Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Greece: local pharmacies distribute EC, and LNG EC, UPA EC, and the use of IUD for EC are included in national policies for family planning.
- 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 | 2,579,0001 | 17.52 | 31.23 | 1.524 | 45.9%5 |
| Year | 2010 | 2005 | 2010 | 2009 | 2001 |
Accessibility & prescription status
In Greece, LNG EC can be obtained without a prescription from pharmacies. Since January 2015, UPA is accessible directly from pharmacies without a prescription too.
Physicians are the sole health care professionals who are authorized to prescribe or provide EC pills.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 5,40 | NorLevo 1.5mg |
| LNG | € 8,96 | Postinor 1.5mg |
| UPA | € 25,77 | ellaOne |
| UPA | € n/a | Elperil |
Guidelines & common practices
Greece has guidelines that are exclusively devoted to EC as well as guidelines that include EC among other contraceptive methods. Both documents were published in 2012-2013 and include recommendations on LNG and UPA EC pills as well as on the use of IUD for EC.
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 | 155,400 units6 | n/a | n/a |
| Year | n/a | 2014 | n/a | n/a |
Sources
1 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. New York, 2011.
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 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Contraceptive Use 2012. New York, 2012.
6 IMS data, 2014.
Last update: November 2021
Previous update: January 2021, November 2015
