If you are under the age of 25 you can sign up to the Condom Distrubution Scheme which allows you to pick up the free condoms of your choice from a wide variety of places around the island. Condoms are available free for all people from the Sexual Health Service at St Mary’s Hospital.
No, thrush is not an STI but sexual intercourse can seem to make the symptoms worse for some women and men.
Yes, boys and girls of all ages, gay and straight can get chlamydia.
Chlamydia does not automatically make a person infertile but having chlamydia may lead to damage to the
No it hasn’t! In fact in the last 10 years the rate of syphilis infection in men has increased by over 2000%!
No this is not true. Girls as well as boys can get infected with gonorrhoea but the symptoms may be more obvious in boys. It can cause a very uncomfortable, thick green discharge from the penis, and pain passing urine which develops soon after having sex.
No. Warts are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus (HPV). There are many different strains of HPV but only a few strains cause genital warts. There are other strains of HPV which have been linked to certain cancers but these are not the same as the ones causing genital warts.
Yes, cold sores are blisters caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). When the blisters form around a person’s mouth these are often called cold sores. When the blisters are found around the genital or anal area these are often called genital herpes. Either way, the blisters are caused by the same type of virus.
Whenever you have having sex you should only do what you totally feel comfortable with and happy to do. If you don’t like it, say no. Giving a boy oral sex is always your choice and if you like it or want to try it then that’s fine. Providing a boy does not have any STIs there is no harm if he cums in your mouth. However, infections like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes and syphilis can all easily be passed during oral sex. If you are concerned about infections, or just don’t like the taste of cum put a flavoured condom on your partner before you suck him off.
Yes, infections like gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes and syphilis can be passed from the penis to the mouth, or from the mouth to the penis during oral sex so using flavoured condoms will reduce the risk of this happening. Infections around the mouth like herpes (the virus which causes cold sores) can be passed to the anal or genital area of a partner during oral sex so a dental dam (which is a thin layer of latex which you put over your partners vulval or anal area before giving them oral sex) could be used.
If you and your girlfriend both feel OK about this, then it’s fine to do it. If a girl carries an infection in her blood (like HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C) then there is a possibility this infection could be passed to you during oral sex. In this case you may want to avoid giving her any oral sex when she’s on her period.
It’s a small island and many doctors and nurses bump into patients. We are not going to say anything to you, we won’t even say hello – unless you say hello to us first. Please don’t think we are being rude or ignoring you!
No, anal sex is legal in UK if both partners agree they want to do it.
Yes! This is a really old fashioned idea that has been around for years and years – and it’s still not true! The simple truth is no matter what a girl’s age or how many times she has had sex before, a pregnancy can happen if you don’t use contraception.
Yes! Again this is an old fashioned idea and it’s not true either! A pregnancy can happen even when a girl is on her period so always use contraception or condoms and don’t forget about emergency contraception (the ‘morning-after’ pill) if you have unprotected sex.
In theory you can use emergency contraception pills as many times as you need to use them. However, in practice it is much better to use a regular contraceptive pill (either the combined pill or the mini-pill) as these are more likely to prevent a pregnancy. The emergency pill works well if taken as soon as possible after sex but it can be used any time up to 72 hours after sex.
The pill doesn’t make a girl fat, but it can stimulate the appetite and makes you feel more hungry which in turn can make you eat more. If you find this is happening keeping a food and exercise diary help you monitor your activity and help you look for areas in your lifestyle where you need to make adjustments. Talk to your doctor or family planning nurse about changing to another brand of pill or a different method of contraception if you feel your weight is increasing or your shape is changing on the pill.
In the short term, for young health and active women the injection will not
No, the implant has no long-term effect on your fertility.
You don’t need to start having routine cervical screening (this is the correct name for the ‘smear test’) until you are 25 years old.
First thing is a pregnancy test. These can be done free at the Sexual Health Service (SHS) or at your local GPs. Other services may offer free testing. You can buy a pregnancy test over the counter in all pharmacies or most supermarkets and if you are not sure how to use it the pharmacist can give you advice or even do the test for you. If the test is negative it may be useful to repeat it three or four days later if you period still doesn’t come. If the result is positive you can discuss your pregnancy options with a nurse or doctor at the SHS, or with your family doctor or practice nurse.
No, termination of pregnancy will not make you infertile but if you catch an STI your fertility is at risk. The Pregnancy Advisory Service on the Isle of Wight offers all women a test for chlamydia and free treatment if an infection is found.
Terminations are available free on the NHS here on the Isle of Wight.
Yes, there are two types of pregnancy termination available here on the Isle of Wight, both ‘medical’ and ‘surgical’ types. The medical type involves taking a drug to block the pregnancy hormones in your body, followed by another drug two days later to make the pregnancy come out of your body. The surgical type involves an operation in hospital which removes the pregnancy. If you are thinking about an abortion the specialist nurses in the Pregnancy Advisory Service will talk through the two types in more detail and help you decide which is best for you.
You have two choices, continue the pregnancy and keep the baby will you, or continue the pregnancy and offer the baby for adoption. Both choices are available and the specialist nurses will help you decide the best option. If you are not sure you can still decide once the baby is born or including changing your mind.
No, all visits to the clinic are strictly confidential, whatever you want to talk to us about.
No, your school nurse will not know unless you choose to tell her.
All GPs are bound by the same requirement to keep your personal medical information confidential. You can always ask to see another doctor in the surgery, or to see the practice nurse to discuss contraception. When you see the person let them know you are concerned about your confidentiality and I’m sure they will be able to reassure you.
All the medical, nursing and administration staff in the SHS are signed-up to confidentiality and won’t say a thing about seeing you in the clinic. If you prefer not to come to the clinic you could see your GP or practice nurse to confidentially discuss any aspect of your sexual health. Also there are some school nurses and nurses in services for young people who are specially trained in sexual health seeing one of them is another option you have. If you are worried, phone the SHS and speak to a nurse over the phone. We may be able to reassure you, or advise you on when you could go for advice.
