguayan indie brands to check out:
  • Ara Toallitas Femeninas
  • Paños de Luna
  • Tienda de Luna
  • Roallitas de Tela
• If you want to buy a menstrual cup in Uruguay, check out this map (scroll down the page to see it) of menstrual cup sellers in Uruguay. Also, here are some menstrual cup sellers:
  • You can buy Maggacup from Silvana (contact: unaluna.925@gmail.com, 091 061 562).
  • Eco Ser: They sell MoonCup UK and also provide educational resources related to menstruation.
  • Copa Menstrual, Naturcup Uruguay: They sell Naturcup to customers in Uruguay for 1400 pesos (as of May 2017). Call +598 99 256 208. Email: naturcup.uruguay@gmail.com. Facebook: @copamenstrual.naturcup.uy
  • Biovea Uruguay: They sell DivaCup on the website for the Uruguay market.
  • Aqua Vitae Homeopatia: They supposedly sell MoonCup UK. We're waiting for confirmation on this.
  • Tienda de Luna: They may sell FemmeCup (since they have info about the cup on their website).

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

For local recommendations, check out the city pages, like the Montevideo page.

Pregnancy

Laws & Social Stigmas

Uruguay offers 12 weeks of maternity leave with 100% of wages covered.

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.

Laws & Social Stigmas

Since 2012, abortion has been legal in Uruguay during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. In order to legally obtain an abortion, the pregnant woman must first complete a five-day reflection period. Any reason for an abortion is acceptable.

However, Uruguay had a much more restrictive abortion policy for decades. According to the Criminal Code (1933), abortion was illegal, and anyone who sought out or performed an abortion could face jail time. While abortion was allowed when the woman's life was endangered, or when the pregnancy was the result of rape, legal abortions were incredibly rare. Women often reported poor treatment by doctors when they sought out abortions, so most women avoided the public and legal routes all together. During these years, Uruguay was believed to have a high abortion rate, and according to one UN report prior to legalization, "...the most conservative estimates indicate that there are at least as many abortions as live births." Many of the underground abortions performed in Uruguay were unsafe, leading to a high maternal mortality rate. To reduce the difficulties experienced by women, Uruguay eventually adopted a harm reduction program, which provided care to women before and after abortions, and which focused on treating the women as patients rather than criminals. This soon followed the legalization of abortion in 2012. To read more about the Uruguayan harm reduction program, click here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Clinica Pou - Doctor Ricardo Pou: We're not sure if this clinic offers abortion services, but it's a recommended clinic by Women on Waves, so they may offer such services. Contact them to inquire. Tel: (598) 2902 56 76 - 2908 10 55. Cel: 099122735. Address : Torre de los Profesionales, Yaguarón 1407. Corner Cologne. Suitable 1505.

List of Additional Resources

• Iniciativas Sanitarias: "Iniciativas Sanitarias is a leading coalition of sexual and reproductive health professionals whose work advances sexual and reproductive health and rights as a basic human right for women and men in Uruguay." P: 598 2708 2549. E: info@iniciativas.org.uy.
• Asociación Trans del Uruguay (ATRU), or Transgender Association of Uruguay: This is an organization that helps trans people and people affected by HIV. Tel: +598 2411 1335. Email: atru2006@yahoo.com.ar
• Mujer y Salud en Uruguay: This is a women's health organization that publishes reports and advocates for sexual and reproductive health. Address: Salto 1267, CP 11200 - Montevideo Uruguay, tel: (+598) 99 597 407. Email: secretaria@mysu.org.uy
• Red Uruguaya de Autonomías – RUDA: Founded in September 2004 RUDA (Uruguayan Network of Autonomies) is a non-profit civil association. Address: Zelmar Michelini 1266, Piso 4. telefax: 9012714 int. 29. Email: rudas@adinet.com.uy
• Campaña por la defensa de la salud reproductiva en Uruguay: We're not sure if they're still active. Address: San Jose 1436, 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay. tel: (5982) 901 8782. Email:

abortoenuruguay@chasque.net