The one thing you don’t want to forget this summer

All our clinics and the client contact centre are closed on:

• From 2pm on 24 December
• 25 December
• 26 December
• 1 January
• 2 January

Aside from these days, many of our clinics are open during the holiday period. But some will have different opening hours to normal. Please find a clinic near you and check the clinic page for their holiday hours. You can also book, change, or cancel your appointment online when you need. 

There are lots of other places that can offer help with emergency contraception and contraception advice – keep reading for more information.  

If you need urgent help — you’re in pain, or unwell — you can: 

• Go to your nearest afterhours medical centre 
• Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 

If you have questions about contraception, you can: 

• Call Healthline on 0800 611 116 
• Go to a local pharmacy or medical centre for advice 
• Check out the contraception advice on this website 
• If your questions aren’t urgent, make an appointment with us 

Emergency contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. 

There are two types of emergency contraception available in Aotearoa:  

• The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP)
• The copper IUD (intrauterine device) 

Check out our emergency contraception page for more information about how emergency contraception works, and when you might need to use it. If you need emergency contraception this holiday season, you can: 

• Make a phone appointment with one of our nurses — they can send an emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) prescription to a pharmacy near to you
• Make an appointment to have a copper IUD inserted 
• Visit a pharmacy and ask for an ECP — this can often be more expensive than getting a prescription
• Go to an afterhours medical centre and ask for an ECP

Find an afterhours centre or pharmacy near you on healthpoint. 

If you want very cheap or free condoms:

• Pick up free condoms from one of our clinics when they’re open
• Make a phone appointment with one of our nurses — they can send a condom prescription to a pharmacy near to you  

Or you can buy condoms from:  

• Supermarkets
• Pharmacies
• Petrol stations
• Dairies  

If you take the combined oral contraceptive pill, check out these instructions on what to do if you miss your pill. If you take the progestogen-only pill, check out these instructions on what to do if you miss your pill.  
 
Holiday hack: Use your phone to take a photo of your pill packet so you can show it to a nurse, doctor or pharmacist if you need to. 

Holiday hack: Keep some spare pills in your phone cover or a wallet you carry with you in case you go away for a few days and forget your pill packet.

If you’ve had unprotected sex, check out our unprotected sex page on what to do next. Because STIs don’t take a holiday, it’s a good idea to get tested!

If you’re worried you might have an STI but don’t have symptoms, you should get an STI test. Because some STIs don’t show up on tests straight away, it can be helpful to wait after having unprotected sex before taking a test.

It’s a good idea to wait two weeks before getting a test – this is how long it takes for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis to show up on a test. Some STIs take longer to show up on a test – like HIV and syphilis. If you’re not sure when to test, book a phone appointment or in-person appointment with us – we can help. 

Holiday hack: Set a reminder for 14 January to do an STI test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, just in case you need it. 

If you have STI symptoms, you should make an appointment to see a nurse or doctor in person. You can go to one of our clinics, or see your usual doctor or medical centre, or a sexual health clinic.

Find a clinic near you on healthpoint. 
 
If you have symptoms of an STI, don’t have sex with anyone – so you don’t risk making them unwell. If you do have sex, make sure you use condoms or oral dams. 

It’s important to know how drugs can affect your body, mind, and your experience of sex – read more on TheLevel.

And if you choose to combine drugs with sex, keep it fun and stay safe by:

• Setting ground rules when you’re sober around what you do/don’t want.
• Knowing the ground rules of your partner(s). Make an agreement beforehand (when you’re sober) about your boundaries.
• Checking in with your partner(s) during sex. Don’t assume that consent is implied.
• Using condoms and lube. You may be more likely to forget to use a condom when under the influence, so have one handy in your pocket or somewhere you won’t miss it.
• Avoiding mixing drugs with any other drugs (including alcohol). This tool from Tripsit can show you what combinations are riskier.

Thanks to our friends from TheLevel for their permission to reproduce this content – read the full article. 

Make an appointment with us to get your next injection as soon as possible. Don’t stress – if you get your injection by 14 weeks after your last injection, you’ll still be protected against pregnancy.