If you suspect that you may be pregnant then you can go for pregnancy testing from your GP or at a family planning clinic, GUM (Genitourinary Medicine Clinic) or at Brook (if you are below 25). You can also buy a home pregnancy testing kit at most chemists and supermarkets. Pregnancy testing should be done following a missed period. Also note that pregnancy is not the only thing you should be worried about. You could be also at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) and HIV/AIDS and it is advised that you also get tested for these.

If you have had unprotected sex, or you suspect that your usual form of contraception hasn’t worked properly then you need to immediately visit your GP, family planning clinic, a young people’s clinic such as Brook (for under 25) or a chemist to obtain emergency contraception. Emergency contraception can help prevent an unwanted pregnancy following unprotected sex.

There are primarily two types of emergency contraception: the “morning after pill” that can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex and the coil also known as the inter-uterine device (IUD), which can be fitted up to 5 days after. Both forms of contraception are more effective if taken as soon as you have had unprotected sex and as the names suggest should only be used in an emergency and not as a form of regular contraception.