Before the birth control movement, which was closely tied to the feminist movement, women relied on homemade oral contraceptives made from herbs, spices, or even heavy metals; homemade barrier methods made from animal guts; and various other sperm-blocking ingredients that were placed directly in or on the genitals to ...
The Oldest Methods
Around 1850 B.C. Egyptian women mixed acacia leaves with honey or used animal dung to make vaginal suppositories to prevent pregnancy. The Greeks in the 4th century B.C. used natural ointments made with olive and cedar oil as spermicides. A popular Roman writer advocated abstinence.
But in 1924, the year Season 5 begins, condoms were the most commonly prescribed method of birth control for men while women used pessaries – rudimentary rubber molds which would later evolve into cervical caps or the slightly larger barrier devices known as diaphragms.
The Ancient Romans used the bladders of animals to protect the woman; they were worn not to prevent pregnancy but to prevent contraction of venereal diseases. Charles Goodyear, the inventor, utilized vulcanization, the process of transforming rubber into malleable structures, to produce latex condoms.
And in the 18th century, Casanova fashioned a cervical cap from half a pulped lemon (perhaps to avoid responsibility for child support), and the combination of blockage and acidity made this a fairly effective method. On second thought, you might prefer an oral contraceptive.
Condoms have been with us for thousands of years, but the original condoms probably weren't all that good for safe sex. Though tortoiseshell, animal intestine and linen have all been used to make them, it was Charles Goodyear's discovery of vulcanised rubber in 1839 that brought condoms to the masses.
In the TV series Downton Abbey, Anna Bates, lady's maid to Lady Mary Crawley, buys a 1920s contraceptive sponge for her mistress.
The earliest forms of birth control, as well as abortion, were found in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as far back as 1850 BC. Papyrus scrolls were found to contain directions on how to make birth control, using honey, acacia leaves, and also lint as a form of cervical cap to prevent sperm from entering the womb.
Spermicide
A far cry away from modern spermicides of today that use the chemical nonoxynol-9 as the active ingredient, the medieval equivalent recommended mixtures made from pulped plants, leaves, and even animal dung.
Erramatti Mangamma currently holds the record for being the oldest living mother who gave birth at the age of 73 through in-vitro fertilisation via caesarean section in the city of Hyderabad, India.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
It is believed that Dawn Brooke, who is now 69, was the oldest woman to give birth without fertility treatment. A US woman who had a daughter in 1965 when she was aged 57 was previously believed to have held the record.
But there was also an active nineteenth-century market for birth control devices, including vaginal suppositories or pessaries (which physically blocked the cervix), syringes sold with acidic solutions for douching, and antiseptic spermicides.
Coitus interruptus, or withdrawal of the penis before ejaculation, is one of the oldest methods, and, though it is not reliable, it is still widely practiced. Documents surviving from ancient Egypt record various methods for averting conception.
What we do know is that withdrawal works about 78% of the time overall. But the odds of pregnancy are always higher during the 5 days leading up to, and during, ovulation — these are called fertile days. If no semen gets on your vulva or in your vagina, pregnancy can't happen — whether or not you're ovulating.
In medieval western Europe, any efforts to halt or prevent pregnancy were deemed immoral by the Catholic Church. Women of the time still used a number of birth control measures such as coitus interruptus, inserting lily root and rue into the vagina, and infanticide after birth.
Advice included placing honey, acacia leaves and lint in the vagina to block sperm, or putting a mix of pulverized crocodile dung and various bodily fluids on the vulva that would, apparently, prevent pregnancy for up to three years. Ancient Egyptian drawings also show the use of condoms.
One popular method for blocking sperm involved sponges—like, actual sea sponges. Sears and Roebuck advertised a popular one as a regular old household sponge, but it was called a “ladies fine cup shaped sponge with netting," and had a string for easy removal.
Tests on the remains of Princess Diana suggested she was not pregnant at the time of her death, a forensic scientist involved in the inquiry into her death has revealed. However, the scientists also found that she was not taking the contraceptive pill.
This gold wishbone stem pessary is an intracervical device. It was devised in Germany around 1880. They came into use as a contraceptive towards the end of the 1800s. The flat end of the stem pessary sat against the vaginal wall with a stem protruding into the uterus through the cervix.
Lemons. It's said that the lovers of the famous lothario Giacomo Casanova used lemon rinds as a natural cervical cap. This was back in the 1700s when contraceptive options were scarce.
Recap. Some women say that they avoid condoms because they don't believe they are at risk of STIs. Others claim that condoms are uncomfortable, ruin sexual spontaneity, reduce sensitivity, or suggest a person is promiscuous.
Some men feel condoms are “unnatural” while women don't always want the artificial version of sexual pleasure. Even though most condoms contain a lubricant, they are described as snug and dry. Millennials don't want the fake lovemaking, they want the skin-to-skin contact and are willing to take the risk.
The use of condoms has a long history. About 3,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians used linen sheaths to protect against disease. Around the 1700s condoms were made from animal intestines. This one from the 1990s was made in the United States from New Zealand sheep intestines.