Contraception clinics offer free and confidential advice and information about contraception and sexual health.
You can get details of your nearest contraception clinic (sometimes called family planning clinics) using the sexual health services near you postcode search.
You can also find details from the phone book, your GP, local hospital, health authority or from the FPA website.
Contraception clinics can be used by women, men and young people, including those who are under 16 years of age. Most health authorities also have specific services for young people.
You can go directly to a contraception clinic yourself (this is sometimes called 'referring yourself' or 'self referral'), or you can be referred by your GP or another health worker. However, you may need to book an appointment to see a healthcare professional at a contraception clinic. You can ring the clinic first to find out. Many contraception clinics also have walk-in clinics, where you can turn up on the day and wait for an appointment.
Healthcare services provided by contraception clinics
Contraception clinics offer a range of services and can provide:
- confidential advice about contraception
- the combined oral contraceptive pill
- the progestogen-only pill
- progestogen contraceptive injections
- insertion or removal of the contraceptive implant
- limited supplies of free condoms
- free emergency contraception
- confidential advice about STIs
- cervical screening
- unplanned pregnancy advice
- free pregnancy tests
- pre-conception (pre-pregnancy) advice and fertility awareness information
- fitting and checking of caps, diaphragms, IUDs (intrauterine devices, or coils) and IUSs (intrauterine systems, or hormonal coils)
Some contraception clinics may also offer specialist services including:
- counselling for incest, rape and sexual abuse
- vasectomy (male sterilisation) counselling and procedures
- pre-abortion and post-abortion counselling and referral
- menopause clinics
- female sterilisation counselling and referral
- 'well woman' screening, including cervical screening (smear) tests
