Make an Appointment

SHFPACT is now open for clinical and counselling services from Monday 10 January 2022.

Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPACT) continues to provide consultations for a range of sexual and reproductive health needs. With the announcement of changing public health restrictions in the ACT, if you have not already had your appointment confirmed, please telephone Reception. All new appointment bookings will be confirmed after a telephone call.

Most clients will receive a text message to confirm their appointment. SHFPACT may have to cancel appointments at short notice due to the impact of COVID-19 exposure on our staff numbers, and we apologise for the inconvenience this may cause clients.

Consultations that do not require an examination or procedure will generally be provided by telehealth. If in doubt, please contact Reception directly to confirm the best appointment type for you.

To make an appointment in 2022, please contact us or call 02 6247 3077. Our staff will assist you to make an appointment with our doctors/nurses, or refer you to other clinicians as appropriate.

The Menopause Centre is here for you.

menopause appointments

Find out how menopause may affect your life and what The Canberra Menopause Centre can do for you.

Based at SHFPACT, The Canberra Menopause Centre is a dedicated service for those seeking information, support and medical management of menopause symptoms. Menopause is the stage of life when periods cease. This occurs when the ovaries are no longer producing eggs, and is a natural life event. Menopause has three stages: perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.

An image-based illustration tile of four different women holding signs that says. Quick. Easy. Private. Life-Saving. on a blue and orange background.

Easy, Quick, Private, Life Saving! You can now do a Self-Collected Cervical Screening test!

The new Self-Collected Cervical Screening Tests now make it easier, quicker, and more private. This is how it works and why you should get tested. It could save your life!

WHAT IS THE CERVICAL SCREENING TEST?

The Cervical Screening Test is a simple test that is one of the best ways we have to prevent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is preventable with regular cervical screening because pre-cancerous changes can be found and easily treated so that cancer does not develop.

Responding to COVID19

COVID19 UPDATE MAY 2022

SHFPACT is open for face-to-face/in-person consultations with our doctors and nurses, and for counselling services. If you are at high risk for COVID-19 you can request a telehealth consultation.

Some of our services maybe affected by staff shortages due to COVID-19. Thank you for your patience and understanding with this.

Including Intersex

Released to mark Intersex Day of Awareness 2021, Including Intersex: responding to issues affecting the educational experiences of intersex students in Australia is a new resource filling a gap in information and guidance about the needs and experiences of intersex people specifically for the school and education setting.

Supporting students affirming gender at school

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE

The Good Practice Guide for 'Supporting students affirming gender at school' has been launched by the ACT Safe and Inclusive Schools Initiative The Guide deals specifically with the ways school communities can be proactive in gender-inclusive practice, and support students who are transgender and gender diverse (TGD) when they decide they wish to share or express their gender identity at school.

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

Good Practice Guide

Health Information Brochures

Do you need some information about Sexual Health that you can trust?

SHFPACT has a large range of health information brochures covering STI’s, Contraception, Women's Health, Men's Health, Menopause and more.

PrEP and how to get it?

Are you thinking about taking PrEP and would like to know more?

PrEP or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis is a prescription medication which is a combination of two different HIV drugs that is taken once daily by HIV negative people to prevent them from becoming infected with HIV. It must be started 7 days before exposure and continued for 28 days after exposure. PrEP can sometimes also be taken on-demand at the time of sex -this is not suitable for everyone and you would need to discuss this with your doctor.

Unplanned Pregnancy

Unplanned pregnancy is common and it is estimated that approximately 200,000 unplanned pregnancies occur in Australia every year.

There are three choices available when you have an unplanned pregnancy:

Continue the pregnancy and parent.
Continue the pregnancy and place the child for adoption.
Have an abortion.

Protecting yourself

Protecting yourself and your sexual partners from STIs is important and easy.

On this page you'll find all the info about Sexually Transmissible Infections ( STIs). The best way to protect yourself from STIs is still with a condom and if you are sexually active having a regular sexual health check-up is a vital part of staying health and in control of your sexual health.

SoSAFE! Training

Become a SoSAFE! Registered User.

SoSAFE! is a set of visual and conceptual tools designed to promote social safety for people with an Intellectual Disability (moderate to severe range) and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

SoSAFE! tools encourage social safety through the provision of a simplified and rule-governed model of social reality that teaches the type and degree of verbal and physical intimacy appropriate with different categories of people.

Enjoying Sex Safely

Safe sex is sexy. Sex is meant to feel good and be fun, but it can be risky if not treated with respect.

When entering into sexual relations with someone, the first thing you should do is talk about it and make sure you seek consent. Always ask someone before you start touching them or engaging in intercourse. This article talks about: safe sex, consent, decision making, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, emergency contraception, and where to go if you need advice or help.

Woman with Menopause walking on the beach

‘It changed who I felt I was.’

Women tell of devastation at early menopause diagnosis. Around 10% of women – including many who believe they have the prospect having children ahead of them – are suddenly told they are at the end of their fertile life, and at greater risk of diseases normally associated with middle age.

The fog of menopause

As menopause approaches, a lot of women experience fogginess and forgetfulness. Researchers in Australia are now investigating why.

Nearly two-thirds of women experience brain fog as a symptom of menopause. It may involve difficulty remembering words or names, struggling to concentrate, or the common scenario of walking into a room for a particular reason but then completely forgetting what that reason was.