Emergency contraception (EC) is available in Latvia: local pharmacies distribute LNG EC and (since June 2017) UPA EC, but EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security and is not included in national policies for family planning.
Accessibility & prescription status
In Latvia, LNG and UPA EC are available behind the counter from pharmacies. That is, they are available without a prescription but dispensed only in pharmacies. UPA EC was approved for sale without a prescription from pharmacies in 2015, but the product was not available in the country until June 2017.
Gynecologists and family doctors are the sole health care professionals authorized to prescribe or provide EC, according to a 2002 Sexual and Reproductive Health Law.
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 11 – 19 | Escapelle |
| LNG | € 14 – 20 | Postinor Duo |
| UPA | € 21 – 24 | ellaOne |
The cost of EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security in Latvia.
Guidelines & common practices
There are no national clinical guidelines on EC in Latvia. The website https://www.kontracepcija.lv/, includes information on 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 | 2%2 | n/a | n/a |
| Year | n/a | 2011 | n/a | n/a |
According to the research report “Study on factors and habits influencing the sexual and reproductive health of the population of Latvia”, more than half of the population confuse emergency contraception with medical abortion.4
Sources
1 Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 11 November 2015, from http://www.csb.gov.lv/en.
2 Survey on Reproductive Health of the Population, 2011.
3 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Contraceptive Use 2012. New York, 2012.
4 Ķīvīte-Urtāne A., Lazdāne G., Demčenko K., Gobiņa I., Isajeva L., Ivanovs A., Kezika S., Kursīte M., Libora I., Miķelsone A. I., Ozoliņa K., Penka E., Rakša V., Štolcere I. E., Zīverte M. L. (2023). Pētījums par Latvijas iedzīvotāju seksuālās un reproduktīvās veselības ietekmējošiem faktoriem un paradumiem. Pētījuma ziņojums. Rīga: LR Veselības ministrija. Available at: https://www.esparveselibu.lv/sites/default/files/2023-11/P%C4%93t%C4%ABjuma%20gala%20zi%C5%86ojums.pdf
Last update: May 2025
Previous update: June 2017