Risk of Pregnancy after Rape or Sexual Assault
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, there is a chance you might be at risk of becoming pregnant. It is important to understand your options. If you are not on a regular kind of contraception, then you might need to think about getting emergency contraception.
There are two kind of emergency contraception:
- The emergency contraceptive pill, (sometimes called the morning after pill) can stop a pregnancy from starting. You need to take this pill within 5 days of the rape or sexual assault otherwise it won’t work. The sooner you take it the better the chance of it working. If you come to SAFE Place for a forensic medical examination and it is within 5 days, we can give you the pill here.
If you don’t want to come to SARC but are worried about pregnancy then you can get the emergency contraceptive pill from your local sexual health clinic, your GP, the walk-in centre, or out of hours GP service and some pharmacies (although you may have to pay depending on the pharmacy). - The emergency copper coil is a small plastic device placed inside the womb. It is a very good way of preventing pregnancy but does require a small medical procedure. A copper coil needs to be put in within 5 days of the rape or sexual assault or within 5 days of ovulation. We can’t fit copper coils at SARC but if you thought you might want to do this then you can contact your local sexual health clinic.
- You can call our 24-hour helpline on 0151 295 3550 if you are not sure what to do and would like to talk to someone for advice.