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What age can you get pregnant at?

• Once a girl starts having periods she can get pregnant, regardless of her age.
• You can get pregnant if sperm comes into contact with your vagina. You don’t have to have sex without a condom for this to happen.
• Find out more about how you get pregnant here.

We had unprotected sex, what can I do?

• If you have had unprotected sex, or your contraception fails, you could get pregnant.
• You can get emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy up to five days after having unprotected sex. Find out more here.
• You can get emergency contraception from your GP, a pharmacy, a young person’s clinic or a Brook clinic.

What are the signs of pregnancy?

• For many women the first sign that they are pregnant is a missed period.
• However, if you have irregular periods it may be difficult to tell.
• Women can miss periods for other reasons, such as stress or weight changes.
• Other signs of pregnancy may be feeling sick, a ‘metallic’ taste in your mouth, sore breasts, feeling tired and an increased amount of vaginal discharge.

How can I find out if I’m pregnant or not?

• If you think you are pregnant it is important to take a pregnancy test to find out for sure as soon as possible because the sooner you find out, the more options you will have.
• You can get a free pregnancy test at GP surgeries, family planning clinics and young person’s clinics like Brook.
• Alternatively you can buy home pregnancy test kits from a chemist.
• You can take a pregnancy test the day after your period should have started, or if your periods are irregular, three weeks after you had unprotected sex.

My pregnancy test is positive  - what should I do?

• If you have had a positive pregnancy test result you might be unsure of what to do next, especially if the pregnancy was not planned.
• You might want to take some time to look at your options.
• You could decide to have the baby yourself, give it up for adoption, or have an abortion.
• It might help to talk things through with a friend, family member or helpline advisor.
• No matter what you decide to do, it is important to see a doctor. If you are continuing with the pregnancy this is so you can arrange antenatal care, which is important both for your and your baby’s health. If you decide to have an abortion, it is better to get things in motion as soon as possible.

Who can I get support from?

• Being pregnant can be a very exciting but scary time, and you may have lots of questions and concerns.
• Having the support of your partner, family and friends can be helpful.
• There are professionals such as doctors, midwives, and counsellors who can answer questions and give you the space to talk about concerns.

Will it be hard to be a teenage parent?

• Becoming a parent is a big decision and will bring lots of changes to your life.
• One of the biggest things is working out where you are going to live and how you are going to support yourself and your child.
• There are some advantages to being a young mum or dad but there are disadvantages too, such as possible interruption to your education and having a lot of responsibility when your peers are gaining more freedom.
• Other people might treat you differently or be unkind because you are a young parent, but it is important to remember that there is a lot of support and help for young parents and their families.

If you have a question or are unsure about anything then ask a Talksafe Counsellor or Peer Mentor.

Links 

Brook: Pregnancy

British Pregnancy Advisory Service: Young People

Last review: 02/06/11 - Next review: 02/06/13