Tag Archives: sexual health

Women can have their emergency contraception delivered to their door

Who would have thought that the day would actually come where you can have emergency contraception delivered to your door within two hours?!

Well, it’s now available to women who live in London.

Not only do they save themselves time by having it delivered, they can avoid the embarrassment of the face-to-face questioning at the chemist.

Thanks to DrEd, an online medical practice, and Shutl, the internet start-up that delivers what you want, women can now order the morning-after pill online and have it delivered to their front door in the time it takes to watch a chick flick.

DrEd’s founder, Amit Khutti, said “Our new service is helping patients get the most effective treatment possible. Clinically, emergency contraception works best the sooner it is taken. Also, our service negates the embarrassment that people often report when having to get the morning after pill in person. We’re also taking every effort to protect young people and avoid misuse. If the service is a success then we plan to roll out to other UK cities in due course.”

To protect minors, the service can only be used by those with a credit card and the online questionnaire screens to determine the applicant is of the appropriate age.

Commenting on the partnership, Tom Allason, CEO and founder of Shutl said “We’re delighted to be working with DrEd to make healthcare more accessible.  In particular, we are excited to see another business develop a highly compelling proposition on top of our platform and enabling delivery of what customers want, when they want it.”

What do you think of this? Would you consider using it?

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13-year-old girls could be able to get the pill without seeing their GP

Girls as young as 13 should be given the Pill without seeing their GP, according to experts.

It is expected that this could help to reduce the number of soaring underage pregnancies.

However, critics are warning that this will give them an increased chance of promiscuity.

NHS research into over-16s schemes in London suggested it should be introduced nationwide.

What do you think? Should girls as young as 13 be able to get this contraception without having speaking to anyone?

The authors of the proposal said the NHS should ‘consider expanding this service across London and nationally” and ‘consider providing the service to women under 16 years where appropriate’.

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Women urged to stock up on morning-after pill for the holiday season

Women are being urged to stock up on the morning-after pill as the party season approaches.

The campaign, launched by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, is attempting to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies that traditionally increases at this time of year.

They advise that women may find it difficult to obtain the drug over the holiday period, so are offering emergency contraception free of charge in the post to women who fill in an online form and talk to a nurse over the phone.

Bur critics have slammed the campaign, Pro-Life charity Life said that it encourages drunken partygoers to have risky unprotected sex.

Spokeswoman Michela Aston told Metro: “What a sad state of affairs that overChristmas BPAS is anticipating and encouraging unwise sexual behaviour by enabling people to stockpile the morning-after pill.”

Emergency contraception is effective for the first 72 hours after sex, but is more likely to work the sooner it is taken. It has been available for several years directly from pharmacies and walk-in clinics, but fears over the £25 price-tag and holiday closures could discourage women from getting hold of it.

Tracey Forsyth, one of the contraceptive specialist nurses working at BPAS, said: “We know that women often do not take the morning-after pill after unprotected sex. They may not think their risk of pregnancy is high, and the cost, inconvenience or embarrassment of obtaining it may put them off.

“Having it at home means you are much more likely to take it as soon as you need it.

“Sometimes women worry that requesting the pill in advance makes it look like you are planning on taking chances.

“In fact the opposite is true – making sure you have a back-up to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy is making sure nothing is left to chance.”

Women will be sent the drug in the mail, with a supply of condoms, once their medical history and understanding of emergency contraception have been checked by the nurse on the telephone.

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The Christmas bonus you don’t want; an STI

The office parties are certain to be setting in, as well as planning hotel stay-overs, what to wear and everything else that goes along with it, there’s also the possibility of the festive office romance.

Lloydspharmacy is warning workers who may have their sights set on this to hold back – or at least take adequate precautions – or else risk getting a potentially unwelcome Christmas bonus: a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

A Lloydspharmacy survey found that 15 per cent of people who didn’t use condoms claim they were too drunk to remember to do so. With an additional 38 per cent insisting they were “caught up in the heat of the moment”, the office party is a hot-bed of sexual danger.  And, with over half of people admitting to having never having been tested for STIs, the UK may be heading for a surge in STIs during the alcohol-fuelled festive season.

For those planning on partying in Norwich and Plymouth – watch out. Both cities ranked equally as potentially the most dangerous cities in the UK to have an office fling – with a shocking 79 per cent of people admitting they have never been tested for STIs.

Overall, almost a third of those polled were aware of the potential consequences of having unprotected sex but went ahead anyway. This worryingly relaxed approach to catching STIs is particularly concerning given that chlamydia, for example, can lead to infertility in both sexes if left untreated. In 2011 over one in ten of Lloydspharmacy customers who requested an STI test aged between 18 and 35 years tested positive.

Dr Thom Van Every, sexual health expert at Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor said:  “The Christmas bash may seem like the ideal opportunity to let your hair down and indulge in some harmless fun with a colleague, but there can be really serious consequences. It’s well documented that increased alcohol intake can result in more risky sexual behaviour – and that might result in you getting an STI if you don’t take adequate precautions.

“We all do things we wish we hadn’t sometimes, but when it comes to your sexual health it’s vital to take personal responsibility. Don’t be fooled – having no symptoms doesn’t always mean you haven’t got a problem downstairs; if you’re having unprotected sex, you should get tested. If you’re embarrassed about visiting a clinic and talking about intimate problems face-to-face, our discreet online service means you don’t have to and it’s also a good solution if you’re strapped for time.”

So, don’t forget to invest in some safety before you head out on the Christmasdo.

Tesco have launched their own range of condoms and lubricants, Sequre. The top-quality condoms are amongst the cheapest available, costing £1.50 for a pack of three and £6 for a pack of 12 – only 50p per condom.

Sequre includes five types of condoms and three different lubricants offering a variety of choices to suit all tastes: regular, extra safe, sensitive, flavoured and ribs & dots are all on offer exclusively in Tesco

 

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