Pregnancy
What is pregnancy?
What is pregnancy?
Pregnancy can happen from having vaginal sex without using contraception. It can also happen if the contraception you are using fails, for example, a condom breaks or you didn’t take some of your contraceptive pills.
You should use contraception when you have sex if you want to try to avoid becoming pregnant.
Missing your period, or only having very light bleeding or spotting, is the most obvious sign of early pregnancy. There are other reasons you may miss a period, but it’s always worth testing to be sure. Pregnancy tests can be purchased from many places, including pharmacies and supermarkets.
It’s normal to feel many different emotions if you think you may be pregnant. You may also be unsure about what to do next.
If you have had unprotected sex in the last 5 days or if you think your contraception might have failed and are concerned that you may become pregnant without wanting to, emergency contraception is available.
The best way to access emergency contraception in Norfolk is from community pharmacies
NHS - Where to get the emergency contraceptive pill
You can also get emergency contraception from your GP surgery, a walk-in centre or iCaSH Norfolk
Talk to someone you trust, this could be your partner or a friend or family member. You can also speak to your GP or practice nurse, or contact NHS 111 for advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You will need to think carefully about what to do next, so it can be useful to have an opinion from someone you trust. Your options for the pregnancy are:
- continuing with the pregnancy and having the baby
- having an abortion
- continuing with the pregnancy and having the baby adopted
It is important to see a midwife as early as possible to get the antenatal (pregnancy) care you need to have a healthy pregnancy.
The pregnancy charity, Tommy’s, has developed a useful tool for women and birthing people who are planning a pregnancy that will tell you all you need to know about how to improve the health of your future pregnancy and children.
