Women’s health

Women will find that most of their health needs are covered in Cambodia.

Women will find that most of their health needs are covered in Cambodia. Tampons are available in the major cities, although finding them in the countryside is unlikely — most Cambodian women do not use them. Menstrual cups are not currently available.

Oral contraceptives are available in Cambodia, but often under different names than the ones at home. They will have the same formulas, but the brands can differ from country to country. The birth control pills available in Cambodia come from around the world, often Australia, France, Thailand, and the United States. It’s best to write down your specific brand’s dose of estrogen and/or progesterone, take it to U-Care or another good pharmacy, and find the equivalent.

Finding progesterone-only birth control pills in Cambodia can be a challenge. Currently the patch, ring, and diaphragm are not sold here.

The depo injection and implant are popular with Cambodian women and are easy to find, as are copper IUDs. At the time of writing there are no clinics offering hormonal IUDs, so expats must go to Thailand to get one.

Abortions have been legal in Cambodia since 1997 up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. After 12 weeks the law restricts abortions to certain situations. Currently abortions are not legal in Thailand except under certain circumstances, but legal up to 24 weeks in Singapore. However, Singapore does restrict abortions for non-residents.

Most expats who are starting a family choose to give birth in Thailand at Samitivej or Bumrungrad hospital, and usually spend the few weeks or months before and after there as well. However, as medical care in Cambodia steadily improves, many expats are choosing to give birth in the Phnom Penh. There are a few Western doulas, midwives, and obstetricians working in Cambodia who can help you through the entire process.

On the blog, we have a detailed blog post about how several expat mothers decided whether to give birth in Cambodia or to go abroad. Also,  Kampot expat Lindsay Oliver has written a very informative rundown of her experience medical care in Phnom Penh.

This is an excerpt from Move to Cambodia: A guide to living and working in the Kingdom of Wonder. To learn more about 100+ topics that pertain to Cambodia expats, please consider buying the book.

 

 

Interview with an Expat

“We decided to have our second baby in Bangkok for a couple of reasons: it was less expensive than taking the whole family home to Canada for three months (renting a house, car, paying for flights, etc.), and also we liked the idea of not having to travel so far from home (and not having to be away for so long). And it would have been freezing in December in Canada!

“I had my 12-week scan in Phnom Penh at the maternity clinic on Kampuchea Krom. It’s the same place I went for my ultrasounds with our daughter, and it is fantastic — I think this time the cost had gone up from $10 to $12. They have extremely modern machines (much better than any scans I’ve ever had in Canada or France), you don’t need to make an appointment, and they can tell you the gender of your baby at this first scan (normally you have to wait until your 20-week scan).

“I was going back to Canada anyway, so had my bloodwork done there this time, but last time I had it done at a local clinic in Sihanoukville with no problems. Other than that, I got no prenatal care at all until we got to Bangkok when I was eight months along. We were fortunate that there were no issues, but there are certainly places you can go in Phnom Penh if concerns arise, or in Bangkok for anything serious.”

Lindsay Oliver, Kampot expat