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Unprotected sex is any sort of sex where protection isn’t used. It is often used to mean having penetrative vaginal or anal sex without a condom or when a method of contraception or barrier method has failed (for example, a split condom or a missed pill).
Having unprotected sex can put you at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or unplanned pregnancy, so it’s important to take action soon after it happens to keep yourself and your partner safe.
Don’t panic. Your local sexual health service or doctor will be able to help you!
If you have the ability to become pregnant (but don’t want to be): you have up to 5 days after unprotected sex to take an emergency contraceptive pill or get an IUD (intrauterine- device) fitted. The sooner you access emergency contraception, the more effective it is, so don’t wait longer than necessary.
For everyone: you should consider taking an STI test. Getting tested for STIs regularly is the best way to protect yourself against them and, if you have one, you should treat it as soon as possible to avoid health complications and prevent it being passed on to anyone else. It’s best to wait at least two weeks after unprotected sex before getting tested as it can take that long for STIs to show up on an STI test.
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