Paris is a city full of lovely ladies of color.  Blacks and Arabs make up around 20% of France’s population. If you’re visiting or living there, reportedly it’s easy to find ‘The Morning After Pill’ or emergency contraception.

So far, Suzyknew! has been to pharmacies in two cities where lovely ladies of color live. We’ve been to a centrally-located pharmacy in Hyattsville, MD and the pharmacy inside the airport in Lagos, Nigeria. Both pharmacies carried two brands of emergency contraceptives: one brand name and one generic.

In Paris, we visit the pharmacy located inside the Gare de Lyon train station.  Only one brand is available: ellaOne for 19.62 Euro or around $22 – $23. EllaOne, which contains ulipristal acetate unlike Plan B, Norlevo or Postinor II, is more effective in preventing pregnancy in curvy, voluptuous ladies or overweight women. Plus, it’s effective up to five days after unprotected sex unlike progestin-only pills; but, it is a little more expensive, too.

In Paris, the pharmacist was quite helpful, explaining how to take the medicine ensuring it was taken as soon after unprotected sex as possible. In Lagos, the pharmacist was helpful, too, but in Hyattsville, you are on your own unless you specifically ask for help. So, this is our third city and pharmacy and it’s good to know a sista’ in Paris can find emergency contraceptives in a hurry, even if it’s only one brand.