Is there contraceptive gel in Japan? How do I find it?
July 30, 2010 7:44 PM Subscribe
Is there contraceptive gel in Japan? How do I find it?
My girlfriend and I are traveling to Japan in a few days. We're wary of taking our regular contraceptive gel on the plane (fucking TSA how does it work?) We usually use Ortho Options Conceptrol Vaginal Contraceptive Gel in combination with condoms. Condoms I can handle purchasing with my relatively weak/limited Japanese, but what about this kind of thing? Any brand suggestions from fellow Mefites in Japan? Is this sort of thing available at a conbini? Thanks!
My girlfriend and I are traveling to Japan in a few days. We're wary of taking our regular contraceptive gel on the plane (fucking TSA how does it work?) We usually use Ortho Options Conceptrol Vaginal Contraceptive Gel in combination with condoms. Condoms I can handle purchasing with my relatively weak/limited Japanese, but what about this kind of thing? Any brand suggestions from fellow Mefites in Japan? Is this sort of thing available at a conbini? Thanks!
The restrictions -- at least in the US -- are for 3 oz. or less. Because your gel is preloaded in applicators of 0.9 ounces, you should be okay.
IANATSAAgent.
posted by Madamina at 8:32 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
IANATSAAgent.
posted by Madamina at 8:32 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Okay, I'm just curious, let's say the OP is going to be traveling in Japan for six months...
posted by johnnybeggs at 8:42 PM on July 30, 2010
posted by johnnybeggs at 8:42 PM on July 30, 2010
Heh, this turned into a longer post than I intended.
Summary: I found some spermicide gel tablets called "Neo Sampoon". Print off the product desription (in Japan) in colour, and take the page with you to a pharmacy (drugstore) when you get to Japan.
The long post:
This is an interesting question, if only because it highlights how far behind Japan is as a "developed" country in regards to women's reproductive health.
Condoms are widely available in Japan at any drugstore. They fit fine and do not break. However, I've never seen any other birth control (then again, I wasn't looking), but it should be noted that the contraceptive Pill for women has only just become legal in Japan over the past decade, which kind of indicates attitudes and education about contraception in Japan, as well as the variety of products that are available.
Anyway, I did a little Googling, and apparently there is a Japanese spermicide called "Neo Sampoon". Look here for a description (Ctrl+F "Japan" to find it). Apparently "Neo-sanpo-on" is a vaginal suppository rather than a gel, and should be inserted "minutes before sexual intercourse".
Here's a Google result for Neo Sapoon. You can browse these results to determine if this is the thing for you.
A picture of the actual Neo Sanpoon product box can be found at kenko.com, an online drugstore. I would recommend making a colour copy of the webpage and taking it with you to the drugstore.
Here's the manufacturer's page. 20 tablets cost 600 yen. If you have a mailing address in Japan, you can also purchase them on Amazon.
Interestingly, the kenko.com description lists it as a "lube" rather than a suppository, but the product description clearly lists it as a gel tablet.
The spermicide is something called "殺精子剤メンフェゴール" (it's in the product description linked-to above, but be sure to show this to the pharmacist), or "menfegol spermicide". I'm sure that if you went to a pharmacy/drugstore with "殺精子剤メンフェゴール" printed on a piece of paper they would be able to help you.
A product search on kenko.com shows these results for 殺精子剤. I don't know how many of these products will do what you want, but use Google Chrome's "translate" feature to narrow down the list. Most of the products seem to be douches or after-the-fact (abortive) contraceptive gels, although some of the lubes in the bottom row may contain spermicide. If you need help, let me know by MeMail.
There seems to be another product called Emko foam. If you want some more help with research and translation, please MeMail me. This seems like a pretty interesting mini-project, because there is not one hell of a lot of information on the web about women's reproductive health, and I would be happy to pass on this info to potential ESL teachers and expats in Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:22 PM on August 1, 2010
Summary: I found some spermicide gel tablets called "Neo Sampoon". Print off the product desription (in Japan) in colour, and take the page with you to a pharmacy (drugstore) when you get to Japan.
The long post:
This is an interesting question, if only because it highlights how far behind Japan is as a "developed" country in regards to women's reproductive health.
Condoms are widely available in Japan at any drugstore. They fit fine and do not break. However, I've never seen any other birth control (then again, I wasn't looking), but it should be noted that the contraceptive Pill for women has only just become legal in Japan over the past decade, which kind of indicates attitudes and education about contraception in Japan, as well as the variety of products that are available.
Anyway, I did a little Googling, and apparently there is a Japanese spermicide called "Neo Sampoon". Look here for a description (Ctrl+F "Japan" to find it). Apparently "Neo-sanpo-on" is a vaginal suppository rather than a gel, and should be inserted "minutes before sexual intercourse".
Here's a Google result for Neo Sapoon. You can browse these results to determine if this is the thing for you.
A picture of the actual Neo Sanpoon product box can be found at kenko.com, an online drugstore. I would recommend making a colour copy of the webpage and taking it with you to the drugstore.
Here's the manufacturer's page. 20 tablets cost 600 yen. If you have a mailing address in Japan, you can also purchase them on Amazon.
Interestingly, the kenko.com description lists it as a "lube" rather than a suppository, but the product description clearly lists it as a gel tablet.
The spermicide is something called "殺精子剤メンフェゴール" (it's in the product description linked-to above, but be sure to show this to the pharmacist), or "menfegol spermicide". I'm sure that if you went to a pharmacy/drugstore with "殺精子剤メンフェゴール" printed on a piece of paper they would be able to help you.
A product search on kenko.com shows these results for 殺精子剤. I don't know how many of these products will do what you want, but use Google Chrome's "translate" feature to narrow down the list. Most of the products seem to be douches or after-the-fact (abortive) contraceptive gels, although some of the lubes in the bottom row may contain spermicide. If you need help, let me know by MeMail.
There seems to be another product called Emko foam. If you want some more help with research and translation, please MeMail me. This seems like a pretty interesting mini-project, because there is not one hell of a lot of information on the web about women's reproductive health, and I would be happy to pass on this info to potential ESL teachers and expats in Japan.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:22 PM on August 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by runningwithscissors at 7:49 PM on July 30, 2010