Unplanned Pregnancy Help

Could you still have emergency contraception?

If you’ve had unprotected sex within the last five days you may need emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. The sooner you take emergency contraception, the more options you have:

• Emergency contraception (“morning-after”) pill – there are two types:
  • Levonelle can be taken up to 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex
  • EllaOne can be taken up to five days after unprotected sex

• IUD (coil) can be inserted:
  • Up to day 19 of a 28-day cycle
  • Up to 5 days after unprotected sex

You can get emergency contraception for free from NUPAS, your GP, contraception and sexual health clinic, specialist clinics like Brook, NHS walk-in centres and most pharmacies. If you are over 16 you may have to pay at some pharmacies.

Could you be pregnant?

Yes, but find out for sure….. Don’t ignore it and hope it will go away. Do a pregnancy test.

If you have missed or have a late period or experience these symptoms, please take a pregnancy test.

You can get a free pregnancy test at:

• Contraception and Sexual Health (CASH) clinics.
• Young people’s clinics like Brook.
• Genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics.
• Your GP or nurse.
• School nurse.
• Some pharmacies.
• Your local NUPAS clinic.

You can also buy a home pregnancy testing kit from most supermarkets and pharmacies. If you do it yourself, follow the instructions closely so you get an accurate result.

Remember… the quicker you find out the result, the more options you will have to decide what you want to do.

If your pregnancy is unplanned, discovering you are pregnant can be a very scary and confusing time, try and talk about this with your partner. If this is not possible try and get support for a parent, relative, or an adult you trust. If you do not have someone to talk to you can call us on 0333 004 6666 or visit you GP, nurse, local sexual health and contraception service or a specialist service like Brook.

It is important to discuss all your options and to have an understanding of what each option will mean to you. Only you can decide what to do and you must not feel forced into any decision…. Whatever the decision it must be the right decision for YOU and your circumstances.

The choices you have are:                                                

• Continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby.
• Continue with the pregnancy and consider adoption or foster care.
• Have an abortion.

This gives you the opportunity to decide what contraception you are going to use from now on. If you don’t want to be pregnant it is important to consider using a reliable method of contraception.

You can talk to your GP, a school nurse, a sexual health and contraception clinic, a GUM clinic, a specialised service like Brook or NUPAS about what options you have and which contraception would suit you best. Click here for more information on all methods of contraception.

Remember, only condoms protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)…… consider using them with another method of contraception so that you are protected against pregnancy and STIs.