Pregnancy
Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. If you and your partner aren't ready to have a baby yet you need to use a reliable method of contraception every time you have sex.
A woman can get pregnant if she has sex without using contraception, or if something stops the contraceptive method from working properly (e.g. if she misses a pill, or if a condom splits or slips off).
There are lots of myths about how a woman can get pregnant. Here are some facts.
A woman can still get pregnant even if:
- it is the first time she has had sex
- if she has sex standing up
- if she has sex during her period
- if she washes immediately after sex
- if she doesn't have an orgasm
- if the man withdraws his penis before he ejaculates ("comes")
Whilst no contraceptive method will give you 100% protection against pregnancy, all of the contraceptive methods available in the UK are very effective when you use them correctly and consistently.
If you think you might be pregnant, the first thing you need to do is establish whether you are - visit the pregnant? section to find out how.
If you have discovered that you are pregnant, and it wasn't planned, visit the making a choice section, which discusses the options open to you.
Finally, the healthy pregnancy section contains information about how to have a healthy pregnancy, covering issues such as smoking, drinking alcohol and eating well whilst pregnant.
