Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Slovakia: LNG EC, UPA EC, and the use of IUD for EC are included in national policies for family planning, and local pharmacies distribute EC, but EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security.
- Sexual & reproductive health background information
- Accessibility & prescription status
- Cost
- Guidelines & common practices
- EC use
Sexual & reproductive health background information
| Female population aged 15-49 | Mean age at first sexual intercourse | Mean age at birth of first child | Total fertility rate | % use of modern contraceptive methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 1,360,0781 | 17.82 | 27.33 | 1.464 | 24.8%1 |
| Year | 2012 | 2005 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
Accessibility & prescription status
In Slovakia, LNG EC is available over the counter from pharmacies, which means that EC can be purchased without a prescription. Since 2015, UPA EC can also be purchased without a prescription from pharmacies.
Physicians are the sole health care professionals who are authorized to prescribe EC.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 22 | Escapelle |
| UPA | € 27 | ellaOne |
The cost of EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security in Slovakia.
Guidelines & common practices
Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use, created by the Slovak OB/GYN Society in 2009, includes recommendations on LNG and UPA EC pills as well as on the use of IUD for EC, among other contraceptive methods.
Health care providers never provide general information about EC during regular consultations or prescribe EC in advance of need.
EC use
| Ever use of EC | EC use in the last 12 months | % with no prescription | Repeated use of EC in last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | n/a | n/a | 96.88%5 | 0.1% – 1%6 |
| Year | n/a | n/a | 2011 | 2011 |
Sources
1 National Centre of Health Information (NCHI) of the Slovak Republic, 2013.
2 Durex Global Sex Survey Results 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2013, from http://www.durex.com/en-jp/sexualwellbeingsurvey/documents/gss2005result.pdf.
3 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Database. Mean Age of Women at Birth of First Child by Country and Year. Updated 23 November 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013, from http://w3.unece.org/pxweb/dialog/varval.asp?ma=04_GEFHAge1stChild_r&path=../database/STAT/30-GE/02-Families_households/&lang=1&ti=Mean+age+of+women+at+birth+of+first+child.
4 European health for all database (HFA-DB), World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Total fertility rate. Retrieved 18 June 2013, from http://data.euro.who.int/hfadb/.
5 Estimated from OTC use in Slovakia among those aged 18-45, 2006.
6 Estimated from counseling data provided on the “EC web page” among those aged 18-45, 2011.
Last update: September 2016
