If you do not know yours or a partner’s sexual health status then it is recommended to

• Use condoms to prevent the transmission of infection during penetrative sex and when engaging in oral sex with a man. Use Dams when engaging in oral sex with a woman
• Use a method of contraception to prevent an unintended pregnancy

• Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea,  takes 10 days from the risk of exposure to the  infection, before giving accurate test results
• HIV, takes 4 weeks from exposure before accurate test result (if you have concerns it is best to do a test asap and repeat it after 4 weeks)
• Syphilis, takes up to 12 weeks from exposure before accurate test results (if you have concerns it is best to do a test asap and repeat it after 12 weeks)

If you are really concerned that you are at high risk of getting the HIV infection by-

• Having unprotected sex with someone who is known to be HIV positive or someone who has a high chance of having HIV
• having unprotected sex with a drug injecting user
• having unprotected sex with someone from a country where it is more common, for example- sub Saharan Africa
• you have been raped by an unknown person
• you are a health worker and have had a needlestick injury

You may be recommended to take PEP- Post Exposure Prophylaxis within 72 hours of the risk ( this means taking medication immediately after a risk to stop transmission of an infection) – see separate information in this section with regards to this

You can get emergency contraception to prevent a pregnancy, you need to seek emergency contraception within 5 days of the incident.

A pregnancy will become positive 3 weeks after any unprotected sex that results in a pregnancy.