Both of these methods can prevent you getting pregnant if you've had unprotected sex. There are two kinds of pills that work by preventing or delaying ovulation. Levonelle needs to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, while ellaOne can be taken up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex. The alternative is a coil, or intrauterine device (IUD), that can be inserted in your womb up to 5 days after unprotected sex. It works by preventing the fertilisation or implanting of an egg in your womb. Either pills or a coil can be used right after sex. Bear in mind, that no method is 100% effective

The combined contraceptive pill has actually been shown to reduce your risk of ovarian cancer by as much as half. However, your risk of other cancers may be slightly increased. Research suggests the Pill may somewhat increase your risk of breast and cervical cancer. It is known that the longer you take the Pill, the more likely you are to get cervical cancer. However, 10 years after stopping the Pill a woman's risk of cervical or breast cancer returns to normal levels.

According to doctors, you have not reached the menopause until you go 12 months in a row without a period. Until you hit that milestone, it's still possible for you to get pregnant. To be safe, you should wait for one year after your last period to stop contraception if you're over 50.

Be aware that if you're on the progesterone-only pill, it may be normal for you to have occasional periods, or none at all. That makes it harder to know if you've reached the menopause or not, so seek medical advice.

In this case, doubling up on contraception won't help. Never use a male and female condom at the same time as this will actually increase your risk of pregnancy. It's because the friction created between the two can cause slipping or tearing.

So called 'coitus interruptus' may be the oldest contraceptive method on earth, but it doesn't have a good record when it comes to preventing pregnancy. This method is definitely risky and research shows it can be anywhere between 73% - 96% effective – worse odds than other types of contraception. The method also depends heavily on the male being able to pull out in time, but even then, sperm in pre-ejaculation fluid is capable of fertilising an egg, even if the man doesn't ejaculate.

Using condoms is the only way to lower your chance of getting infections like gonorrhoea, genital herpes and HIV if you have sex with an infected partner. Use condoms during oral sex too to protect yourself from infection. Also avoid sharing sex toys.  

Sperm can survive up to a week inside a woman's body. It’s actually possible to get pregnant if you've had sex just before you ovulate, as sperm may be alive long enough in the fallopian tubes to fertilise the released egg. The egg lives from 12 – 24 hours and must be fertilised during that time to result in pregnancy.

Breastfeeding can delay the return of your period after having a baby, but it’s by no means a foolproof method of contraception. Breastfeeding often and regularly as contraception is known as lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM) but it's only effective:

• If the baby is under 6 months old
• You are exclusively breastfeeding on demand day and night
• Your periods haven’t started again

The problem with the latter is that you will ovulate before your first period appears, so you run the risk of getting pregnant at that time.