Today’s post will give a detailed look at what accessing women’s healthcare looks like in Korea, in terms of buying contraceptives (specifically, the pill), visiting the OBGYN in Korea, and actually giving birth here.
Table of Contents
About contraceptives in Korea
Interestingly, in 2015 81.8% of married Korean women reported that their family planning needs are met via modern methods of contraception. (Source: UN DESA 2015) A lot of this has to do with the wide availability of birth control-related medicines in Korea. Even though methods like inserting intrauterine devices obviously require a doctor visit, the birth control pill is available over-the-counter at your local pharmacy.
This is true even if Korean women’s use of the pill hasn’t really changed in two decades. (Source: UN DESA 2015) This is remarkable when you consider that countries like the U.S. require a consultation with a doctor, a prescription every three to six months, and all manner of nonsense just to access it. In this way, care related to the OBGYN in Korea can be easier to access here.
The cost of OTC birth control pills
Additionally, OTC birth control pills are much, much cheaper in Korea than other countries, around $5–8 per month. [Editor’s Note: Ladies, you read that right!] The same pill ingredients (though sold under a different brand name) in the U.S. can be found in Korea for less than a third of the price, at least in terms of popular pill brands like Microgestin (U.S.) and Mylovar (Korea).
Yet the Korean government does not currently cover any costs associated with contraception under the National Health Insurance plan, so things like oral birth control pills or emergency contraception have to be paid out of pocket. Many of the basic private health insurance plans (especially those for students) don’t cover contraception either. Additionally, since 2016 emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) has not been available over-the-counter, which could be another barrier to access contraceptive care, considering the short time frame in which it must be taken. (Source: The Korean Herald; Center for Health and Social Change)
A final point about birth control pills before we move on — some of the pills are only available with a prescription, which requires seeing an OBGYN in Korea at set intervals throughout the year. This requires taking off of work or missing school in order to make these mandatory appointments. Talk to your pharmacist to see if you can find something equivalent to what you take back home . You should bring a recent pack to compare ingredients! have to see an OBGYN in Korea to get a prescription-only pill.
Visiting the OBGYN in Korea
Korea tends to rank highly compared to the other OECD countries for OBGYN care. For example, Korea is #2 in terms of the survival rate of women with cervical cancer. Norway is #1, which is also an impressive feat for Korea. (Source: OECD Health at a Glance 2015, p. 28) Cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease that depends on the allocation of HPV vaccinations and access to regular screening. The fact that Korea scores well in this category shows how the healthcare system can work well for women. The quality of care symbolized by this statistic is all the more impressive. Korea is one of the countries that spend the least on healthcare in the OECD, based on this data.
Going to the OBGYN in Korea when you’re alone in the waiting room, however, is an experience. Sometimes, you may get some sympathetic looks and questions of when the baby is due, even if you’re just there for a regular checkup. There’s still some vague sense of cultural taboo around female reproductive health. It’s not talked about often. You may feel like you’re the only one going to see the OBGYN in Korea who isn’t pregnant! Though this doesn’t limit your access at all, it’s something you’ll note as you go through the process.
There are many English-speaking OBGYNs around Seoul. But the overwhelming majority are clustered around Gangnam Station, on the South side of the river. There is one OBGYN at Yonsei Severance Hospital, if you’re looking for someone on the North side, but she only works on Tuesdays, which can make it difficult to book an appointment if you have a busy schedule.
Giving Birth in Korea
This is a tough one to summarize because there are just so many ways you can give birth in Korea! Did you know, for example, that there are tons of doulas (aka birth coaches) in Korea, including outside Seoul? That you choose to have a home birth with a midwife or a C-section in a fancy hospital? There are as many options in Korea as you can imagine for giving birth in the way you want.
Your options depend on your personal plan, your health, your baby’s health, and the progress of the pregnancy, among other factors, but there are a range of natural and modern methods of birthing that you can access while in Korea. A lot of services are available in English as well — Tender Embrace Birthing is an incredibly useful, detailed resource that you should check out if you want to know more about the tests you should expect to undergo, how to find a midwife, and any other burning questions you may have.
A note on in vitro fertilization procedures
Also, if you’re experiencing difficulty getting pregnant in the first place, Korea is well-known for its in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. In fact, the Korean government designated 158 hospitals to perform IVF. In terms of foreign visitors alone, 64,000 people have visited Korea to undergo IVF.
The cost difference is also important to keep in mind. The average cost of IVF in Korea (about $8,000 to $10,000 per cycle) is also lower than the U.S. (about $12,500 to $13,500), and in a similar range with the procedure done in Canada ($8,500 to $9,500). (Source: International Journal of Women’s Health 2014; My IVF Pregnancy Journey) There are also support groups for couples experiencing infertility, to guide you through the process.
As always, there are so many details we would love to get into here. But we don’t want this post would go on forever about all the fascinating things about reproductive healthcare in Korea. We could go on for days! But we want to know what matters to you, and what you need to know. We’re here to help you — so drop us a line on our website, on Messenger, or on KakaoTalk, and we can work together to get the answers you need.
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