Casablanca

Morocco / North Atlantic Coast / Casablanca

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 Morocco, birth control is informally available without a prescription. This means that it can be purchased over-the-counter at pharmacies. You can also access other forms of birth control, such as condoms, shots and IUDs. It is estimated that about 68% of Moroccan women use some form of contraception and that 48% use modern contraceptive methods. It was found in a 2015 UN report that 9.7% of Moroccan women have unmet family planning needs. The most common birth control methods were the pill (used by 49.6% of Moroccan women who are in marriages or in unions), IUD (4.3%), withdrawal (3.9%), rhythm (4.3%) and female sterilization (3.0%). Condom usage is rather low with only 1.2% using the male condom.

According to a 2012 report from the Population Reference Bureau, "the country stands out among Arab countries for a rapid increase in modern contraceptive use by both rural and urban women and for relatively low levels of "unmet need" for family planning—defined as the share of women who wish to delay or avoid pregnancy but are not using contraception."

However, progress can still be made. For one, Moroccan family planning heavily emphasizes the pill, and it does not focus on condoms (which can prevent both pregnancy and STD infection). For this reason, it is recommended that Moroccan family planning dedicates more resources to emphasizing other contraceptive methods. Furthermore, as the report states, "Moroccan family planning and maternal health services tend to focus on the needs of married women. Single men and women may avoid family planning and reproductive health services because of a lack of confidentiality as well as judgment by providers. Roudi-Fahimi argued that these programs should be expanded to serve unmarried couples who are sexually active—a relationship that is usually kept secret because it is not acceptable socially or legally."

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can purchase birth control pills in pharmacies. Some brands you can expect to see are Microval, Neogynon, Stediril, Microgynon, Microgynon-30 and Minidril.
• You can purchase condoms in pharmacies or online. For example, you can buy Moods condoms here, which are being sold for MAD 271.98 for 10 boxes.
• For planned parenthood, (prescription/ shot or implant of hormonal contraceptives. + IUDs) there's the AMPF (Association Marocaine de Planning Familial). The fews are affordable (2 consultations: around 120dh, and the procedure and the device are free).

Costs

Some pills cost around 13 dh per month.

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

Emergency contraception (the morning after pill) has been legal in Morocco since 2008.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• You can purchase dedicated emergency contraception at Moroccan pharmacies. Some brands you can expect to see are ellaOne, NorLevo 1.5mg and Postinor-2. For all of these pills, you should take one pill within 120 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Currently, ellaOne is considered the most effective EC on the market, since it can be effective for 5 days after unprotected sex, whereas the other pills are effective for 3-5 days after unprotected sex. For more information on ellaOne, check out the ellaOne website.
• You can have an IUD inserted to prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex.
• If you can't access dedicated emergency contraception, you can use regular oral contraceptives (birth control pills) as emergency contraception. For progestin-only pills, you can take Microval (take 50 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex). For combined pills (progestin-estrogen), you'll need to remember that, in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used. You can take Neogynon or Stediril (take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later). You can also take Microgynon, Microgynon-30 and Minidril (take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later).

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 travel restrictions related to HIV or STI status in Morocco. In the 1990s, some people were deported due to their HIV status, but that has stopped. Furthermore, while the US Consulate website claims that there are restrictions on HIV+ visitors to Morocco, this has been confirmed by numerous sources to be incorrect, and more information can be found online at HIV Travel.

Testing Facilities

• Association de Lutte contre le Sida: They have vans that go around Morocco and offer free, anonymous tests for syphilis and HIV. Address: 17, Boulevard Al Massira Al Khadra, Casablanca. Phone: +212 2 994 242/43. Fax: +212 2 994 244.
• OPALS (Organisation Panafricaine de Lutte contre le SIDA or Pan-African Organization for the Fights Against AIDS): They have testing facilities in many cities, including Casablanca.

Support

• Association de Lutte contre le Sida: They offer treatment and education on HIV preventuin. Address: 17, Boulevard Al Massira Al Khadra, Casablanca. Phone: +212 2 994 242/43. Fax: +212 2 994 244.
• OPALS (Organisation Panafricaine de Lutte contre le SIDA or Pan-African Organization for the Fights Against AIDS): They offer support and education.

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.

Pregnancy

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Hôpital Cheikh Khalifa Ibn Zaid: Recommended ob/gyn: Dr. Amine BITITI "I can highly recommend dr Bititi at Hospital Cheikh Khalifa" "400 dhrs without scan and 600 dhrs with scan. I meant he's really good for pregnancies as he respects future mums wishes."

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.