Safe Sex

What is a condom?
A condom is a thin latex sheath which goes over the male penis. It stops two things. It stops a female getting pregnant but it also stops sexually transmitted diseases being passed from one partner to another.

Where can I buy condoms?
He doesn't want to wear a condom. What should I do?
What I would suggest you do is to talk to him about the implications of him not wearing a condom. It isn't just about not getting pregnant, it's also about passing on sexually transmitted diseases. And it's important again, that both of you feel comfortable with whatever you choose.

Should I take the pill?
It's important that you seek professional, medical advice about that. You can see your school nurse, you can see your GP, or you can go to family planning clinic. But it's important that you do seek medical advice about that.

What is family planning?
Family planning is planning when you want to start a family, so you would talk to somebody about whether or not you wanted to get pregnant and it's important that both people feel the same way.

How can I find my nearest family planning centre?
You could look it up on the Internet. It should be available in your local GP or your local hospital, or you could ring directory inquiries.

What should I do if I'm pregnant?
You could go to your GP, you could go to your school nurse, but that may not be confidential if you go to your school nurse. Or, you could get a pregnancy test, but they tend to be quite expensive. But it is really important that you take a professional test, because they can be quite difficult to read.

I'm in a relationship. Can we stop using a condom?
Obviously that's a matter of choice between the two of you but it relies on not just on whether or not you use a condom. It's about trust. Do you trust each other not to sleep with anybody else? As long as you're both happy with the decision, then that's the important thing.

What are STD's?
STDs are sexually transmitted diseases. Some of them are very difficult to spot because they don't have particularly many symptoms, for example Chlamydia. So what you need to do is, if you are having sex, and especially if you're having sex with lots of different partners, it's really important to get a regular check up in a family planning clinic, or a gynaecologist clinic at a local hospital.

When should I get STD tested?
If you know that you've had unsafe sex. If, for example, you've gone out and got a little bit drunk and had unprotected sex. It's not just about getting pregnant, it's about checking that you haven't caught anything, like an STD.