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Sexual health

Sexual health advice and information to help individuals have happy and safe sexual relationships, including advice and provision of all forms of contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The situation in Leicester

Leicester is a young city and like many cities has a has a high fertility rate, a high rate of teenage pregnancy and higher abortion rate than the national average. In addition Leicester has a high rate of people living with HIV.

What services can I access?

Your GP

Your GP can provide advice, information, most forms of contraception and some STI testing.

Haymarket health

The Integrated Sexual Health Service (ISHS) is a free and confidential NHS service that provides services and support for:

  • Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and treatment services
  • Free pregnancy testing
  • Contraception and emergency contraception
  • HIV, PEP and PRE
  • Psychosexual counselling sexual violence
  • Domiciliary services.

Leicester’s main sexual health clinic has now moved from St. Peter’s Health Centre to Haymarket Health. This is located in the Haymarket Shopping Centre, 1st Floor (opposite Primark). For opening hours and information about the clinic, please visit the integrated sexual health service website for more information.

There is also a clinic in Loughborough and other clinic sites across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, for more information visit the clinic and service finder webpage.

Types of contraception

Contraception includes:

  • Emergency contraception
  • Short term contraception such as pills
  • Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), for example Intrauterine Devices and Systems (IUD/S and Sub Dermal Implants (SDI)
  • Testing for all forms of STIs including HIV.

Emergency contraception

If you’ve had unprotected sex and do not want to get pregnant, you can prevent this further by either:

  • Having a coil inserted into the womb which will prevent pregnancies. This can be done up to five days after unprotected sex and can be left in to prevent pregnancies. This is done by a doctor at the ISHS or you GP
  • Take the morning after pill up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. It is more effective the sooner you take it (available via your GP, The ISHS or a pharmacy, free for under 25s in some pharmacies).

You can access emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) from your GP or from your Sexual Health and Contraception Clinics. If you’re aged 25 or under, you can access EHC from participating pharmacies free of charge. You can find your nearest participating pharmacy using the clinic finder on the Leicester Sexual Health website.

Pregnancy

If you have had a positive pregnancy test you should contact your GP as soon as possible to start your antenatal care or call the Community Midwives on 0116 258 4834.

If you have had a positive pregnancy test and you do not want to be pregnant, act quickly so that you will have the greatest number of options open to you.

For help, advice and support:

  • Contact your GP
  • Contact Choices (for under-25s living in Leicester)
  • Contact SHACC (Sexual Health & Contraception Clinic, Leicester)

HIV services

HIV is a virus most commonly caught by having unprotected sex or by sharing infected needles to inject drugs. It is important to regularly test for HIV, as part of your regular health care routine. The earlier HIV is diagnosed, the quicker you can start treatment and can mean a better and longer life. Treatment is now much simpler than previously and can mean that HIV is not passed onto others.

You can get your free and confidential results in less than 30 minutes and the test is 99.96 per cent accurate. There are plenty of places locally to get tested, it’s simple, free quick and confidential.

Where can I get a HIV test?

You can get a finger-prick HIV test from the following locations in Leicester:

For other locations, please visit the Integrated Sexual Health Service website for more information.

If you have had unprotected sex or a condom failure within the past three days, when having sex with someone who is or may be HIV positive, you can take some medication that may prevent the HIV virus taking hold in your body. This must be taken within 72 hours.

To access this medication, call the Integrated Sexual Health Service on 0800 318 908 or 0300 124 0102. This service is available Monday to Friday between 9am and 7pm. On a Saturday, please call 0116 295 1212 between 10am and 4pm.

Outside these hours, you should go to the accident and emergency department at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Want more help and advice?

There is more information available about sexual health, including advice on talking about sex, STIs, penis health, fertility and gay health on NHS Livewell.