Teenage Pregnancy

Becoming a parent can be a wonderful and fulfilling thing in life, but it’s important that you’re ready for it.

Bringing up a baby will put you under huge pressure and stress and can be really hard work. That’s why so many people wait until they’re a bit older to start a family.

If you have unprotected sex, you might get pregnant. Using contraception, for example condoms, the pill, cap or coil, will prevent this. Condoms are best as they stop you catching STI’s like Chlamydia, candida, herpes and HIV AIDS too.

Don’t be embarrassed to talk about contraception early on, so you don’t get carried away before it’s too late. It’s worth it to stay safe and healthy.

If you’ve had unprotected sex and your period is late, don’t panic. The next step is to find out if you’re pregnant and decide what to do.

What to look out for:

Don’t have sex because your boyfriend or girlfriend wants you to but you’re not sure. It’s completely up to you. Remember it’s against the law to have sex if you’re under 16.

Signs you might be pregnant:

Your period is late.
You feel sick or are vomiting.
You have a metallic taste in your mouth.
Your breasts are sore.

What to do:

Go to your Doctor or sexual health clinic to find out about different types of contraception.
If you’ve had unprotected sex and your period is late, take a pregnancy test at your Doctor’s, chemist or family planning clinic. Talk to your parents about what to do. If you feel you can’t there are lots of places to go to get help and advice.
If you’ve had unprotected sex, emergency contraception can stop you getting pregnant as long as you take it within 72 hours. Ask your Doctor or family planning clinic.

Contacts:

Sexual Health Helpline: 0800 567 123

NHS Website

http://www.sensecds.com/

http://www.likeitis.org.uk/

http://www.fpa.org.uk/

Teenage Pregnancy