Prostitution is often called ''the oldest profession''. Given that effective contraception is a rela

Prostitution is often called 'the oldest profession'. Given that effective contraception is a relatively recent development, were prostitutes constantly pregnant in the past?

Hugh, London

• Nope. 'Bad' girls have always known how to look after themselves. Barrier methods were always very popular. A halved, emptied lemon skin placed over the cervix worked well, for example, as did sponges soaked in natural spermicides such as vinegar. Women constantly pass on contraceptive knowledge to each other, a crucial practice in the past when it could be a matter of life and death. As we Northern girls say, if t'men 'ad t'babies, they'd stop at one!

  Carla, Crewe UK

• On Richard Long's point: the "hot bath and bottle of gin" was once a reliable method - Victorian gin used to have a toxin in it that provoked abortion. Modern gin doesn't have the same side effect.

  Tess , London

• Casanova is reputed to have used sheaths made out of dead animal bits, and I'm sure he wasn't the only one. Also, nomadic Arabs used to insert pebbles into the wombs of their female camels to preven them from becoming pregnant, which worked just as the modern coil does. Presumably someone worked out that what worked for camels might also work for women ... ?

  Mary, Glasgow Scotland