THE importance of sexual and reproductive health has been highlighted in East Lancashire as part of a nationwide campaign.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Contraception and Sexual Heath (CaSH) service has flagged up the importance of good sexual health as part of this year’s Sexual Health Awareness Week which ends on Sunday.

The national campaign is led by the Family Planning Association and this year’s theme focuses on emergency contraception and wider contraception methods.

The trust said that the week aimed to dispel some myths around the use of emergency contraception, after a survey revealed that 29 per cent of sexually active women aged between 16 and 54 years have had unprotected sex in the last two years and not used emergency contraception.

Sue Capstick, clinical business manager for the CaSH team at the trust, said: “The week is a great way of getting the right messages across to people so they can make informed, responsible decisions and practice safe sex.

“There are many myths out there around emergency contraception, what it is and when it can be used and it is important that women are aware of the facts around using emergency contraception and don’t feel embarrassed about asking for it.

“It was also a great way to get people talking about contraception and good sexual health, raising awareness of the various methods of contraception that can be used to prevent unwanted pregnancies and also reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.”

The CaSH team hold regular contraception clinics for anyone wanting to find out more information and discuss what would be right for them.

For more details contact the team on 01772 401140 or visit www.cashlancashirecare,nhs.uk.