Pregnancy

A pregnancy may happen for a variety of reasons:

• No contraception is used
• Contraception fails
• Split condom
• Cap in wrong position
• Forgotten pill
• Pill doesn't work due to antibiotics/vomiting
• Because you want a baby!!

Pregnancy Testing

If you have missed a period or your period is late (more than two weeks) you will probably want to have a test to see if you are pregnant or not. Your General Practicioner (GP) may offer pregnancy testing, but you might have to pay.

Sussex University - TBC

At Brighton University UNISEX offers a pregnancy testing service (£1 per test) between 1 and 3pm on Mondays in room G35, opposite the student advice centre in the Cockcroft building. The nurses at Falmer and Eastbourne medical centres also offer pregnancy testing, costing £1.

In Brighton, free tests are available from the Morley Street Family Planning Clinic and the Brighton Women's Centre or if you are under 25 from the Young People's Centre. You can also buy test kits from most chemists and some will do the test for you, but if you are worried it may be better to go to Family Planning where you will be able to talk in more depth about your concerns.

The test done at UNISEX takes about 2 minutes to do and once it is completed you will have time to talk about the result with the adviser if you want to.

The results and your options

A negative result

• You may be pleased the test has come back negative. However, if you want to, you can still talk to the adviser about contraception issues.
• If you were hoping for a positive result, UNISEX stocks information on fertility issues and can refer you on to agencies which may be able to help with this.

A positive result

Finding out you are are pregnant if you don't want to be can be very scary and confusing. No one will expect you to make any decisions immediately. UNISEX has lots of leaflets about your different options and can refer you on to other agencies if you feel it would be useful to talk with someone in more detail. Listed below are some options you may choose to consider:

• Keeping the baby - Visit your GP as soon as possible for advice on how to stay healthy during your pregnancy. You may also need to decide how you will care for your baby and if it will be necessary to make changes to your lifestyle. Social Services can put you in touch with organisations offering support and help.
• Having a termination - if you decide to have termination you need to arrange this as soon as possible. Arrangments regarding abortion vary between regions. If you want an NHS termination you have to get a referral from your GP, however the NHS is unable to offer abortions to everyone and therefore you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of your termination. Again, this will depend on where you live. Alternatively you can ring a private clinic (see local phone directory) or phone the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) direct on 08457 304030, however you will have to pay the full cost of the abortion if you do this.
• Having the baby adopted - If you decide on this option you will still need to make an appointment with your doctor for advice during the pregnancy. You will also need to contact Social Services who will put you in contact with an adoption agency. It is worth remembering that you can change your mind at any time, even after the birth. The option to change your mind ends once the adoption has been legally agreed in a court of law.