Pregnancy

It is important that you do a pregnancy test as soon as possible if you think you might be pregnant. You can buy a test over the counter in any pharmacist and most supermarkets.

A test can be taken from the first day of a missed period (first pee in the morning is best).  If you do the test too early in pregnancy it may not show up and might give you an incorrect result. You should take the test three weeks after unprotected sex at the earliest if you don’t know when your next period is due.

If the result is positive, this means you are pregnant. You now need to think about your options. Do not delay making your decision but also make sure that you take enough time to make the right decision for you.

You have several options:

• You can continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby.
• You can continue with the pregnancy but have the baby adopted.
• You can end the pregnancy by having a termination of pregnancy (abortion)

Other agencies who you can talk to are:

• MSI Reproductive Choices UK
• British Pregnancy Advisory Service 

Book an appointment with a midwife via your GP or self- refer into maternity services.

Southport & Ormskirk Hospital:
For further information see link here or telephone  01695 656924

Liverpool Women’s Hospital:
For further information see link here.

Adoption could be a choice for you if you don’t want to become a parent but you don’t want an abortion.

What’s adoption?

Adoption is a way of giving a child new parents. You’ll continue with the pregnancy and give birth, but you won’t look after the baby, and you won’t have legal rights or responsibilities regarding the child once the adoption is complete.

Adoption is a formal process organised by adoption agencies and local authorities, and made legal by the courts. Once an adoption is made legal, the decision is final and can’t be changed.

For more information on adoption in Merseyside please follow the link here.

Legal termination of pregnancy is a safe way of ending a pregnancy and is legal in most parts of the UK, regardless of your age. It’s important not to delay making your decision as it is safer and easier the earlier the procedure is carried out. The majority of terminations of pregnancy are carried out before 13 weeks of pregnancy, and almost all of the rest are carried out before 20 weeks.

Termination of pregnancy after 24 weeks of pregnancy isn’t common, but is legal in certain circumstances (for example, if it’s less likely to cause harm to your physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy or there’s a substantial risk of physical or mental disability if the baby was born).

You shouldn’t have to wait more than two weeks from your first contact with your clinic or GP to the time of your abortion. There’s no difference in the quality of care you should receive if you choose to pay for an abortion privately or go through the NHS.

As a Sefton resident, you can refer yourself into local abortion clinics by phoning

03457 30 40 30 or visiting BPAS