👋🏻 Hello, hello! I’m back with a post for my fellow ladies in looking to continue their birth control methods while in Mexico City.
Since I still can’t consistently keep a plant alive and my childless life in Mexico is so lovely, I figure holding off on kids for the next few years is the best choice for me. But how does one access methods to make that happen in CDMX when Planned Parenthood and our US subscription services don’t exist?
I did a bunch of research on birth control options this week so you don’t have to!
Here’s my list of (non-exhaustive) findings.
Accessibility 🛒
Easiest to order through pharmacies or grocery stores on Rappi. Just search anticonceptivos.
All options listed here are available on Rappi from Condesa. (Pro tip- you can get Plan B delivered via Rappi Turbo in ~10 min.)
Pharmacies and clinics will likely have lower prices, but harder to research online. Nuevo Metodo is a subscription service similar to Pill Club now available in Mexico City! They offer most popular forms of BC and a consultation with a gyno to start. Price is around $25us per month. *note: service in Spanish only
Pharmacies & Clinics (testing, other resources) - O Lab
- Condesa Clinic
- Marie Stopes (similar to Planned Parenthood)
Scroll to the end for more info on STI testing.
Contraceptive Options
💕 Pills- pastillas
Luckily birth control requires no prescription here and there are numerous low-cost options. Unfortunately that also makes the right choice quite complex. I tried to list the pills in a way that makes it fairly easy to compare options. I recommend you choose a comparable option you’ve been prescribed previously before or talk to a professional before choosing something new.
Ingredients are listed in Spanish, but they should be pretty close to the English names. A quick Google search should clear up any uncertainty.
Plan B 🙊
Get it easily on Rappi Turbo, pharmacies, grocery stores for around $5-6.
Postday (Pharmalife)- Levonorgestrel 1.5mg
Daily Pills- pastillas 🗓
These are all options available on Rappi. Name, followed by active ingredients.
note: “E” is etinilestradiol aka ethinylestradiol. I grouped non-E pills at the end.
Generic (Pharmalife):
Levonorgestrel 0.15 Mg/ E 0.03 Mg
Microgynon:
Levonorgestrel 0.15 Mg/ E 0.03 Mg
Diane:
Ciproterona 2 mg/ E 0.035 mg
BelAra Luna:
Clormadinona 2 mg/ E 0.02 mg
Liberfem:
Clormadinona 2 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Marvelon:
Desogestrel 0.15 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Oralia:
Dienogest 2 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Sibilla:
Dienogest 2 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Ilimit:
Drospirenona 3mg/ E 0.02 mg
Yasmin 24/4:
Drospirenona 3 mg/ E 0.02 mg
Yasmin:
Drospirenona 3 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Ginorelle 20:
Drospirenona 3 mg/ E 0.02 mg
Ginorelle 30:
Drospirenona 3 mg/ E 0.03 mg
Almus: Levonorgestrel 1.5 mg
Cerazette: Desogestrel 0.075 mg
Novial: Desogestrel 0.5 mg
Qlaira: Estradiol 3 Mg (*note may have other hormones?)
💕 Patch - parche
Evra- Norelgrestromina 6 mg/ Etinilestradiol 0.06 mg
💕 Ring - dispositivo / anillo
Nuvaring- Estradiol 11.7 mg
💕 Shot - inyección
Depo Provera- Acetato de medroxiprogesterona 150 mg
💕 Others
VCF- Thin transparent non-hormonal dissolvable spermicide vaginal strip. Active ingredient: nonoxynol-9
Condoms- Get them basically anywhere: Oxxo, grocery stores, pharmacies, sex shops, Rappi. Clinics often offer them free.
IUDs
I have not found much about these here, please reach out if you know more.
Sexual Testing
OLab- options from their clinic flyer, Feb 2022
PERFIL SEXUAL BÁSICO
VDRL (Detección de Sifilis)
HIV Tamiz (Detección de VIH SIDA)
Hepatitis C
$719
PERFIL SEXUAL COMPLETO
VDRL (Detección de Sífilis)
HIV Tamiz (Detección de VIH SIDA)
Hepatitis C
Herpes|- 1l lgg, Igm
$2,249
PERFIL SEXUAL FEMENINO
1 VDRL (Detección de Sífilis)
Cultivo Vaginal
HIV Tamiz (Detección de VIH SIDA)
Hepatitis C
$899
PERFIL SEXUAL MASCULINO
VDRL (Detección de Sífilis)
HIV Tamiz (Detección de VIH SIDA)
Hepatitis C
Cultivo Uretral
$949