Sex & sexual health

I think I might be pregnant!

If your period is 2 or more weeks late. What do you do? Although it may be very tempting to try and ignore it, and keep your fingers crossed, finding out for certain one way or another as soon as possible is the best thing to do, as it can help offer you more choices about what to do with the result. You can...

• Visit a sexual health clinic or young people's clinic. They will offer you confidential advice, information, a free test and an immediate result.
• See your doctor who will carry out a confidential pregnancy test and tell you if you are pregnant (this may take a couple of days at some G.Ps)
• Chemists can do pregnancy tests for you but you will have to pay for it.
• Or you can buy a home pregnancy test kit and do the test in private.

What if it's negative?

There are only two ways of reliably avoiding unplanned pregnancy, either celibacy (i.e. no sex) or reliable contraception. However if you want to have or are already having a sexual relationship, there are now a number of ways to protect yourself and your partner through reliable contraception. It is up to both of you to take responsibility for contraception, and even if you are in a same sex relationship, you will need to consider protection from STIs There are fourteen forms of contraception, some more re liable than others. The type of contraception you use needs to suit you and the sort of relationships that you decide to have. Pick the kind that's best for you and you won't have sleepless nights worrying about what if... Help is available in making this decision and you can try different forms of contraception if needed. (It is important to realise that no method of contraception is 100% reliable - but some are very close).

If you or your partner have had sex with anyone else in the past, there may be a chance that one of you has caught an STI without even knowing it. It is a good idea for both of you to get checked out at a clinic before you start having sex, but if that is not possible, you should follow these safer sex guidelines:

• Using condoms (rubbers', sheaths', jonnies') correctly is the best way to avoid infection. They offer protection against STIs and can help to provide protection against cancer of the cervix in women. They are available free from clinics and youth centres.
• Masturbation together is ok so long as neither you nor your partner have cuts, scratches or open wounds on your hands, penis or vagina.
• Anal sex is particularly risky if there is a possibility that your partner is carrying HIV, Hepatitis B, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis or any other STI. There is a higher risk of infection with anal sex as condoms are more likely to break, stronger condoms are available.
• Oral sex can also be risky, Dams (a thin, silky, latex protective barrier) are available for protection when giving oral sex to a woman, and condoms can be used for oral sex given to a man. Both dams and condoms come in flavoured varieties.
• A man can ejaculate on his partner's body provided his semen does not come into contact with a body opening or an open cut, sore or rash.
• If you suspect that either you or your partner has developed an STI of any type, you should not have sex until you have seen a doctor for treatment. If you do, you should use a condom.

Basically, don't take any risks. Always use a condom and think about your and your partner's sexual health.

What is sexuality?

Our sexuality is an essential part of who we are and how we see ourselves in relation to other people. During puberty you may have lots of different feelings about sex and about yourself. This may seem a confusing time, decisions about sexuality do not have to be made quickly and you may change your mind later. Sexuality becomes easier to understand when it is split into three parts: sexual orientation, sexual behaviour and sexual identity.

Sexual orientation is the nature of a person's sexual attraction to other people. (Who you fancy). Some people are straight (heterosexual) - this means that they are sexually and emotionally attracted to people of the opposite sex. Some people are gay (homosexual/lesbian) - this means sexually and emotionally attracted to people of the same sex as themselves. And some people are bisexual - this means sexually and emotionally attracted to people of both sexes.

• Nobody has the right to force or pressure you into sex you don't want or aren't ready for.
• You can get free and CONFIDENTIAL sexual health information and advice at any age (your parents will not be told without your consent).
• Regardless of your gender or your sexual orientation the age at which anyone can legally have sex in the UK is 16 years old. (Since 2001 the age of consent for gay sex between men has been 16).
• The Sexual Offences Act has been created to help protect young people. Therefore sex between two people aged 15 years old which they both agree to, whilst illegal, is not going to be viewed as harshly as sex between someone under 16 years old and an adult.