Could she be pregnant?
If you have had unprotected sex with a girl (sex without
using contraception) you could be at risk of pregnancy. As soon as
a penis becomes erect, it leaks liquid called pre-ejaculate and
this can contain thousands of sperm. So there's a risk of pregnancy
if the penis enters the vagina without contraception being used,
even if the man doesn't ejaculate (cum), or withdraws before
ejaculating.
But I pulled out before ejaculation, so that's safe
isn't it?
No! You may have heard of the 'withdrawal method' to
prevent pregnancy? This is when a man takes his penis out before he
ejaculates. This is NOT a reliable form of contraception as there
may be pre-ejaculate on the penis. The only way to avoid pregnancy
is to use a reliable method of contraception every time you have
sexual contact. In fact you should use both a reliable method of
contraception such as the pill or the injection and also use a
condom too as condoms are the only method of contraception that can
prevent infection.
How do I know if my partner is pregnant?
The only way to confirm if someone is pregnant is to do a
pregnancy test. Sometimes girls may think they're pregnant because
their period is a few days late. But it is common for young women
to have irregular periods so the only way you can tell if someone
really is pregnant is to do a pregnancy test. Most pregnancy tests
are simple urine tests (where your partner would pee into a pot or
on a stick), and it's possible to get a result within minutes.
Where can we get a pregnancy test from?
You can buy a pregnancy test over the counter at a pharmacy or you
can go to a sexual health service such as Brook or
the Community Contraceptive Clinic and get one done for free.
You could also go to your GP, but remember either you or your
partner will need to pay around £30 to book an appointment with a
GP. There are many different types of pregnancy tests that you can
buy over the counter at a pharmacy and they cost anywhere from
around £8-£25.
However it's probably best if you are under 18 and/or the
pregnancy wasn't planned to go to a service for a test. Not only
will the test be free but there will be a professional on hand to
provide you and your partner with advice, help and information
should the test be positive. If you go to a service such as Brook
or the Community Contraceptive Clinic your partner can also
organise reliable contraception such as the pill or the injection
while you're there and you can both get some free condoms too.
What is 'the morning after pill?'
There is a pill your partner can take called 'emergency
contraception' (sometimes called 'the morning after pill').
The name 'morning after pill' is a bit misleading as it is a pill
that can actually be taken up to 72 hours (3 days) after
unprotected sex. However its effectiveness decreases with time. The
longer you leave it the less chance you have of it working, so it's
best to take it as soon as possible after unprotected sex.
Where can we get emergency contraception
from?
Your partner can get emergency contraception from Brook or the
Community Contraception Clinic for free, or you can either get it
from your doctor (this will cost you around £30) or buy it over the
counter at a pharmacy (this costs around £25). However your partner
will need to be over 16 to buy emergency contraception over the
counter at a pharmacy.
If she is under 16 she will need to go to Brook or the Community
Contraceptive clinic. You cannot buy emergency contraception for
your partner. She has to buy it for herself and speak directly to
either a pharmacist (if she's over 16) or the doctor or nurse at a
sexual health services such as Brook (any age).
Does emergency contraception protect against
STIs?
No! Remember even if your partner uses emergency contraception to
prevent a pregnancy the fact that you have had unprotected sex
means you and your partner are at risk of infection, so you need to
go to the G.U.M clinic to get tested for
all STIs. The best way to really protect yourself and your partner
from infection and pregnancy when you are having sex is to use both
a reliable method of contraception such as the pill or the
injection AND a condom.
What is an 'Abortion?'
Abortion means choosing to end a pregnancy. People have lots of
different feelings and thoughts about abortion and you will need to
think about how you feel about it for yourself. If your partner
becomes pregnant and you both decide not to continue the pregnancy
you will need to go to either Brook, The Community Contraceptive
Clinic or your GP to confirm by the pregnancy (by doing a pregnancy
test) and to discuss your options and the possibility of an
abortion.
In Jersey it is legal to have an abortion if two doctors agree
that one of the following applies:
the woman is no more than 12 weeks pregnant and it is causing
her distress;
the woman is no more than 24 weeks pregnant and the baby is
suffering from a severe incurable abnormality which would cause it
to be born with the expectation of an exceedingly poor quality of
life;
an abortion is necessary to save the woman's life or to prevent
grave permanent injury to her physical or mental health.
Where should I go if I need more information on
abortion?
Contact either Brook, the Community Contraceptive Clinic
or your GP. All of these services are confidential. That means they
won't tell anyone about it.
Condoms
& Services