What to do if you think you're pregnant

If you think you could be pregnant you should take a pregnancy test as soon as possible. You can buy a test to do yourself from the pharmacy or supermarket, or you can ask for a test at some general practices, any young people's service, a contraception or sexual health clinic, a pharmacy (there may be a charge), most NHS walk-in centres and some GUM clinics.

You can carry out a pregnancy test from the first day of a missed period. Tests that are done earlier than this may not be accurate. If you don't have regular periods, the earliest time to do a test is three weeks from the last time that you had unprotected sex.

If the test is positive

You may choose to:

• continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby
• end the pregnancy by having an abortion
• continue with the pregnancy and have the baby adopted.

Ultimately the decision about what to do is yours. Talk to someone you trust. You may wish to talk to family and friends or it might be easier to talk to someone who is not so close to you like your GP.

You can also contact the University Student Health Adviser to talk things through at l.ahearne@arts.ac.uk

Abortion

It is important to take time to make the decision that's right for you, but it's also important not to delay making your decision if you are considering a termination. The earlier this is carried out the less traumatic it is for you.

You may find the FPA website useful if you wish to find out more about abortion.

Can I continue my course if I want to keep my baby?

In most cases it is possible to continue with your course or take some time out to have your baby and return at a later date. You need to speak to your tutor about this. Your options will depend on what stage of the course you are at, when your baby is due, what help and support you have afterwards etc.

If your pregnancy is straight-forward and you wish to continue attending college until a few weeks before the baby is born there is usually no reason while you cannot do so but many students will feel tired towards the end of their pregnancy and wish to take some time out. There may be certain chemicals involved in your course that you will be advised not to handle if you are pregnant.

You should not return to your course within two weeks of having your baby and of course most students will need a lot longer to recover, deal with sleepless nights and care for their baby. If however, you have good support and someone who will look after your baby you may wish to return after a few weeks.

Page Last Modified: 30/04/2010