Hi there,
Thank you for your letter.
It sounds like you are worried about being pregnant because the condom split when you had sex for the first time. Its great that you had thought about safe sex, and I can hear that you are feeling really unsure what to do now. Im really glad you decided to write to me.
I can tell you that when semen (cum) comes into contact with your vagina there is a chance you can get pregnant. It sounds like maybe this did happen because you said the condom split. If this happens, its a good idea to use emergency contraception (e.g. the morning after pill) as an added safety measure. This can be taken up to 5 days after having sex and you can get it from your GP or sexual health clinic, and some pharmacies and walk-in centres. The NHS has more information about using emergency contraception on their Livewell site.
It might be too late for emergency contraception to be an option for you now. Youve told me that youre period has come on since you had sex, so it is pretty unlikely that youre pregnant, but there is still a small chance that you might be. The only way to know for sure is to do a pregnancy test. (According to the NHS website, its unusual to have a period while pregnant, but some women will still have some very light bleeding).
You can get a pregnancy test for free from your local sexual health centre. You can search for you nearest centre on the NHS Choices website (you will need to put your postcode in to search for services). You can also buy home pregnancy tests from your local pharmacy or even ask your GP about them.
It is important that you feel confident about how to protect your sexual health in the future. You can talk to the staff at your local sexual health centre to find out more about safe sex and protecting yourself. You can also check out the Brook website for information.
If you do find out you are pregnant it is important that you speak to someone as soon as you can, so you can have as much support as possible to make your decision. You can find out more about pregnancy by visiting the pregnancy information page in Explore.
I can hear that this is a stressful and confusing time for you. If you would like to talk about this with someone in confidence, you can talk to a ChildLine counsellor anytime. You can call free on 0800 1111 from mobiles and landlines or by 1-2-1 chat via the website.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
