Pre-period panic
Question
I've been having sex with my boyfriend for a while now but I haven't started my periods yet, can I get pregnant?
Answer
It is possible to become pregnant if you have unprotected sex before you start your first period.
Girls are born with thousands of eggs in their ovaries and when your periods start one egg is released each month. The womb gets ready for a possible pregnancy each month by making the lining thick and soft. If the egg is not fertilised by a sperm, the lining and the egg pass out of your vagina - this is your period.
Before a girl has her first period, an egg will have been released and be waiting to be fertilised. As it is impossible to predict when the body will release the first egg, it is important to use contraception if you are having sex before your period starts.
If you've had sex within the last five days, and you do not want to get pregnant, you should seek advice on emergency contraception as soon as possible. If it was longer than five days ago, you can get a pregnancy test done to find out for sure. It's best to take the test three weeks after having unprotected sex (as this is roughly how long it will take for the hormone levels to show up on the test). You can get a free test at your local Brook Centre (under 25s only), family planning clinic or at some doctors (GPs). Or you can pay for a pregnancy test at a chemist. They can do a test for you or sell you a home pregnancy testing kit.
If you are pregnant, it's important to get advice as soon as possible to decide what you want to do next. But if you're not pregnant, it is still important you get advice about contraception to avoid unwanted pregnancy in the future. You can find out about your options at a Brook Centre or family planning clinic.
Updated: 17/01/2008
Question answered by YouthNet in association with Brook
