Pregnancy Options

If you have taken a pregnancy test and the result is positive, you have 3 choices:

• Continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby;
• End the pregnancy by having an abortion
• Continue with the pregnancy and place the baby for adoption;

Choosing whether or not to continue with a pregnancy is a really big decision and you might find it helps to talk it through, it's important to do this as soon as possible. You could talk it through with a parent or other family member, a close friend or partner who cares about you, a health professional at a sexual health clinic or your GP. 

1) Continuing with the pregnancy

If you are pregnant and intend to continue with the pregnancy, it is important that you start to get the right advice and care as soon as possible (e.g. you shouldn't have any immunisations once you are pregnant, and one of the things you should do is to start taking a folic acid supplement as soon as you can). You can do this by contacting your GP who will refer you to your local Maternity Hospital, or by contacting ‘Direct to Midwife' on 0800 121 4400. Midwives provide care for women and their babies throughout pregnancy, during birth and up to 28 days afterwards.

A health visitor will then take over from the midwife. The health visitor is a nurse, who will be available to support you until the child is 5 years old. Find out more here

2) Abortion

Abortion means deliberately ending a pregnancy so that you don't have a baby. Abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy, but most abortions are carried out before the 12th week.

If you live in Manchester you can call Central Booking on 0845 365 0565, they will be able to tell you the first free appointment at each of the clinics. You will be able to choose which appointment you want.

Local contraception and sexual health clinics can also provide information, advice and make referrals for abortions.

3) Adoption

The third option is to continue with the pregnancy and then place the baby for adoption. Adoption is a formal process which transfers all legal rights and responsibilities from the birth to the adoptive parents. Following the birth the baby will be taken into foster care for a short period until the adoption is approved and the baby can be placed with the adoptive parents.

The following people will be able to give you more information and support you if this is the decision you take.

• Doctor or midwife
• Hospital social worker. The maternity unit looking after you will be able to put you in contact.
• Adoption social worker.