Pregnancy

You may think that you’re pregnant if your period’s late, or you’ve had sex without using contraception.

You may have other symptoms such as tender breasts, needing to go to the toilet more often, morning sickness, or feeling more tired than usual. You may not have any symptoms at all, but if you’ve had sex without using contraception there’s always a chance that you may be pregnant.

Try to get help as soon as possible because being pregnant and having a baby, won't not happen, just because you try to ignore it.

The first thing to do is get to know for sure whether you are or not. You can get free pregnancy tests from young people’s clinics, family planning clinics or your doctor.  If you’d prefer not to go to these, you can buy home testing kits from chemists and supermarkets for between £5-£15. Most kits contain 2 tests so if you’re unsure about the first result wait a few days and do the other test.

Becoming a parent

This is where you decide to have the baby and carry on with the pregnancy. Having support from the baby’s father and your own family will be important, but if this doesn’t work out there are other people and organisations who can help you.

There are other options available to you if you don't want to continue with the pregnancy or if you don't want to start a family.

Adoption or fostering

This is where you decide to carry on with the pregnancy and then your baby goes to live with another carer for either a short period of time, which is called foster care, or permanently, which is called adoption.

Abortion

This is where depending on how many weeks you have been pregnant, the pregnancy is ended either by taking medication or by having a surgical procedure. It is also known as a 'termination' or a 'termination of pregnancy'.

If you’re trying to make a decision about whether to have an abortion, it can be useful to talk things through with someone you trust or a specially trained counsellor who is not directly involved in your situation.

More information and advice

NHS Choices - find your nearest sexual health clinic

Brook - for advice about pregnancy tests

NHS Start for Life pregnancy guide - get tips on coping with morning sickness, choosing where to give birth, what to buy for your newborn and more.

The Mix - for information on pregnancy and parenthood

Childline - for support with pregnancy and relationships

BPAS - British Pregnancy Advisory Service for pre-abortion counselling

Help

If you would like help, get in touch with us for confidential information, advice and support.

Babycentre - help for young parents

 

 

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