Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Finland: LNG EC, UPA EC, and the use of IUD for EC are included in national policies for family planning; local pharmacies, hospitals, schools, and family planning clinics distribute EC; and general information about EC is often provided by health care providers during regular consultations.
- 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 | 1,169,0001 | 16.62 | 28.43 | 1.834 | 75.4%5 |
| Year | 2010 | 2005 | 2011 | 2011 | 1989-90 |
Accessibility & prescription status
In Finland, LNG EC is available behind the counter from pharmacies, hospitals, schools, and family planning clinics, which means that EC is available without a prescription but is not on the shelves and needs to be requested in order to purchase. Up until March 2015, individuals who were younger than 15 years old needed a prescription in order to access LNG EC, but this restriction has since been removed by the Finnish Medicines Agency.6 UPA EC is available behind the counter as of March 2015.6
Physicians are the sole health care professionals who are authorized to prescribe UPA EC and LNG EC, although midwives, nurses, and pharmacists can provide LNG EC.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 18,87 | NorLevo, Postinor 1500 |
| UPA | € 33,60 | ellaOne |
| UPA | € n/a | Femke |
The costs of LNG EC and UPA EC are technically not reimbursed or covered by social security in Finland, although LNG EC can be provided free of charge in hospitals and in some family planning clinics for any reason and at any age.
Guidelines & common practices
The first national guidelines on EC where published in 2005, and updated in 2010. They were replaced in 2015 by “Raskauden ehkäisy” a general guide on contraception published by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, the Finnish Gynaecological Association, and the Finnish Association for General Practice.7 The guideline includes a section on EC (UPA, LNG and Cu-IUD) and a also indications to dispense EC pills from pharmacies. It can be found here: https://www.kaypahoito.fi/hoi50104 and an English version is also available.
Health care providers often provide general information about EC during regular consultations but rarely prescribe EC in advance of need. Health care providers also do not require a pregnancy test or a pelvic exam before prescribing or providing 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 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Year | n/a | n/a | 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 Finnish Medicines Agency. Jälkiehkäisyvalmisteiden toimittamisen ikäraja itsehoidossa poistuu, 5 March 2015. Retrived 17 September 2015, from http://www.fimea.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/1/0/jalkiehkaisyvalmisteiden_toimittamisen_ikaraja_itsehoidossa_poistuu.
7 2015 [cited 2020Nov6]. Available from: https://www.kaypahoito.fi/nix01609
Last update: January 2021
Previous update: November 2020
