Sexual Health at Corpus 

All of the members of the JCR Welfare Body are able to provide students with condoms and other sexual health supplies for free.

As well as just standard latex condoms we can provide:

·         Water-based lube

·         SKYN latex-free condoms

·         Dental dams

·         Pregnancy tests

·         Other sized condoms

For more information on various types of sexual health products and how to use them, you can consult the NHS Contraception Guide.

Obtaining sexual health products

Condom Box

There is a free condom box in the Post Room opposite the Pidgeon Holes where you can help yourself to condoms and pregnancy tests. The JCR Welfare Officers try to keep the box full, but if you do find it empty them please let them know so that they can refill it.

This source is highly useful on unplanned occasions. If you are in need of a regular supply of condoms, you are encouraged to contact the Welfare Officers to ensure a reliable source of provision – sometimes the dispenser can receive high levels of demand and can be prone to emptying quickly.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that we are supplying safe and effective condoms, this box is an open access source, so you are urged to check the condoms before using them to make sure that they haven’t been tampered with: kite mark, CE mark, expiry date and intact packaging!

Online

You can request sexual health supplies from any of the JCR Welfare officers by filling out this form, after which they can be delivered to your pigeon hole

Face-to-Face

Welfare Officers can be found in person at welfare events, such as ParTEAs or drop-in sessions. It’s also fine to approach us and ask in person when you see us around college – just ask us for what you need and we will arrange to get it to you ASAP!

(NOTE: though we are available to be contacted at all hours of the day in our college rooms in case of emergency, please do try to be considerate and think ahead. We’d much rather you had protected sex than unprotected sex but please don’t wake us up to get condoms – the condom depository in the Post Room is available for use in emergencies.)

Other Options

If you would rather not obtain condoms or related items from the JCR Welfare Officers, there are various other options:

Cambridge SU Office

You can collect free sexual health supplies for personal use from the Cambridge Students’ Union at the University Centre, Mill Lane. For further information, you can email reception@cambridgesu.co.uk .

The C-Card Scheme

This scheme entitles you to obtain free packs of condoms, dams and lube per visit to any of the registered outlets.
You have to sign-up to use this service at a registration point (our nearest one being Central Library), then gain a keyring with a unique ID number that you have to provide upon collection of your free condoms each time you go.
Numerous C-Card outlets near to Corpus including: Boots on Petty Cury, Superdrug on Sidney Street, The Central Library in Lion’s Yard (who knew?) and Fitzwilliam Pharmacy on T-Street.
Find out more on this website.

Emergency Contraception

Emergency Contraception can be obtained in the form of a ‘morning-after pill’ or an IUD. Depending on the type, ‘morning-after pills’ can be taken within either 3 or 5 days of having unprotected sex, but all are most effective if taken as soon as possible following the event. They are available for free from a sexual health clinic or a pharmacy, such as Boots, following a consultation. Alternatively, they can be purchased for around £25. For more information on emergency contraception, consult this part of the NHS Contraception Guide.

STIs

Sexually Transmitted Infections are infections that can be passed between people during sexual activity, including close sexual contact, and oral, anal, and vaginal intercourse. If you suspect that you may have caught an STI, it is not something that you should feel embarrassed about (you wouldn’t feel embarrassed about catching a cold!), but it is important to know where to seek treatment. Whilst not all STIs are curable, they are all treatable and can be managed – the earlier that treatment starts, the more effective it can be.

Additionally, not all STIs can present themselves with obvious symptoms, so it is useful to get regular testing if you are sexually active with new partners. 

The nearest sexual health clinic is the Lime Tree Clinic on Mill Road, which offers, among other things, STI testing, Emergency Contraception, HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and confidential support and advice. Currently, iCaSH Cambridgeshire offers a free postal express STI screening test every 12 weeks.

Information on visiting a Sexual Health Clinic can be found here.