We’re the sexual health charity FPA. We give straightforward information, advice and support on sexual health, sex and relationships to everyone in the UK.
- Help and advice
- Find a clinic
- How to get help with your sexual health
- Contraception
- Your guide to contraception
- Contraception after having a baby
- Emergency contraception
- Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
- Contraceptive implant
- Contraceptive injection
- IUD (Intrauterine device )
- IUS (Intrauterine system)
- Combined pill
- Progestogen-only pill (POP)
- Contraceptive patch
- Contraceptive vaginal ring
- Condoms (male and female)
- Diaphragm and caps
- Sterilisation (male and female)
- Natural family planning
- Bodyworks: understanding reproduction
- My contraception tool
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Planning a pregnancy
- Unplanned pregnancy
- Sexual problems
- Sexual assault services
- Unexplained vaginal bleeding
- HPV vaccine
- Parents and carers
- Sexual health books
- FPA helplines
- Ask WES, online enquiry service
- Where else can I get help?
Contraception
There are 15 methods of contraception available in the UK. Find out what they are, how to use them, where to get them and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Have a look at our quick guides to all 15 contraceptive methods
Your guide to contraception
Information about all the contraceptive methods available in the UK.
Your guide to contraceptive choices – after you’ve had your baby
Choosing contraception after you've given birth.
Emergency contraception
If you have had unprotected sex, that is, sex without using contraception, or think your contraception might have failed, you can use emergency contraception.
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
Contraceptive methods that do not depend on you remembering to take or use them.
Your guide to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
A quick summary of all four methods of long-acting reversible contraception.
Hormonal methods
Hormonal methods of contraception contain estrogen and progestogen or progestogen alone.
Barrier methods
Barrier methods of contraception prevent sperm from meeting an egg.
Permanent methods
Male and female sterilisation are permanent methods of contraception, suitable for people who are sure they never want children or do not want more children.
Natural family planning
Natural family planning allows a woman to closely monitor the fertile and infertile times of her menstrual cycle so that she can have sex when there is no risk of pregnancy.
Understanding your body
Find out about the male and female reproductive systems, the menstrual cycle and what’s involved in conception.
Is contraception free and where can I go to get it?
You can obtain free contraception, including emergency contraception, from:
- a general practice, unless they say they don’t provide contraception services
- a contraception clinic or a sexual health clinic
- a young people’s service (these will have an upper age limit)
- some genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics.
You can also get the emergency contraceptive pill Levonelle free from:
- most NHS walk-in centres (England only) and minor injuries units
- some hospital accident and emergency departments (phone first to check)
- some pharmacies (there may be an age limit).
If you are 16 or over you can buy the emergency contraceptive pill Levonelle from most pharmacies. They also sell condoms, diaphragms, caps and spermicide.
How can I find a contraception service?
- Find out about all sexual health services from sexual health direct, the helpline run by FPA.
- Find details of general practices and pharmacies in England at www.nhs.uk and in Wales at www.wales.nhs.uk. In Scotland you can find details of general practices at www.show.scot.nhs.uk. In England and Wales you can also call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 and in Scotland NHS 24 on 0845 4 24 24 24. In Northern Ireland call the FPA helpline or for details of general practices see www.n-i.nhs.uk.
- Get details of your nearest contraception, GUM or sexual health clinic from a telephone directory, health centre, local pharmacy, hospital, midwife, health visitor or advice centre.
- Get details of young people’s services from Brook on 0808 802 1234.
What other services are available?
Contraception clinics sometimes provide far more than contraception. This may include:
- pre-pregnancy advice/pregnancy testing
- help and advice on an unplanned pregnancy (including abortion, adoption and continuing the pregnancy)
- safer sex advice
- advice on sexual problems
- cervical screening tests and breast awareness
- checks for sexually transmitted infections
- menopause advice
- infertility advice.
Young people
Do I have to be 16 to use contraception?
No. If you are under 16 you can get confidential advice and contraception. Health workers (nurses, doctors and pharmacists) work under very specific guidance with this age group. You must be mature enough to understand the advice and any decisions made about giving you contraception.
Will my parents/carers be told if I am given contraception?
Health workers have to keep anything you tell them private but they will usually encourage you to talk to your parent or carer.
If a health worker thinks there is a risk to your health, safety or welfare they might need to share your information with someone else. The risk would need to be serious and the health worker would usually discuss this with you first.
Age of consent
In the UK it is against the law for anyone to have sex with a person under the age of 16. This is the same for men and women and for heterosexual (straight) and homosexual (gay/lesbian) sex. This is known as the age of consent.
Information and advice for young people
Brook has advice on sexual health, contraception and your rights as a young person.
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