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Everything you need to know

sexual-health

1. What happens when you come to one of our sexual health drop-ins

The process:

  • you’ll be welcomed by a member of staff when you arrive, then shown to the waiting area where a member of staff will give you a short welcome slip to fill out
  • if you’re wanting free condoms (through the C:Card service) you will usually be seen quickly
  • if you want to see the nurse and it’s your first time at a MYPAS drop-in, a youth worker will chat with you about what we do, explain our confidentiality policy and ask you to fill out a registration form. This will help the staff create your own file like you would have when visiting your GP. All files are kept safe and locked away and are only used by the nurse and the admin support staff
  • if you’ve seen a nurse before, the youth worker will collect your welcome slip
  • if there are other young people waiting you’ll be given a rough idea of what time you’ll be seen by the nurse. The drop-ins work on a first come first served basis, so you will have to wait until it’s your turn. (If there’s no one else waiting you’ll be seen quickly)
  • ask the youth work staff if you’re not sure about anything. They’re there to help and will be happy to answer your questions

2. Confidentiality

We won’t tell anyone about your visit to our drop-ins

  • our drop-ins are confidential. This means that information about your visit will not be passed on to anyone outside our staff team.
  • but sometimes our staff do have to share information with others if they have serious concerns about you or another young person’s safety. If we do need to break confidentiality, we’ll let you know beforehand and keep up to date with what’s going on

3. Seeing the nurse

Nurse availability at drop-ins

A nurse is available at most of our drop-ins. If a nurse isn’t available, we’ll post this on the Drop-In Nurse Availability page. And you can always phone us beforehand on 0131 454 0757 to check.

Your friend or partner can be with you when you see the nurse

If that’s what you want, that’s fine. But the nurse might ask to see you on your own, because you might be asked personal questions.

How long you’ll need to wait to see a nurse

This depends on how busy the drop-in is, and how many other people are waiting before you. If there is no one in front of you then you will be seen quickly.

Drop-ins are first come first served so if you arrive when the drop-in has just started there’s a good chance that you won’t have long to wait. Staff will let you know roughly how long you’ll have to wait.

How soon after unprotected sex can I have an STI test?

2 weeks after unprotected sex

4. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) - what happens when you’re tested

What happens when you get tested for STIs depends on what you’re being tested for, and your gender.

When you’re being tested for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea:

  • if you’re a woman, the nurse will ask you to swab yourself to collect cells from the vulva (the lips around the opening to your vagina) and inside your vagina
  • if you’re a man, the nurse will ask you to give a urine sample
  • if you’re tested for other STIs the nurse might have to take a blood sample from you

Waiting times for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) test results

All samples that the nurse takes are sent off to a lab to be tested. It usually takes 2 weeks for the results to come back

5. Contraception

We won’t tell your parents if you want to get contraception

Because our drop-ins are confidential we won’t pass any information to your parents (or anyone else) unless we have serious concerns about you, or another young person’s safety.

How old you need to be to get free condoms or free contraception

If you’re 13 or over, we can give you free condoms and contraception

You can get the implant at MYPAS

  • The nurse at our Dalkeith drop-ins can fit the implant for free. They’ll need to ask you about your own, and your family’s, medical history to make sure that the implant is suitable for you. You’ll also be asked about any illnesses or operations you have had
  • an implant may not be suitable for you if:
    • you think you might already be pregnant
    • you don’t want your periods to change
    • you take certain medicines
    • you have had, or still have, certain illnesses

That said, most women can have an implant fitted.

Getting emergency contraception at MYPAS

  • you can get free emergency contraception (sometimes called the ‘morning after pill’) at our Penicuik and Dalkeith drop-ins
  • emergency contraception can be used to help prevent pregnancy if you have had unprotected sex, or think your contraception might have failed
  • emergency contraception called:
    • Levonelle can be taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex. It’s available for free from pharmacies (chemists) for young women over 13 in Midlothian. We recommend that you go to the pharmacy if it is quicker to than coming to one of our drop-ins
    • ellaOne can be taken up to 5 days after unprotected sex. It’s available for free from pharmacies (chemists) for young women over 13 in Midlothian.
  • you’re more likely to get pregnant if you delay taking emergency contraception, are sick within 2 hours of taking it or have more unprotected sex

6. Pregnancy and pregnancy testing

You’re likely to get pregnant if you don’t use any contraception

80 to 90% of sexually active women who don’t use contraception will get pregnant in a year.

You can also get pregnant if:

  • You’re on your period – there is a chance of getting pregnant if you have sex during your period. If you do not want to get pregnant don’t have sex, or use contraception like the pill, implant and/or condoms
  • Your partner pulled out before he came – you could get pregnant because, before they come, men release some semen (often called pre cum). There are thousands of sperm in pre cum and it only takes one sperm to reach and fertilise the egg. If you don’t want to get pregnant don’t have sex, or use contraception like the pill, implant and/or condoms
  • you’re taking the contraceptive pill or have the implant? – it’s unlikely that you’d get pregnant if you’ve been taking the pill properly, or you have the implant inserted. The pill’s over 99% effective (when you take it according to the instructions). This means that less than 1 in 100 women get pregnant in a year. The implant’s even more effective with less than 1 woman in every 1000 getting pregnant in 3 years

When you should get a pregnancy test

If you have had unprotected sex or missed your period, you can have a pregnancy test from the first day of your missed period, or 3 weeks after unprotected sex. Tests carried out before the 3 weeks aren’t always accurate.

If you’re pregnant and don’t know what to do

If you have a positive pregnancy test and aren’t sure what to do, we can talk about your options. We can then refer you on to the right place.