Contraceptive Services

There are many choices available to you for contraception.

Please note that if you are 26 years old and above you will need a GO referral to access our contraception services. An appointment will be sent to you once we have received the information from your GP. This does not include emergency contraception (sometimes called the morning after pill) which can be accessed from any of our clinics.

All contraception provided from the clinic is free. We can supply, advise and help with all methods including:

• oral contraception (pills)
• patches
• condoms
• diaphragms (caps)
• long acting methods (LARC) which include:
  • injections
  • intrauterine devices and systems
  • implants (under the skin in your arm)

The doctors and nurses have expertise in all methods and can discuss them in detail in order to help you choose the one you think will suit you best.

Visit the NHS's contraception guide for a full description of each method 

Emergency contraception - accidents happen!

Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if a contraceptive method fails e.g a condom splits or pills are missed.

The sooner you take action the more effective the treatment will be, so please call into clinic or phone us on 0118 322 7202 if you think you might need emergency contraception.

Two types of emergency contraception:

• the emergency contraceptive pill (sometimes called the morning after pill) - this can be used up to five days after sex.
• the IUD (intrauterine device, or coil) - an IUD can be inserted up to five days after unprotected sex, or up to five days after the earliest time you could have ovulated. The IUD is the best form of emergency contraception and can be left in for five years to give ongoing contraception.

If you are not sure about timing, give us a call and we will discuss your options.

Visit the NHS's emergency contraception guide for more information.

Emergency contraception is available to patients of all ages. If you require emergency contraception please use our telephone triage service to arrange a call back.

Emergency contraception (EC) is also available from:

WestCall - a GP out of hours service which can be reached by calling 111 and asking for them.

Pharmacies - most pharmacies will be able to issue EC for a fee and some pharmacists are available to issue EC to women under the age of 25 for no cost. See www.safesexberkshire.com for up to date details.

Your GP

Minor Injury Units - the nearest ones to the hospital are at:-

• West Berkshire Community Hospital, London Road, Thatcham, RG19 3AS - 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week.
• Bracknell Urgent Care Centre, Royal Berkshire Bracknell Healthspace, London Road, Bracknell, RG12 9BG - 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.

Walk-In Centre - the nearest one to the hospital is in Broad Street Mall, Reading - 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week

Emergency Department (A&E) - at Royal Berkshire Hospital, but you may be directed to another local service if they are busy.

What happens when you come to a clinic?

When you come to the clinic the receptionist will give you a form to fill in, including some personal details such as name and date of birth and your reason for attending the clinic. You will have a discussion about your general health and then a discussion about which methods of contraception are suitable for you. Some methods require a second visit for fitting or insertion - this will be discussed at the time with you and an appointment will be made. You will also be offered sexual health screening.