Contraception

Contraception Choices

Greenway Community Practice provides a wide range of contraceptive choices including pills, injections, implants and coils (both with or without hormones).

Please make an appointment with your GP to discuss your options.

Once you have made a decision, if you need a further procedure to start your method our team will arrange for you to be booked in for it here.

Coils and Implants

These are usually fitted on Saturdays or in the evening, but we sometimes offer 11.40am weekday appointments if we have the capacity. 

There are lots of options for coils, both hormonal and non-hormonal. Information on both are below:

• Intrauterine system (IUS)
• Intrauterine device (IUD)

If you choose to have a coil fitted, there is some important information for you to be aware of before your fitting.

Coil fitting

• The commonest reason for not being able to fit a coil is if there is any possibility that you may be pregnant.
• To exclude pregnancy you MUST fall into ONE of the following groups:
• You have not had sexual intercourse since your last period; OR
• You are currently using a consistent and reliable method of contraception - this does NOT include condoms but DOES include the pill or injection; OR
• You are within seven days of the first day of your last period.

In addition

• If you are attending for a coil change, please ensure that you have not had unprotected sexual intercourse in the preceding 7 days.
• If you are attending for a first coil fit and you are not on a consistent and reliable method of contraception (as above), please ensure you have not had unprotected sex for the preceding 21 days.

The appointment will last 30 minutes. Please bring a urine sample with you to this appointment. If, for any reason, you are unable to make the appointment, please ring as early as possible to let us know. Please note that due to the high demand for appointments in this clinic, if you fail to attend your appointment, we may not be able to offer another appointment at Greenway Community Practice.

Coil Duration of use & Mirena Coil New Guidance

The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health has recently changed the guidelines on how long the Mirena Coil can be used as a contraceptive.

If you have had the Mirena fitted under the age of 45 and are using it for contraception only (and not as a component of HRT), you can now use it for 8 years. 

If you have had the Mirena fitted over the age of 45 and are using it for contraception only (and not as a component of HRT) the guidance has not changed - it can be left in until age 55.

Information on the contraceptive implant is below:

• Contraceptive implant

Our nurses can administer the contraceptive injection:

• The contraceptive injection 

We also prescribe lots of different kinds of hormonal contraception (eg. pills, patches and the vaginal ring), depending on what is the right choice for you after your consultation with your GP:

• Your contraception guide

Emergency Contraception

If you are worried that you may need Emergency Contraception, please call to ask for an urgent, same day appointment to speak to one of our doctors. You can say it is for an urgent personal reason if you are not comfortable explaining the reason to our Care Navigator Team.

You can also contact Unity Sexual Health or a Community Pharmacist for advice on this.

There is a link in the leaflet below that you can follow to find your nearest sexual health clinic or pharmacy:

• Emergency contraception (morning after pill, IUD)

Sexual Health Screening

We offer testing for all common STIs. You can ask to be tested without having any symptoms – this is known as a ‘screening test’, as some STIs do not cause obvious symptoms. If you would like to do a screening test you can pick up a testing kit from reception.

Some STIs will be tested for using swabs in women, and urine in men:

• Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea
• We also test blood, for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis