A few people in the UK have been diagnosed with a rare infection called monkeypox. While the current outbreak is concerning, the risk to the UK population remains low, but a notable proportion of cases have been in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. We encourage these groups to look out for unusual rashes or lesions on the body, especially the genitalia, and contact a sexual health service if they have concerns. For more information, please visit nhs.uk.
;If you think you could be pregnant you should do a pregnancy test as soon as possible. You can buy a pregnancy testing kit from any pharmacy e.g. Clearblue. You can do a pregnancy test from the first day of a missed period. It’s best to test the first urine sample in the morning as this will be more concentrated. If you do the test too early in pregnancy it may not show up and will give you an incorrect result.
If you don’t know when your next period is due you can do a test 3 weeks after unprotected sex.
If the pregnancy test is positive this means you are pregnant. Most self-test kits are reliable.
Whatever you feel you need to make a decision about what you want to do. The decision is yours; never feel pressurised by others to do something you don’t want to do.
There are three options for you to think about:
It is important not to delay making your decision. Abortion is safer and easier the earlier it is done in pregnancy and needs in most circumstances to be done before 13 weeks gestation (13 weeks from first day of last period). It is important to get advice as soon as possible, because it can take a month to organise things.
The following services can help you make your decision by providing confidential advice and information:
www.bpas.org/clinics/bpas-reading
www.bpas.org/clinics/bpas-slough
If possible, you should also talk through your options with your partner, family or friends.
