Sofia

Bulgaria / Northwest Bulgaria / Sofia

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 Bulgaria, you need a prescription to obtain birth control pills and most other forms of contraception. However, you can purchase condoms without a prescription at markets, pharmacies, and from online vendors.

In 2015, it was estimated that 67% of Bulgarian women (who were married/in unions and of reproductive age) used any form of contraception, including traditional methods, which was slightly lower than the Eastern European average (about 69% of women). Furthermore, about 13.5% of women had unmet family planning needs, which was slightly higher than the Eastern European average (about 10%). The most common forms of contraception was, by far, male condoms, which were used by 26.5% of women. Many women chose to use withdrawal, also known as the "pull-out method," as their main form of contraception (about 18% of women). This was followed by IUDs (about 11% of women) and birth control pills (about 7% of women). There were rather low rates of usage for all other forms of contraception, including female sterilization (2.5% of women), the rhythm method (about 1% of women), male sterilization (less than 1% of women), and female barrier methods (less than 1% of women). There were practically no women who were found to be using contraceptive injectables (0.0% of women) and contraceptive implants (0.0% of women).

What to Get & Where to Get It

• In Bulgaria, you can easily purchase condoms without a prescription at supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations, and various stores.
• You can find birth control pills at pharmacies, but a prescription may be required (we're still researching this).

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 Bulgaria, emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) are available over-the-counter at pharmacies. No prescription is necessary for people over 16 years old. However, for minors, a prescription is typically required. Furthermore, for some ECP brands, you can directly view and obtain the pills without even going through a pharmacist.

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

In Bulgaria, there are an estimated 2800 adults living with HIV, which accounts for less than 0.1% of the population, as of 2017. Furthermore, the infection rate has decreased by 14% since 2000. It is estimated that about 87% of people living with HIV in Bulgaria know their status, and 43% of adults and children who have HIV are receiving 43%. However, there are higher HIV infection rates in certain communities, such as men who have sex with men (3.9%), prisoners (1.7%), and injection drug users (1.7%). It is estimated that around 0.3% of sex workers are living with HIV. One factor to consider is that HIV knowledge in Bulgaria tends to be low, with a little under 19% of young people (ages 15-24) holding knowledge of HIV prevention.

Testing Facilities

• In Bulgaria, you can receive an HIV test and other STI tests at a variety of places, such as VCT (i.e. voluntary counseling and treatment) centers, mobile testing facilities, health education centers, public clinics and hospitals, and private clinics and hospitals.

Support

• Note on HIV treatment: You can receive ART for HIV treatment at five hospitals that receive funding from the Ministry of Health, though costs can be high.
• Ministry of Health - Expert Council on HIV/AIDS: Address: Ministry of Health, 26, Yanko Sakazov blvd., 1504 Sofia. Telephone: +359 2 9301 152. Fax: +359 2 981 57 25. Email: press@mh.government.bg
• ANTI-AIDS Coalition: Address: Akad. Ivan Evstatiev Geshov Blvd 15, 1431 Sofia. Telephone: +359 2 954 96 72. Email: anina@ncphp.government.bg
• National Centre for Addictions: Address: 117, Pirotska str, 1303 Sofia. Telephone: +359 2 831 90 15. Email: ncn@ncn-bg.org

Costs

• HIV tests can be free or you can pay money, depending on various factors. Generally, if you go to the Regional Health Inspectorates, which can be found in district cities, or to mobile testing sites, which are often set up by NGOs, you can get a free HIV test (but you may need to be a Bulgarian citizen or legal resident to receive free services). However, if you go to a private clinic or hospital, you will need to pay for the test and laboratory results.
• Regarding treatment costs for hepatitis and other STIs: Health insurance in Bulgaria is supposed to cover the treatment, but this may not always be the case. For this reason, it appears that some people purchase antibiotics to treat STIs over-the-counter at pharmacies in Bulgaria.

Medications & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can find the HPV vaccine in Bulgaria, and the country has had a nationwide HPV immunization program since 2012.
• There appears to be no official vendors or distributors of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Bulgaria, as of October 2018.
• Regarding Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), it was previously reported that PEP was only available for occupational exposure (i.e. not for sexual exposure) in Bulgaria, but we don't know if this is still the case.

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 sold at a variety of stores in Bulgaria, from small stores to larger supermarket chains, such as Lilly’s and DM.

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

• To find a doctor in Bulgaria, you can visit DocTiming, which lets you browse for different doctors and book an appointment online. The website is in Bulgarian and English.

Pregnancy

What to Get & Where to Get It

• To find a doctor in Bulgaria, you can visit DocTiming, which lets you browse for different doctors and book an appointment online. The website is in Bulgarian and English.

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.

List of Additional Resources

• Equaldex Bulgaria: This website provides information on LGBTQ rights and laws in Bulgaria. As of 2018, homosexuality is legal in Bulgaria and it is legal to change gender (but a surgery is required to do so). There are laws against employment or housing discrimination based on sexual-orientation or gender. However, gay marriage is not legal in Bulgaria.
• Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association: "The Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) focuses on advocacy, and on information and education activities for the whole community, but with a particular emphasis on young people. The organization runs comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care clinics in Sofia and other cities. The clinics function as training centres for health personnel and social workers. BFPA is working in close partnership with the government on a project designed to extend these facilities to other parts of the country." Call: +359 2 943 3052. Email: bfpa@safesex.bg
• Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria: "The CRW is a non-profit organization with mission to assist newly recognized refugees in the process of their initial adaptation and integration." Call: +359 87 676 6588. Email: office@crw-bg.org.
• Bulgarian Fund for Women: "Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) is the only indigenous donor in Bulgaria that raises funds and gives grants to local NGOs working to advance women’s and girls’ rights, eliminate gender stereotypes, gender-based violence and discrimination, achieve gender equality in all spheres of life and make a social change." Address: 37B Parchevich Str., Sofia 1000. Phone: +359 2 986 47 10. Email: office@bgfundforwomen.org
• Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation: "The organization works in the field of gender equality, prevention of domestic violence, reproductive rights and anti-discrimination by providing information, elaboration and production of researches, analyses and draft laws, conducting campaigns and lobbying for legislative changes, provision of training and consultations for professionals and working in wide networks in cooperation with other organizations, public institutions and experts." Address: 33 Vasil Levski Blv. 1142 Sofia, Bulgaria. E-mail: office@bgrf.org. Telephone: 02 963 53 57. Fax: 02 963 53 57. Mobile Phone Number: 0878 567 620
• Center of Women's Studies and Policies: "CWSP continues and enhances the work on women's, gender and equal opportunities issues in Bulgaria and further develops new areas of expertise and activities. It implements its own or joint projects with similar domestic or international organizations." Address: Sofia 1000, 38 Tsar Asen street. Phone: ++359 2 981 04 73. E-mail: cwsp@cwsp.bg.