In a country where contraception and abortion are illegal, smuggled test kits are allowing women to make more informed decisions about their pregnancies. Daily NK reports

Sales of pregnancy testing kits are rising in border regions of North Korea, Daily NK has learned.

Contraception and abortion are both illegal in North Korea. In North Korea's patriarchal society, use of such kits had long been limited, but the desire to take control of pregnancies in recent years has seen an increase in their popularity, according to sources inside the country.

“Pregnancy testing kits are getting quite popular,” a source from North Hamgyung Province told Daily NK. “It started with people going abroad and bringing them back then selling them, and now they're spreading.”



South Korean pregnancy tests are twice the price of Chinese ones, but many North Koreans believe they are more accurate, which leads obstetricians to try and get them from smugglers to sell on in the jangmadang (market).

“Chinese ones are not always accurate in determining pregnancy even after 20 days, but Korean ones are good at catching pregnancy after just 14 days. That’s why people tend to prefer South Korean ones,” said the source.



“They could sell the tests for twice what they cost and women would still buy them."



According to the source, big provincial hospitals are able to offer ultrasound technology to expectant mothers, but smaller local hospitals don't have this technology.



“Women tend to self-diagnose pregnancy by their menstrual cycle or confirm it with an obstetrician,” she said. “However, there is a considerable margin for error there since a lot of obstetricians check with their hands [instead of machines].”



For unmarried women, there is much stigma attached to going to a hospital to check if they are pregnant, the source said.



“At an obstetrician, they verify the patients’ marital statue first and then perform the diagnosis,” the source added. “It is still regarded as extremely odd for an unmarried woman to visit a hospital for this, and there is a negative social stigma attached to people who do.”

The source said pregnancy tests are helping women to have more control over whether they decide to follow through with the pregnancy. However, abortion is illegal in North Korea, leaving women to find obstetricians who will perform the procedure secretly if they wish to terminate the pregnancy. The source said that aborting an eight week-old foetus costs 20,000-25,000 North Korean won (£90-112), while 24 weeks costs 40,000-50,000 won and 32 weeks costs 70,000-80,000 won.



Women are vital breadwinners in North Korea, often becoming the primary earner in families which rely on selling goods on the black market for their income.

“Married women often seek to delay childbearing because, as they say, ‘having children makes you late to the market’," said the source. "It puts you at a financial disadvantage, so they try to delay it until they have made enough money.”



The source said she believes "pregnancy tests are economical and beneficial overall" but added that “some people think of the tests as indicating a better quality of life, but others do view them as a negative thing that just increases sexual liberty.”

A version of this article first appeared on Daily NK, which contacts multiple sources inside and outside North Korea to verify information. Sources remain anonymous to protect their identities.

