Medically reviewed by Sophia Yen, MD, MPH – Written by Pandia Health Editorial Team
Birth Control: A History
Although the birth control pill and other hormonal contraceptive devices are modern inventions, birth control has been around for thousands of years. The earliest known recordings of birth control methods date back to ancient Mesopotamia, around 1850 BC. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all had various forms of birth control. Thankfully, today’s women have a chance to take advantage of safer, more reliable contraceptives. The following article will explore the history of birth control, and how the pill has changed women’s lives.
What were the earliest forms of birth control?
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.
In the Kahun Gynecological Papyrus from 1850, pessaries of acacia gum as a contraceptive are described. Extended breastfeeding for up to three years was also used as a form of birth control in Ancient Egypt. Perhaps one of the most famous ancient forms of birth control was the silphium plant, native to North Africa. This plant was used as a contraceptive and was incredibly popular in ancient Greece and Rome. The plant could only be grown in a small area of what is now modern-day Libya. Over-cultivation of the plant led to its eventual extinction.
In ancient Greece, many plants were used as a form of birth control, including asafoetida, a close cousin of the extinct silphium. Queen Anne’s Lace was another popular contraceptive plant, and in some parts of India, it is still used for birth control today.
The withdrawal or pull-out method was also used by ancient peoples to avoid fertilization. Modern historians believe that most ancient forms of birth control were ineffective, except for the pull-out method. Even today, the pull-out method has an effectiveness rate of 78% if used correctly and consistently.
Were ancient forms of birth control dangerous?
Yes, many ancient forms of birth control would have been quite toxic and potentially dangerous, not to mention ineffective. However, pregnancy and childbirth alone killed millions of women in antiquity as they didn’t have today’s modern medical interventions, so it is understandable why many women took on the risks that came with ancient birth control. In ancient Greece, women were advised to drink copper salt dissolved in water as a way to prevent pregnancy for up to one year. Copper salt is toxic.
What superstitions and wives tales surrounded birth control before the modern
In the middle ages in Europe, the Catholic Church deemed birth control immoral. Despite the Catholic Church’s teachings on birth control, women would still use the pull-out method and experiment with inserting different herbs and plants into the vagina to block sperm. That didn’t stop unintended pregnancies, however. In some cases, families would sometimes resort to infanticide. During the middle ages, women also took certain herbal concoctions to induce a miscarriage. Papal bulls and other religious edicts were issued from the Catholic Church, condemning women who performed abortions and administered contraceptives as witches.
Barrier methods, such as condoms, have been around since at least the Renaissance. However, they were primarily used to prevent STIs, not pregnancy. Their invention was necessitated by outbreaks of syphilis across western Europe. Condoms were not used for pregnancy prevention until the early 1600s.
In the early 1800s, the U.S. had one of the highest birth rates in the world. The average woman in the U.S. in 1800 had given birth to 8 children. By the late 1800s, the average woman had given birth to 3 children. At this time, many religious and political organizations issued many warnings against the moral and physical dangers of family planning. But despite these warnings, women continued to implement family planning methods.
In the 1840s, many state legislatures banned the sale and use of contraceptives. By 1873, the federal government prohibited contraceptives. In 1888, abortion was outlawed. These laws were part of the Comstock Act. Before the mid-1800s, contraceptives and abortion were legally accessed across the fledgling country, though not all methods were effective or even safe.
Before chemical and hormonal contraceptives were invented, people in the U.S. used a combination of the withdrawal method, and also vaginal suppositories and pessaries which blocked sperm from entering the cervix. Antiseptic spermicides and douching solutions were used. After the mid-1800s, condoms became more popular as a means to prevent both pregnancy and STIs. New manufacturing techniques and a decrease in the price of rubber attributed to their increased popularity in the Victorian era. Contraceptive products were marketed as “feminine hygiene” products, or “Mother’s friend,” “female wash, female tonics, and female remedies.”
Abortions were also used in the 1800s in the U.S. They were considered legal until the time of what was called the “quickening”, when a woman could feel the fetus moving. From 1830 to 1860, abortion rates steadily rose, to an estimated one in five pregnancies. Women used drugs to induce miscarriage. Physicians and other trained practitioners would perform surgical abortions. At the time, white, middle-class Protestant women were the most likely to access abortions.
As the Victorian era came to a close, birth rates continued to decline as women became more educated about birth control methods. Industrialization also made birth control devices more affordable than ever before.
The Modern Birth Control Movement
In 1909, the first intrauterine devices made out of silkworm guts were introduced and further developed throughout the 1920s in Europe. In the U.S., the banning of information surrounding safe sex and contraception made it dangerous for doctors and other advocates of women’s reproductive health to distribute information and birth control products.
Margaret Sanger popularized the term “birth control” around 1914. She opened the first birth control clinic in 1916, but it was shut down nine days later because it violated the Comstock Act and its associated laws. Sanger was arrested and put on trial. The coverage of the trial helped to spark the birth control movement in the U.S. Donors and other people associated with the feminist movement supported Sanger and funded her future endeavors in the arena of reproductive health. In 1921, Sanger went on to found the first birth control league in the U.S.
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The work of Margaret Sanger and other prominent feminists and doctors helped to promote birth control and the idea of separating sex from procreation. Although it was still a divisive topic, birth control found its way into the mainstream. From the 1920s to the 1950s, U.S. attitudes toward birth control changed dramatically. The concept of birth control began to raise questions about personal freedom, liberal and conservative values, government intervention, religion and politics, and ideas regarding sexual morality and social welfare.
When was the pill invented?
In the 1950s, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Gregory Pincus, and John Rock created the first birth control pills. The pills did not become widely available until the 1960s. In the mid-1960s, the landmark Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut overturned the ban on contraceptives for married couples. In 1972, the right to contraceptives was extended to unmarried couples.
With the restrictions on contraceptives lifted, many scientific and medical advances in the arena of fertility, family planning, and birth control came to be more readily available. Now, women have access to not just the pill, but also highly effective and safe intrauterine devices, patches, rings, and emergency contraceptives.
How has the pill changed women’s lives?
The pill and widespread access to a range of safe and effective methods of birth control have revolutionized women’s lives. Women and society at large experience an untold number of benefits when women have greater control over when to have children and how many to have, thanks largely to the benefits of the pill.
Birth control has advanced women’s economic opportunities and empowerment.
Access to birth control has been the top economic driver for women over the last 85 years. Research indicates that one-third of the wage gains that women have made since the 1960s is the direct result of their access to the birth control pill. Children, whether they are planned or unplanned, cost money. When women are not able to decide when to have children, they miss out on work and experience a significant decrease in lifetime earnings.
The pill has empowered women to achieve higher levels of education than ever before.
Achieving higher levels of education directly correlates with higher levels of lifetime earnings. Women who can delay their childbearing years have more opportunities to pursue their studies, with more time to obtain degrees and certifications. Having access to the pill before turning 21 is the biggest driving factor in enabling women to stay in college if they are already enrolled. College enrollment in 1970 was 20% higher among women who could access the pill than women who could not. College dropout rates are also lower for women with access to the pill than those without.
Choosing when to have children leads to better health outcomes for both mother and baby.
When women can space out their pregnancies, they experience better pregnancy outcomes and lower the risk of giving birth to low birth weight or premature babies. Family planning programs are also associated with a significant decrease in the child poverty rate as well as the poverty rate of adults.
Birth control has come a long way from herbal pessaries and copper saltwater. Accessing safe and effective birth control pills has never been easier.
Birth control today
Today, modern birth control methods are a lot safer. We’ve come a long way since using honey, acacia leaves, and lint!
People with uteruses not only have safer birth control in the twenty-first century, but they have a greater range of options to choose from. That means more autonomy over their body and sexual and reproductive health and the freedom to choose the right method of birth control for them.
If you’re ready to start taking the pill or want to explore your options, get started with Pandia Health today! Birth control is free with most insurance plans or available for as low as $15 a month without. We provide expert advice from expert birth control doctors, written prescriptions, and birth control delivered for free directly to your door. One payment of $25 each year gets you to access to our expert doctors for 354 days (available in these states). Contact us to embrace modern birth control today!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article intend to inform and induce conversation. They are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Pandia Health, and are for informational purposes only, even if and to the extent that this article features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.
FAQs
What is the history behind birth control? ›
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.
What did Egyptians use for birth control? ›Ancient Egypt
The Ebers Papyrus from 1550 BC and the Kahun Papyrus from 1850 BC have within them some of the earliest documented descriptions of birth control, the use of honey, acacia leaves and lint to be placed in the vagina to block sperm.
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.
How did birth control change history? ›They enhanced women's opportunities to control childbearing and their careers, allowed them to choose contraception and plan fertility independently of their partner or spouse, increased female human capital accumulation, labour market options and earnings.
What did people use before condoms? ›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.
How was pregnancy prevented in ancient times? ›All across the world, ancient civilizations used heavy metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic to prevent pregnancy. Ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Chinese women would drink liquid mercury, liquid lead, or arsenic — or a combination of these — to prevent conception.
How did the Romans prevent pregnancy? ›There were many ways Roman women could either prevent conception or terminate pregnancy. Some of these contraceptives or abortifacients were herbal remedies that were consumed as a drink, like silphium or pennyroyal, made into a mixture and used as a pessary, like honey, oil, and lead.
How did courtesans prevent pregnancy? ›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.
Do lemon tops prevent pregnancy? ›The citric acid in lemons acts as a natural spermicide. The lemon rind itself (with pulp and juice removed) could also be inserted into the vagina and used as a cervical cap.
What did early condoms look like? ›In Japan and China, condoms were in use before the 15th century. In the former, condoms were made of tortoiseshell and, later, thin leather. In China they were made out of oiled paper or lamb intestines. They didn't differ much from condoms in 18th-century Europe, which were made out of linen or animal intestine.
Did Victorians use condoms? ›
The late 18th century saw the establishment of two shops in London devoted entirely to the sale of condoms. Made out of sheep guts, these condoms were carefully soaked for a couple of hours before use, to make them pliable and easy to put on.
Did Native Americans have birth control? ›The Shoshone and Navajo tribes used stoneseed, also known as Columbia Puccoon (Lithospermum ruderale) as an oral contraceptive, long before the pharmaceutical industry developed birth control pills.
How did birth control affect women's rights? ›The pill made it finally possible for American women to separate sexuality and childbearing. Masters and Johnson, a pioneering research team in the field of human sexuality, challenged entrenched beliefs that women did not enjoy sex and were merely passive partners.
When was the first birth control? ›The Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive in 1960. Within 2 years of its initial distribution, 1.2 million American women were using the birth control pill, or the "pill," as it is popularly known.
What was birth control like in the 1920s? ›In the 1920s, German-born physician and scientist Ernst Graefenberg developed a silver intrauterine device that women could insert into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
How effective is the pull out? ›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.
Why are condoms behind glass? ›Community pharmacies may place condoms in locked displays or behind glass, thereby reducing access and consequent use.
Did Egyptians use condoms? ›Colorful Condoms Weren't Just All Fun and Games
The Ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to use a sheath-like contraceptive that more closely resembled the modern condom. Linen sheaths were used specifically to prevent tropical diseases like bilharzia.
Animal-intestine condoms have existed since “at least medieval times,” Bullough writes. Other scholars assert that the condom dates back even further, to tenth-century Persia. It was not until the sixteenth century that doctors began suggesting that patients use condoms to prevent diseases.
Is lemon a spermicide? ›One of these characteristics was acidity (pH). Pure lemon juice had the lowest pH (pH = 1), which resulted in immediate and profound spermicidal action.
How were abortions done in medieval times? ›
Many of the methods employed in early cultures were non-surgical. Physical activities such as strenuous labor, climbing, paddling, weightlifting, or diving were a common technique. Others included the use of irritant leaves, fasting, bloodletting, pouring hot water onto the abdomen, and lying on a heated coconut shell.
What was birth control before the pill? ›Methods included the douche (also known as a female preparation), vaginal suppositories, teas, and oral physiks that could serve as either contraceptives or abortifacients.
Is lime used to prevent pregnancy? ›Menstrogen first, then lime and potash, can be used to prevent unwanted pregnancy. I have used this combination and it works (FGD, 22 years old year three student). For some respondents, what worked best was a combination of emergency contraceptive pills with non-emergency contraceptive pills.
What plants are used for birth control? ›Queen Anne's lace is also known as wild carrot seed is used as birth control, and traces its roots back to India. The seeds are taken for seven days after unprotected intercourse during the fertile period to help prevent fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus.
When was the pull out method invented? ›Perhaps the oldest description of the use of the withdrawal method to avoid pregnancy is the story of Onan in the Torah and the Bible. This text is believed to have been written down over 2,500 years ago.
Is Papaya a natural birth control? ›CLAIM: Papaya and ginger are natural birth control options, among other foods and herbs. AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. Women's health experts say there is no legitimacy to those claims.
What is crocodile dung? ›Crocodile dung is alkaline to a degree similar to contemporary spermicides, that is, it chemically neutralizes the sperm when it enters the vagina. The paste presumably would dilute the dung to a non-infectuous level. Elephant dung was later used as a contraceptive in India.
Can Aloe Vera be used as contraceptive? ›Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found certain chemicals found in plants such as dandelions and aloe vera can prevent sperm from meeting an egg.
What are condoms called in the UK? ›Rubber. This is an informal way of saying condom on the US – so a rubber is a contraceptive. We just call them condoms in the UK. And we use rubbers to remove pencil marks from paper. That's an eraser.
Who invented glow in the dark condoms? ›A group of three bright students from the Isaac Newton Academy in London, Daanyaal Ali, 14, Muaz Nawaz, 13 and Chirag Shah, 14, have invented a condom that glows in the presence of certain sexually transmitted infections. With a restraint unbefitting their age bracket, they've called their invention the S.T.
Who invented birth control? ›
Margaret Sanger initiated the research and development of the first birth control pill. Margaret always had the idea in her head of a “magic pill” women could use for contraception and sought to make it a reality.
What part of the lamb is used for condoms? ›The word “lambskin” is misleading as these condoms aren't actually made from true lambskin. They're made from lamb cecum, which is the pouch located at the beginning of a lamb's large intestine. Condoms made from the bladders and intestines of lambs and other animals have been around for thousands of years.
What did they use for condoms in the 1700s? ›18th-century condoms were available in a variety of qualities and sizes, made from either linen treated with chemicals, or "skin" (bladder or intestine softened by treatment with sulphur and lye). They were sold at pubs, barbershops, chemist shops, open-air markets, and at the theatre throughout Europe and Russia.
What are French letters birth control? ›Before the advent of the pill many, varied contraceptive options already existed: from French letters or rubber sheaths (condoms, used by men), to pessaries, contraceptive sponges and douches (used by women).
How did Native Americans take care of babies? ›Early Years. For the first two or three years after birth, the child was nursed by the mother. The baby was kept close to its mother or carried and never left alone. The mother usually carried on with her chores with the child wrapped in a sling on her back called a papoose.
How did Native Americans give birth? ›In general, Indian women likely gave birth without much assistance at all. A midwife would at times attend the birth, along with other female family members from the tribe. In very simplistic style, the baby would be birthed directly onto the leaves below the mother who used upright posturing for birth.
Did Native Americans invent baby bottles? ›Baby Bottles
It wouldn't be considered sanitary – or safe – by today's standards, but long before settlers made their way to American lands, the Iroquois, Seneca and others created bottles to aid in feeding infants. The invention consisted of the insides of a bear and a bird's quill.
Despite social and legal opposition, at the end of the 19th century the condom was the Western world's most popular birth control method. Two surveys conducted in New York in 1890 and 1900 found that 45% of the women surveyed were using condoms to prevent pregnancy.
What was birth control before the pill? ›The Oldest Methods
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. "Womb veils," a 19th-century phrase for diaphragms cervical caps, and condoms, often made from linen or fish intestines, have been in use for centuries.
Starved for female companionship, the saloon girl would sing for the men, dance with them, and talk to them – inducing them to remain in the bar, buying drinks and patronizing the games.
What did Victorians use as contraception? ›
The best way to avoid pregnancy in the Victorian, going into the Edwardian era, was abstinence. Couples avoided sexual activity because what little they had heard about contraception seemed like an impractical thing to do.
Did Egyptians use condoms? ›Colorful Condoms Weren't Just All Fun and Games
The Ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to use a sheath-like contraceptive that more closely resembled the modern condom. Linen sheaths were used specifically to prevent tropical diseases like bilharzia.
Community pharmacies may place condoms in locked displays or behind glass, thereby reducing access and consequent use.
Why are condoms called condoms? ›In popular tradition, the invention and naming of the condom came to be attributed to an associate of England's King Charles II, one "Dr. Condom" or "Earl of Condom".
Does vinegar and water prevent pregnancy? ›Vinegar does not work as a contraceptive. But it “causes an imbalance in the natural bacterial balance in the vagina, which increases vaginal infections,” said Dr. Yasser Joha, a gynaecologist in Damascus. Many women wash or douche with soap and water after sex in an attempt to prevent pregnancy.
How effective is pulling out? ›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.
Is lime used to prevent pregnancy? ›Menstrogen first, then lime and potash, can be used to prevent unwanted pregnancy. I have used this combination and it works (FGD, 22 years old year three student). For some respondents, what worked best was a combination of emergency contraceptive pills with non-emergency contraceptive pills.
What was hygiene like in the Wild West? ›What Was Hygiene Like In The Wild West? - YouTube
What are saloon girls called? ›Saloon Girls Had A Variety Of Nicknames
Some people called the women "ceiling experts," "soiled doves," or "horizontal employees." And because these women tended to wear eye-catching makeup, they might also be called "painted ladies." Saloon employees were also known as "ladies of the line" or "sporting women."
Condoms made from animal intestines—usually those of sheep, calves, or goats—remained the main style through the mid-1800s. Used for both pregnancy- and disease-prevention, these condoms stayed in place with a ribbon that men tied around the bases of their penises.
What did pioneers use for birth control? ›
Withdrawal — the act of pulling out before ejaculation — was the most accessible form of birth control in the 1800s, since it didn't cost a thing. It can be highly effective if used correctly, and it was in fact effective for some people at that time.
How did Victorians know their pregnant? ›Nineteenth Century
Scientists did not know enough about pregnancy to develop a reliable test. However, for sexually active women, the best method for diagnosing pregnancy remained careful observation of their own physical signs and symptoms (such as morning sickness).