Emergency contraceptive (EC) pills are available in the Russian Federation: LNG and mifepristone EC pills are available from pharmacies and family planning clinics, and LNG EC is included in the national contraceptives guide, but EC is not reimbursed or covered by social security. In January 2024, two brands of LNG EC were reclassified as non-prescription medicines. Since September 2024, mifepristone EC is subject to high restrictions and to quantity control.
- 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 | 35,038,0001 | n/a | 24.62 | 1.293 | 65.0%4 |
| Year | 2015 | n/a | 2009 | 2005 | 2007 |
Accessibility & prescription status
In the Russian Federation, since January 2024, LNG EC pills can be procured without a prescription from pharmacies. Mifepristone EC pills are available by prescription from pharmacies and family planning clinics and since September 2024 are included in a list of medicines subject to “quantity control”7. UPA EC is not registered.
Gynaecologists are the only health professionals authorised to prescribe EC pills.5
Cost
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 7,55 | Escapelle, Escinor, Postinor |
| Mifepristone | € 7 – 10 | Gynepriston |
The cost of LNG EC and mifepristone EC pills is not reimbursed or covered by social security in the Russian Federation.
Guidelines & common practices
“The Russian Federation National Medical Criteria for Contraceptive Use,” published in 2012, includes information on EC among other contraceptive methods. Additionally, civil society organizations are working to strengthen knowledge of EC among health care providers and developed a Russian version of an earlier edition of the ICEC and FIGO EC guidelines Emergency Contraceptive Pills: Medical and Service Delivery Guidelines.
Health care providers sometimes 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 before prescribing 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 2012 Revision. New York, 2013.
2 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.
3 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/.
4 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Contraceptive Use 2012. New York, 2012.
5 L. Erofeeva, personal communication, December 11, 2021.
6 State Register of Medical Products. Registration certificate for Escapel and Postinor. Retried on 10 April 2024, from https://grls.rosminzdrav.ru/GRLS.aspx
7 Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation of 01.09.2023 No. 459n About approval of the list of medicinal means for medical use subject-role accounting (Registered 02.10.2023 No 75422)). Retrived 24 March, 2025 from http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202310030013.
Last update: March 2025
Previous update: April 2024, December 2021; September 2013
