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Contraception

If you are a teenager making love/having sexual intercourse with someone else and you are not using any contraception you could have a one in three chance of getting pregnant each time you make love. If you make love for a year without using contraception - then there is a 90% chance of the girl getting pregnant. If you are going to have sex - please, please make sure that you use contraception You wouldn't cross a road if you were told that you had a one in three chance of getting killed - so why take the risk of getting pregnant?

Methods of Contraception:

Don’t have sex -abstinence - totally reliable - stick with it as long as you can.

Put something in the sperm’s way – like condoms. Good if you have to have sex - and also helps to stop you getting STIs.

Make sure the egg doesn’t work – the combined pill -great as long as you remember to take the pills, and even better if you use it with condom to stop you getting nasty sexually transmitted bugs

Make it more difficult for the sperm to get through and make sure the egg doesn’t work – the progesterone-only pill- not quite so safe as the 'combined' pill.

The Progesterone Injection - A shot, with the hormone progesterone which will give you contraceptive cover.

Don’t have sex when the woman is releasing an egg – the rhythm method or the man withdrawing just before he comes - both lousy - don't risk it, but better than nothing

Putting other barriers in the sperms way - like the cap/diaphragm - not popular amongst the young as a bit messy and has to be thought about well ahead of having sex.

IUD (Intra-Uterine Device) - stops the fertilized egg landing in the uterus

Female Sterilisation: an operation to block or cut the fallopian tubes.

Male Sterilisation (vasectomy): a minor operation to block or cut the tubes carrying sperm.
Emergency Contraception: these pills contain progesterone hormones, which stop any fertilised egg from settling into the wall of the uterus(womb) and developing into a baby.

If all else goes wrong you can consider whether you should have an abortion or not.

Family Planning Association - for details of local clinics, call the Contraceptive Education Service.

England - 0845 310 1334

Scotland - 0141 576 5088

N. Ireland - 02890 325488

Play this fantastic STI and pregnancy protection game' Defenders' on the Brook website. Click here!