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'''OVERVIEW''' | '''OVERVIEW''' | ||
In Oman, you will find a complex picture regarding sexual and reproductive health care. On the one hand, Oman is an incredibly diverse and youthful society, where immigrants make up over 40% of the population and nearly 50% of the population is under 25 years old.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mu.html CIA World Factbook - Oman]</ref> The majority of the population lives in developed urban centers, like Muscat and Seeb, where one can find state-of-the-art medical centers in both the public and private sectors. Furthermore, the majority of Omani people practice Ibadi Islam, which is considered a rather tolerant branch of Islam, relatively speaking. On the other hand, Omani society remains markedly religious and conservative. It's not common or widely accepted to talk openly about sexuality, especially regarding the sexuality of unmarried people. For these reasons, you can find contraceptives, such as pills, condoms and IUDs, available in Oman, but they're assumed to be for married people. Moreover, emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) are unavailable in Oman. If you visit the "Emergency Contraception (Mornig After Pill)" section of this page, we explain how you can use regular birth control pills as replacement ECPs. Abortion is illegal, except for cases when the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman. Overall, Oman is an international and rapidly changing country. For these reasons, the current landscape may prove very different in the decades to come. However, as it currently stands, one should remain keenly aware of the cultural and social attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health, and it's advised to carefully seek out providers who are most sensitized to your needs. | |||
==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ==Contraception (Birth Control)== | ||
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In Oman, contraceptives (such as birth control pills, IUDs and condoms) are legal and available. However, they are not extremely popular or common, and the rate of usage is lower than many neighboring countries. According to a 2015 UN report, 37.4% of women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception. It was found that 28.3% of women have unmet family planning needs, which is rather high for the region (compared to 11.3% for Bahrain, 19.2% for Qatar and 19.5% for the UAE in 2015). The most common contraceptive methods were found to be withdrawal, also known as the "pull-out method" (7.2%), shots/injectables (5.6%), female sterilization (5.6%), pills (5.2%), condoms (4.2%) and IUDs (3.9%). There appeared to be practically no usage of contraceptive implants (0% usage in the report) and vaginal barrier methods (0% usage in the report).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref> | In Oman, contraceptives (such as birth control pills, IUDs and condoms) are legal and available. However, they are not extremely popular or common, and the rate of usage is lower than many neighboring countries. According to a 2015 UN report, 37.4% of women (who are of reproductive age and married/in unions) use some form of contraception. It was found that 28.3% of women have unmet family planning needs, which is rather high for the region (compared to 11.3% for Bahrain, 19.2% for Qatar and 19.5% for the UAE in 2015). The most common contraceptive methods were found to be withdrawal, also known as the "pull-out method" (7.2%), shots/injectables (5.6%), female sterilization (5.6%), pills (5.2%), condoms (4.2%) and IUDs (3.9%). There appeared to be practically no usage of contraceptive implants (0% usage in the report) and vaginal barrier methods (0% usage in the report).<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref> | ||
The majority of Omani people are Ibadi Muslims, practicing a form of Islam that is neither strictly Sunni or Shi'a. While Ibadi Islam is considered tolerant (regionally-speaking), and Oman is less religiously conservative than some of its neighbors, Oman is still a traditional society. In Oman, homosexuality is illegal<ref>[http://www.equaldex.com/region/oman Equaldex - Oman]</ref> and contraceptives were not widely available until 1994.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Md_Khan46/publication/280924398_DETERMINANTS_OF_CONTRACEPTIVE_USE_IN_OMAN/links/55cb881b08aeb975674c7d52/DETERMINANTS-OF-CONTRACEPTIVE-USE-IN-OMAN.pdf DETERMINANTS OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE IN OMAN, March 2015]</ref> Oman | The majority of Omani people are Ibadi Muslims, practicing a form of Islam that is neither strictly Sunni or Shi'a. While Ibadi Islam is considered tolerant (regionally-speaking), and Oman is less religiously conservative than some of its neighbors, Oman is still a traditional society. In Oman, homosexuality is illegal<ref>[http://www.equaldex.com/region/oman Equaldex - Oman]</ref> and contraceptives were not widely available until 1994.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Md_Khan46/publication/280924398_DETERMINANTS_OF_CONTRACEPTIVE_USE_IN_OMAN/links/55cb881b08aeb975674c7d52/DETERMINANTS-OF-CONTRACEPTIVE-USE-IN-OMAN.pdf DETERMINANTS OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE IN OMAN, March 2015]</ref> Oman was previously considered a "high-fertility" country, but the rate has gone down. Between 1988 and 2008, the fertility rate decreased from 8.6 births per woman to 3.3 births per woman.<ref>[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110569017300687 Rapid fertility decline in Oman: Understanding the role of proximate determinants]</ref> In the past few decades, more Omani women have chosen to take contraceptives, especially educated and wealthier women in urban areas. However, the rate of usage is still lower than its neighbors, such as [[Qatar]] or the [[United Arab Emirates]], as well as other Arab countries, such as [[Egypt]]. | ||
In Oman, like in other Arabian Peninsula countries, contraceptives are thought to be for married couples. For this reason, condom distribution campaigns tend to target married people. Furthermore, it's taboo to discuss topics like premarital sex, young people having sex and general STI prevention (for all people, regardless of marital status) in Omani society. If someone promotes contraceptives for single people, that person may be interpreted as promoting promiscuous or amoral behavior.<ref>[http://files.unaids.org/en/dataanalysis/knowyourresponse/countryprogressreports/2014countries/OMN_narrative_report_2014.pdf UNAIDS - COUNTRY PROGRESS REPORT | In Oman, like in other Arabian Peninsula countries, contraceptives are thought to be for married couples. For this reason, condom distribution campaigns tend to target married people. Furthermore, it's taboo to discuss topics like premarital sex, young people having sex and general STI prevention (for all people, regardless of marital status) in Omani society. If someone promotes contraceptives for single people, that person may be interpreted as promoting promiscuous or amoral behavior.<ref>[http://files.unaids.org/en/dataanalysis/knowyourresponse/countryprogressreports/2014countries/OMN_narrative_report_2014.pdf UNAIDS - COUNTRY PROGRESS REPORT | ||
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** For this brand of pill, take 40 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex: Ovrette</ref> <ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | ** For this brand of pill, take 40 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex: Ovrette</ref> <ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | ||
** For this brand of pill, take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later (and only take from the first 21 pills in the pack): Ovral<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | ** For this brand of pill, take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later (and only take from the first 21 pills in the pack): Ovral<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | ||
** For this brand, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later (and only take from the first 21 pills in the pack): Lo-Femenal, Microgynon-30, Nordette | ** For this brand, take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later (and only take from the first 21 pills in the pack): Lo-Femenal, Microgynon-30, Nordette<ref>[http://ec.princeton.edu/ Princeton EC Website]</ref> | ||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||
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In Oman, women receive 50 days of paid maternity leave for their first five children, as of 2016.<ref>[https://www.y-oman.com/2016/08/push-maternity-leave-oman/ PUSH FOR MORE MATERNITY LEAVE IN OMAN]</ref> Following five children, any other maternity leave time is taken from their vacation time. However, there is a push for women to have a longer paid maternity leave of 60 days,<ref>[https://www.y-oman.com/2016/08/push-maternity-leave-oman/ PUSH FOR MORE MATERNITY LEAVE IN OMAN]</ref> and there is currently no paid paternity leave. To read more about the lack of paternity leave in Oman, as well as public thought on the issue, click [http://timesofoman.com/article/66069/Oman/Health/Guarded-optimism-on-introducing-paternity-leave-in-Oman here] for a 2015 article in the Times of Oman. | In Oman, women receive 50 days of paid maternity leave for their first five children, as of 2016.<ref>[https://www.y-oman.com/2016/08/push-maternity-leave-oman/ PUSH FOR MORE MATERNITY LEAVE IN OMAN]</ref> Following five children, any other maternity leave time is taken from their vacation time. However, there is a push for women to have a longer paid maternity leave of 60 days,<ref>[https://www.y-oman.com/2016/08/push-maternity-leave-oman/ PUSH FOR MORE MATERNITY LEAVE IN OMAN]</ref> and there is currently no paid paternity leave. To read more about the lack of paternity leave in Oman, as well as public thought on the issue, click [http://timesofoman.com/article/66069/Oman/Health/Guarded-optimism-on-introducing-paternity-leave-in-Oman here] for a 2015 article in the Times of Oman. | ||
'''Note:''' We're still trying to research if it's illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in Oman. Since it's illegal in the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Qatar]], and since Omani laws and customs share some similarity with these countries (along with notable differences), this may be the case - but we're still investigating. If you know the facts behind this open question, please contribute to this section. Thank you. | |||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
* [http://www.fetalmedicine.ae/ Fetal Medicine and Genetic Center]: | * [http://www.fetalmedicine.ae/ Fetal Medicine and Genetic Center]: They only have centers in the UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi), but they're supposed to be very good. | ||
===Costs=== | ===Costs=== | ||
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===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ||
* Police Emergency: Call 9999 | |||
* Muscat Govenorate Police Headquarters phone: Call 24560021 | |||
* Muscat Police Station: Call 24736611 | |||
* Toll Free Number for Family Counseling (provided by Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour): 800-77788 | * Toll Free Number for Family Counseling (provided by Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour): 800-77788 | ||