Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Poland but a prescription is required to buy LNG and UPA EC. EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security. UPA EC pills were available without prescription from April 2015 until July 2017. A pilot program for pharmacy prescription of UPA EC pills was introduced in May 2024.
Accessibility & prescription status
In Poland, all EC pills (LNG and UPA) are only available by prescription from pharmacies. Parental consent is required, in order to prescribe EC pills to women under 18.
Following the European Medicines Agency’s recommendation in 2015, the Ministry of Health allowed the change in status of UPA EC (see the Ministry’s statement). Since April 2015 UPA EC was available behind the counter from pharmacies for women and girls aged 15 and older. LNG remained subject to prescription. However, in July 2017 the “Act of 25th May 2017 on the change in the Act on medical services financed from a state budget and some other acts” entered into effect, reinstating the mandatory prescription for UPA EC.6
On May 1st, 2024, new regulations came into effect as a temporary pilot program, through which individuals over the age of 15 can consult with a pharmacist, obtain a prescription, and then purchase UPA ECP (the program does not include ECPs with levonorgestrel). The regulation does not apply to all pharmacies in Poland; individuals can access UPA ECPs through the pilot program no more than once every 30 days; and the person intending to use EC must be present during the consultation.7
As of May 1, 2024, a new temporary pilot program governed by the “Pharmaceutical Prescription Regulation for Emergency Contraception”, allows individuals aged 15 and older to consult with a pharmacist, obtain a prescription, and purchase UPA EC. This program does not cover EC pills with LNG. The program is applied only in select pharmacies in Poland. Under this scheme, individuals may access EC pills no more than once every 30 days, and the person intending to use the EC must be present during the consultation.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 10,00 | Escapelle |
| LNG | € 10,00 | Livopill |
| UPA | € 19,00 | ellaOne |
| UPA | € n/a | Misstala |
The cost of EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security in Poland except in instances of rape, but the reimbursement of EC in cases of rape is a very rare occurrence.
Guidelines & common practices
New guidelines for doctors and pharmacists were issued in 2024:
1. Naczelna Izba Lekarska / Polskie Towarzystwo Farmaceutyczne. Antykoncepcja awaryjna. Wytyczne dla farmaceutów. 2024 (Supreme Chamber of Physicians / Polish Pharmaceutical Society; Emergency contraception. Guidelines for pharmacists), available here.
2. Stanowisko Polskiego Towarzystwa Ginekologów i Położników dotyczące stosowania antykoncepcji awaryjnej zawierającej lewonorgestrel lub octan uliprystalu. 2024 (Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetrician; Position of the Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians on the use of emergency contraception containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate), available here.
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 | n/a | n/a |
| Year | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Some data on sales of EC pills under the pharmacy prescription pilot program is available here.
Sources
1 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision. New York, 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 9 June 2015, 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 Health Status of Polish Population in 2009, Survey. Central Statistics Office of Poland, 2011.
6 ASTRA Central and Eastern European Women’s Network for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Health. Retrieved 15 November 2017, from http://www.astra.org.pl/repronews/514-poland-limits-access-to-emergency-contraception.html
7 Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA), personal communication, May 6, 2024.
Last update: May 2025
Previous update: May 2024, January 2021, November 2017