It’s important to do a pregnancy test as soon as possible, however pregnancy tests are only likely to be accurate if you have had unprotected sex more than 2 weeks ago and your period is more than 2 days late. It’s Your Choice can support you to complete a free pregnancy test in one of our three centres in the New Forest or students at Totton College can access the sexual health service Health and Wellbeing drop-ins that we run jointly with the local Contraception and Sexual Health (C&SH) services.
Emergency Contraception
If you (or someone you know) has had unprotected sex in the last 5 days and you are not trying to get pregnant, you can access free emergency contraception
If unprotected sex was within the last 72 hours (3 days) you can get free emergency contraception from all sexual health clinics, doctor’s surgeries and some pharmacies. Although, it is important to phone a pharmacy first to check that the registered pharmacist is there, otherwise it may not be available.
Young Person’s sexual health services in HampshireGetiton.nhs.uk
If it was between three and five days ago, you can access free emergency contraception through the Contraception & Sexual Health services(C&SH) either at the Royal South Hants Hospital on 0300 123 7399, or through a Health and Well-being drop-in sessions at your college
The method of emergency contraception used may vary according to how long ago it was that you had sex.
Pregnancy Choices
If your pregnancy test is positive, you’ll be faced with some big decisions. You’re quite likey to feel very emotional, and being emotional and maybe upset can make it hard to make practical decisions. The hormones that your body makes during pregnancy can make this even more difficult. You may find it useful to talk through with someone. If you’re able to talk about it with your family and friends, that’s great – but sometimes it helps to talk with someone who’s not involved in your personal life. It’s Your Choice can help you to explore the options that are open to you and do what you feel is best for you in confidence
Pregnant and happy with it
If you discover that you are pregnant and you decide to keep the baby, It’s Your Choice can support you during the pregnancy in making informed choices and put you in touch with other agencies that can help. You may need some suport working out how to talk with your family or friends, or, you might need some help making sure that you get money you are entitled to, whether you’re in work or claiming benefits, or making sure that you don’t lose out on your rights if you’re working. It might even be, if you’re still at college or school, about making sure that you don’t lose out on your right to continue your education
Whatever your situation is, you’ll need to inform your doctor about your pregnancy and access antenatal care services for things like scans and health checks. It’s Your choice can help you make arrangements and appointments.
Having an abortion
It may be that you decide, for whatever reason, that you don’t want to have the baby. It is legal in England, Scotland and Wales to have an abortion up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy (counting from the date of your last normal period). It’s a big step to take and It’s Your Choice will be able to give you time and space to think it through. Generally speaking, the earlier the abortion can be done, the better. You will need to have an appointment with a C&SH clinic nurse or your doctor as soon as possible to get the process started. It’s Your Choice works closely with C&SH services and we can support you to make your appointment.
Adoption
You may decide that you don’t want an abortion, but that you might consider having the baby adopted. This will involve a lot of planning and thought, and you’ll have to have a lot of contact with social workers who wiil help you think through your choices – it’s not something that you can sort out for yourself. It’s Your Choice can support you to think about it and to make contact with the people you’ll need to do what’s necessary.
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