Bucharest

Romania / Bucharest

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 Romania, you can purchase contraception (birth control) without a prescription. According to a 2015 report, 69% of Romanian women (who are of reproductive age and married or in unions) use some form of contraception, and 9% of the same demographic of women have unmet family planning needs. The most common forms of contraception were found to be condoms (24.1%), birth control pills (17.2%), the rhythm method (10.4%), IUDs (6.7%) and female sterilization (4.2%). The study showed a very low rate of usage of contraceptive implants (supposedly, it was 0%).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• For a list of contraceptive options available in Romania, click here.
• In Romania, you can purchase contraceptive pills (birth control pills) over-the-counter. No prescription is required. You can find both phasic and combined pills, and the brands typically come from Germany, Hungary and the USA. Some of the brands you can expect to see are Anteovin, Cilest, Desorelle, Diane-35, Exluton, Femoden, Jeanine, Logest, Marvelon, Mercilin, Microgynon, Microval, Minidril, Minulet, Noriday, Novynette, Qlaira, Rigevidon, Tri-Minulet, Tri-Regol, Trinordiol, Trinovum, Triquilar, Yasmin and Yaz.
• If you want a contraceptive injectable/shot, you can find Depo-Provera SAS 150mg/ml, Megestron and Noristerat in Romania.
• If you want a contraceptive implant, you can find Norplant (Implants with Levonorgestrel 36 x 6 mg) in Romania.
• If you want an IUD, you can find Mirena (Hormonal IUDs with Levonorgestrel 52 mg) in Romania.

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 to prevent pregnancy. 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 Romania, you can purchase emergency contraception (the morning after pill) without a prescription. There are no age restrictions for purchasing EC.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Romania, you can find emergency contraception (the morning after pill) at pharmacies and clinics. It's sold over-the-counter, so no prescription is required. You can find ellaOne, which is the most effective EC on the market today. You take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex. You can also find Escapelle (take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex) and Postinor-2 (tke 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex).
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use regular birth control pills as replacement EC. To do this, you can take Microval (take 50 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex). You can also take progestin-estrogen combined pills but remember that, in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used. For all of these pills, you take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later: Microgynon, Minidril and Rigevidon.

Costs

In 2013, LNG emergency contraception was about € 20.

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.

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.

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.