Contraception and Sexual Health (CASH)
| If you and your partner are over 16-years-old and you're both ready to have sex, you both have the responsibility of making sure you protect yourselves against any risks.
We hear it over and over again: don’t have unprotected sex. There must be a reason why everyone’s going on about it, and there is. Unprotected sex puts you at risk of getting pregnant and increases your chances of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Find out more about STIs. | ![stock_xchng - Party Hats (stock photo by Morrhigan) [id 159562]_files](colourful_condoms.jpg) |
There’s a one in three chance you’ll get pregnant if you don’t use contraception.
Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of 16 to 20-year-olds admit to having unprotected sex without knowing their partner’s history.
Because some infections don’t have obvious symptoms, you can’t be sure whether the person you are sleeping with has an STI. The best protection is to use a condom, every time.
Both guys and girls need to take responsibility for this.
It’s important to know how to use contraceptives properly and there’s plenty of places you can go to get yourself clued up on it including your doctor or a family planning clinic.
Condoms – these are probably one of the best-known types of contraception. It’s a thin latex rubber which when placed over an erect penis traps sperm at the point of ejaculation. Condoms will protect you from unwanted pregnancy and also STIs. Only use condoms that have the British kitemark on the packet. This tells you that they have been tested and are ok to use.
Contraceptive pill – the pill is another popular contraceptive, but be careful because it only protects you against pregnancy – you are still at risk from STIs. The pill is taken by girls and it tricks their body into thinking they’re pregnant so they don’t release an egg.
There are other forms of contraception that your doctor or family planning clinic would be able to discuss with you.
Where you can go to get them – condoms are really easy to get hold of. You can find them in supermarkets, chemists, garages, even vending machines in toilets. So there’s no excuse. If you want to go on the pill it’s best to either see your doctor or go to a family planning clinic.
For free condoms and advice check out the c-card scheme.
For more information about contraception the booklet your guide to contraception - helping you choose the method of contraception that is best for you (pdf, 364KB) is available to download. To use this pdf file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it on your computer, please use our advice page.
Stuff you need to know poster.