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Lady Doctor Basics: Women’s Health in Japan

When it comes to female health care in Japan, it pays to do your research. Find an office you feel comfortable communicating with and that respects your wishes and concerns as a patient.

By 4 min read 8

Anywhere in the world, depending upon the circumstances, going to the gynaecologist churns up emotions ranging from banal annoyance to unbridled terror. And having to manage female health concerns as a foreigner in Japan only adds an additional stratum of BLARGH.

For many Western women, the stereotypical image of a 1950’s bespectacled doctor holding an enormous chrome speculum flashes before their eyes just prior to walking through the door of an inevitable but necessary dread: The First Lady Doctor Visit in Japan.

It’s a weird reason to be homesick, but my gynaecologist in San Francisco is the best. She is located in an ultra-progressive zen office filled with top-caliber, casually-clad physicians and wellness experts that insist on being called by their first names.

No over testing, no over medicating, and every holistic and Western medical option offered under the sun. But having ginger tea and discussing herbal remedies for cramps with “Karen” was not to be the order of the day when I ran low on contraception here in Tokyo. I had to gird my expectations and try to keep an open mind.

I had just had a full exam in San Francisco and really didn’t want/need another one. I felt pretty fortunate that I didn’t have to get one to get my prescription filled (I’d brought written scripts and exam records from “Karen” just in case), but after talking to some female colleagues, I realized I was pretty lucky.

Stories of “mandatory” pap smears (even while one patient was menstruating), zero privacy, and the covering or curtaining off of patients’ faces to avoid “shame,” are not uncommon complaints from Western women living here. One woman had her legs strapped into stirrups while being examined in front of a team of medical students without her consent.

Bottom line: When it comes to female health care in Japan, it pays to do your research. Talk to friends. Make phone calls. Read reviews. Find an office your feel comfortable communicating with and that respects your wishes and concerns as a patient.

Most women go to the gynaecologist for a routine checkup and birth control refill, and while there are plenty of clinics and offices that offer these services, the number that have English-speaking staff and experience with foreign female health care is predictably low.

A few things to know about birth control in Japan

The Pill

Introduced to Japan as a method of contraception in 1998
Not covered by insurance and runs about 3000JPY per month
Unless you do the government-required prescription paperwork (Yakkan Shoumei) and bring over a supply (or have someone back home send you a supply regularly) you’re likely going to have to change brands
Is only available in low-hormone dosages

Diaphragms

Not popular here, and Japanese doctors aren’t likely to know how to fit them
Western women often have them fitted before they come over and bring a large supply of spermicide
You need a prescription to get spermicide from a pharmacy in Japan

IUDs

Like diaphragms, not a common method. You’ll need a foreign doctor or to have it fitted in your home country.

Condoms

Available everywhere. For larger-sizes, check out Foreign Buyers Club or Condomania in Sendai, Tokyo, or Yokohama.

Other health matters

For non-serious issues (like… say, if you accidentally cut yourself lady-shaving and then do hot yoga, and it gets irritated… and you need a Vagisil analog to keep you from walking like a weirdo) you can go to the drug store and find a female staff member to help you. This happened to a friend of mine (fine it was me) and the girl was super cool and extremely sensitive to my privacy. She even pushed the elderly male pharmacist away yelling, “DAIJOBUUUU!” when I went to the counter to pay. (It comes in a white tube and it’s called Waltz, by the way).

Serious issues: If you thinks you have an STD or a more complicated health issue, you can get tested at any Japanese hospital or clinic. AIDS tests are generally free, but there are cases when clinics have refused to test foreigners (I don’t know the reasons, but if anyone knows, by all means please share!).

Important: If you do get tested for cancer, an STD, or AIDS and the test shows positive, there is a chance this information will be reported to your employer. There have been cases of deportation as a result of this lack of confidentiality. Visit an international or foreign clinic to insure privacy.

A Few English Speaking OB/GYN Service Providers

Tokyo

Primary Care Tokyo: Dr. Joe Kurosu is Stanford-trained general practitioner with training in women’s healthcare. He’s experienced in serving the foreign community and offers online appointment booking.

Toho Women’s Clinic: Located in Kiba. Female, English-speaking gynocologist who has experience working with the Western patients.

Kobe

Ueda Hospital: Has female, English-speaking gynocologists. Accepts NHI.

Osaka

Nishikawa Clinic: The website focuses on obstetrics, but this clinic does have gynocologists who speak English.

Disclaimer: the above links are not provided as medical recommendations but as information on English-speaking practitioners in Japan. Always do the legwork and make sure you are seeing the best doctor for your situation.

Products

Foreign Buyers’ Club

Condomania

iHerb

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  • Ariane Yoshihiro-Storm says:

    Many thanks for this article! I will probably have to change the brand of my pill. 3000 Yen per month is quite steep, I hope I can get a prescription.

    Talking about modesty standards, I have a small anecdote to share:
    When I was in Japan for my first long-term stay, I went to a gynaecologist for a checkup. As my Japanese was not good enough to understand medical terms and wanted to get some advice from the doc, I brought my Japanese boyfriend (now husband) as an interpreter. I didn’t really think to look for an English-speaking doctor, and I thought it was no big deal to bring my man…
    Well, the doctor had this constant look of disbelief on her face and clearly felt awkward discussing my private matters in front of a MAN, and even worse, actually talking to him directly, so that he could translate.
    I felt kind of sorry for her. xD
    I understand that there is a different sense of modesty there and I guess I completely disregarded that. Cultural blunder on my part. I might be looking for an English speaking doc in future, until my Japanese is up to scratch. Even though I am all for full immersion and using the same services that everyone else uses too, (won’t be looking for German bakeries in Tokyo any time soon..) but I suppose in the case of doctors, it makes sense.

  • Roz says:

    I fee like it’s also useful to know that if you are taking the pill for anything other than purely contraception, like managing heavy flow, painful cramps, endometriosis etc. then you will be covered by public health insurance.

    • Wayward Rose says:

      I take the pill for heavy periods and was told that it would not be covered by my insurance, so don’t rely on this!

  • savvykenya says:

    Does anyone know if long-term birth control implants, such as Depo-Provera, are available in Japan? I still find it unbelievable how far back Japan is when it comes to birth control options.

  • Lisa Hong says:

    In Tokyo, I would also like to recommend Dr. Idei Tomoko in Omotesando, right next to the Omotesando Hills and under Mos Cafe. I dont speak any Japanese, but she and her staff speak English and they are so sweet! Call to make an appointment at 03-5771-3991 (English speaking operators). Website: http://www.medical-c.net/tomoko/

  • bk says:

    Here is more info I came across for him too:

    Dr. Hideki Sakamoto (English and Spanish)
    Tokyo Medical Clinic, Mori Bldg 32 2F, 3-4-30 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011
    Delivers at Seibo, Sanno Hiroo and Aiiku Hospitals
    Renowned for epidural guarantee.
    Phone: 03-3436-3028
    Special mention should be made of Dr. Sakamoto, who is particularly popular with the foreign community and speaks fluent English and Spanish. He runs a private consulting practice out of the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic, but also sees patients at other clinics in hospitals on a National Health basis.
    A Ph. D graduate of Nihon University, he is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Additionally, he holds an OBGYN fellowship at Yale University (1981-1985), is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Society of Cancer Research, and the Japan Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  • bk says:

    I can personally vouch for Dr. Sakamoto in Tokyo for OB/GYN care. He is the first doctor I saw during my first pregnancy. He was recommended to us by another foreign couple when we were living in Japan. He was fabulous. He speaks perfect English and made me feel 100% comfortable. We were back in the U.S. for the delivery, but I would have felt completely fine having him deliver our son if we were still there at the end. He’s great!

    Here’s a link for him: http://www.tmsc.jp/doctors.htm#hs

    Scroll down to Hideki Sakamoto under Obstetrics.

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