All women who are registered as resident in Sweden are offered two special kinds of health check.
Women aged 23–60 are offered regular cervical screening. A ‘smear’ or cell sample is taken from the cervix (i.e. the neck of the womb) to enable cell changes to be detected as early as possible.
Women aged 40–74 are offered regular mammograms. These are X-ray examinations of the breasts to detect breast cancer.
The county council sends women invitations to undergo these checks.
Pregnancy
If you think you are pregnant, you can buy a pregnancy test at the pharmacy, for example. You can also have a pregnancy test done by a midwife at the maternity clinic, part of the local health centre.
A pregnant woman can be examined by a midwife, who is a nurse with specialist training. The midwife carries out various investigations to check that the unborn baby and the expectant mother are healthy.
The maternity clinic often holds courses for parents-to-be. There, you get information about labour and childbirth, breastfeeding and care of the newborn baby.
Nearly all babies in Sweden are born in hospital. All maternity wards can provide pain relief to reduce the woman’s pain during labour and childbirth. The baby’s father can be present during the birth.
Contraceptives
Contraceptives protect people against unwanted pregnancies. Condoms also give protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are on sale in many shops, as well as at pharmacies.
Contraceptives for women, such as the Pill, pessary or diaphragm and intrauterine device or IUD, are tried out on visits to the maternity clinic or to a gynaecologist.
‘Day-after pills’ can be used after unprotected sexual intercourse. These pills are sold over the counter at the pharmacy and are also available at youth and out-of-hours clinics.
Abortion
Abortion is permitted in Sweden. Women decide for themselves whether they want to have an abortion. If you feel uncertain, you can discuss the decision with staff at a youth or maternity clinic. If you decide to have an abortion, the staff can arrange an appointment for this to be done.
Female genital mutilation
All forms of female genital mutilation or FGM are illegal in Sweden. Today, there is great scope for rehabilitating women who have undergone FGM. They can obtain help at youth clinics or hospital women’s clinics.