To my amazement, you can get the pill over the counter in any chemist/Boots in Qatar. Actually, in many places it’s not even over the counter. It’s on a shelf next to the counter, where the Freddo Frogs and Jellybeans should be! Is that just too radical and completely unexpected or what?

Brands I’ve seen available are:

• Cileste
• Yaz
• Yasmin
• Cerazette
• Dianne

If you’re like me, you’ll notice a gaping hole in this list: there are no 3-phase brands like Triphasil or Trifeme. That’s because they’re not stocked here. Anywhere. Yes, I know. That’s just so annoying and inconvenient. Apparently they sell triphasil pills in Dubai so you can either pop across there (of you are a super glam jetsetter/super desperate), bring lots with you when you move here in the first place or change pills. If you choose the latter, make sure you consult a doctor to avoid any ‘complications’ in the crossing over process!

Happy shopping!

Image from Aquabumps and completely unrelated to the topic, I just thought it was pretty!