Pregnancy happens when a man and a woman have sexual intercourse without using contraception (unprotected sex), or when the contraception they were using has failed, and a sperm has fertilised the woman’s egg.
It is possible for pregnancy to happen even if full sexual intercourse has not taken place if the man’s penis has come into contact with the woman’s vagina, or sperm has been transferred by hand to genital contact.
If you have had unprotected sex within the last 5 days you may still be able to use Emergency Contraception to avoid becoming pregnant.
If you think there is a chance you may be pregnant, it’s really important to find out for sure as soon as possible to give you plenty of time to consider your options ! There are lots of places where you can go to get free confidential pregnancy testing, even if you are under 16, along with information and advice:
Some people prefer to do a home pregnancy test, which you can buy from many pharmacies or major supermarkets from around £3 - £10, even if you are under 16.
All Pregnancy Tests work by detecting a hormone in your urine that is only present when a woman is pregnant. The Hormone is known as hCG, or sometimes called the Pregnancy Hormone.
A Home Pregnancy Test will show if there is hCG, the Pregnancy Hormone in your urine. The amount of hCG hormone in your urine will increase over time, and although many Home Pregnancy Testing Kits claim to be able to show the hormone on the first day of your missed period, it is likely you will get a more accurate result after your period is one week late. Testing your urine first thing in the morning may also help you to get a more accurate result.
Some Negative results will be correct; however some may be a mistake as the Pregnancy Test has been done too soon, before there is enough hCG, the Pregnancy Hormone in your urine. If you get a negative result and your period is still late it’s really important to do another Pregnancy Test a few days or a week later. There are many places where you can access free and confidential Pregnancy Testing, with information and advice.
If your period does arrive it’s still really important to contact one of the following places for help to plan your contraceptive use for the future and make sure you don’t have to go through the whole Pregnancy Testing thing again !
This is definitely accurate. The Pregnancy Test has found hCG, the Pregnancy Hormone in your urine which means you are pregnant. The result cannot be a mistake.
Finding out you are pregnant, especially if its not planned, can be a very confusing time. You may feel like you want to ignore the Positive Result and hope that the Pregnancy will go away, but it won’t. The sooner you seek help from one of the free and Confidential Services available the better, as this will give you more time to consider your options.
If you are pregnant, you have 3 options; you could continue the pregnancy and keep the baby, continue the pregnancy and place the baby for adoption or fostering, or you could end the pregnancy by having an Abortion, sometimes known as a Termination of Pregnancy (even if you are under 16).
There are many people who you can talk to confidentially who will be able to help you make the decision that is right for you. You can contact:
There are many organisations that offer Sexual Health information and advice, confidentially to young people. Go to Useful Links to find some of the places where you can access information on-line, or through a telephone helpline.