First know what is "Contraception" is simply the effort of preventing the sperm cell from fertilizing the female egg, while the bigger picture is, staid though the term might be, 'family planning.'
Curiouser and Curiouser
First let's eliminate the stork and get our facts straight; birth control is what we are talking about. 'Birth control' is the action of deliberately preventing or reducing the chances of childbirth through any method, device or medication.'
The history of birth control began when humans discovered that sex is connected with pregnancy. The most immediate remedy was came to be known as the 'withdrawal' method, where the penis is removed from the vagina before ejaculation. However, given the hot-blooded Ferrari on a drag strip kind of self-control that most men have during sex, this method was kinda miserable at keeping the population down.
Despite popular belief, recent research has shown that pr-ejaculation seminal fluid does not contain sperm and does not cause pregnancy.
The other old favorite, the 'rhythm' method prescribes not having sex during ovulation. Unfortunately, no one knew exactly which days were safe until 1930.
Certain other methods involved a jerking motion with the intent of rerouting or dislodging the sperm. One such intrepid Greek physician called Soranus (AD 98-138) suggested that Greek women jump backward seven times after intercourse. We at MensXP wondered how much the poor gentleman's name is reflective on his mental state. Besides the fact that ancient Greeks even officially supported homosexuality as a population control tactic, there was no particular sexual practice or activity - not masturbation nor abortion nor homosexuality - that especially worried the ancient Greeks or Romans.
Past practices proved that it was more effective to simply stop the sperm cells dead in their tracks. Barriers were used to prevent the sperm from getting to the egg. Sea sponges made of soft wool soaked in vinegar or lemon juice to create a spermicide. Even half a lemon was placed inside the vagina. History records Egyptian women using a pessary (like a thingy that is inserted into the body to deliver a drug to various body openings) made of acidic substances and coated with honey or oil. Strangely, these practices held sway much before the discovery of the sperm cell. Sperm cells were only discovered when Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the late 17th century. Other substances used included oiled paper by Asian women and beeswax by European women.
The first modern pessary was developed by German gynecologist Grafenberg from gut and silver wire in 1920. In 1965, women wore polyethylene pessaries but they had to be pregnant once before they could wear one. In the 1970s, copper pessaries were in vogue.
Again, the first recorded cases of spermicide date back to 1850 BC, including the infamous crocodile dung used by Egyptian women, besides irrigating the vagina with honey and soda bicarbonate. These contraceptives killed or slowed the sperm down before reaching the egg.
An ancient Egyptian manuscript called the Ebers Papyrus dating back to 1500 BC suggests dates mixed with bark of the acacia tree and honey be mixed into a paste used. The sugary paste would ferment into lactic acid, which is medically known to be a spermicide. Lactic acid an-hydride is a chief component of modern contraceptive jellies, so the Egyptians were onto something which actually worked. Other popular options through time included olive oil, pomegranate pulp, ginger and tobacco juice.
Condoms
In the 17thcentury, the common condom first made its appearance. Initially made from animal intestine, they were nowhere as effective and popular as modern day latex. Egyptians used condoms made from fabric too, but to avoid insect bites and not for contraception.
The first 'rubber' was developed by Charles Goodyear in the 19th century. The rubber condom was developed shortly after the creation of vulcanized rubber in the 1840's, by a man named Charles Goodyear. Vulcanized means the rubber is subjected to sulfur and heat which turn the rubber into a strong elastic material. By 1930, liquid latex took over and is still used to make condoms. By the 1990's new technology has improved the quality an effectiveness of the condom enabling manufacturers to make them in different sizes, colors and even flavors, and even for women.
Pills
The history of oral contraceptives is equally bizarre as the mixtures. Many oral contraceptives contained oils, fruits, grains, and other vegetable matter. Soranus suggested drinking water that blacksmiths use to cool hot metals. Other bizarre oral contraceptives included urine and animal parts along with mercury, arsenic, or strychnine. However the last three substances are actually toxic and would disrupt the woman's reproductive system.
Abortifacients are substances that cause abortion, some effective and some not so effective.Most major abortifacients have side-effects caused as a result of trying to chemically change as basic a mechanism as human reproduction. One of the most effective and safest of abortifacients, silphium, was so popular that it was harvested to extinction in the 1st century.
Herbal contraceptives in folklore were also used, such as Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known in Ayurveda as a contraceptive. Papaya seeds are rumored to be a male contraceptive.
During the medieval period, Islamic physicians listed many birth control substances in their medical manuscripts. Avicenna listed 20 in The Canon of Medicine (1025) and Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi listed176 in his Hawi (10th century). Obviously the Western world had yet to catch up with Oriental medicine.
After World War II, the birth control pill was developed in order to control the increase in the world's population. In 1950, American biologist Gregory Pincus developed the first modern oral contraception but it was only in 1960 that the first oral contraception, Enovid-10, was launched in the US market, known to be 'safe and effective,' within two years oral contraception was used by over 1.2 million women and the numbers have been rising ever since.
Intra-uterine Devices
What IUDs do is create a mild infection in the uterus that prevents the fertilization and implantation of eggs. The first intra-uterine devices (which occupied both the vagina and the uterus) were first marketed around 1900. The first modern intra-uterine device (placed entirely in the uterus) was designed in a German publication in 1909. The Gräfenberg ring, the first IUD that was used by a significant number of women, was introduced in 1928.
Sterilization
The most recent addition to the list of contraceptives is female sterilization, which through the process of surgery the Fallopian tubes are blocked or cut. The women still ovulate but the egg never makes it through the Fallopian tubes. Itis the most widely used method of contraception today.
Injections
Injections, such as Depo-Provera, contain a hormone like progesterone which prevents the female from releasing an egg from her ovaries and also alters their cervical mucus and the lining of the uterus so as to prevent conception. Injections are considered 99% effective and last for about 3 months. However, despite the advantages, injections have long-lasting effects and fertility only returns after a period of time which may range from six months up to two years.Therefore injections should not be used if pregnancy is desired within 1-2years.
Implants
Norplant implants utilize small tubes containing progesterone, which are slowly released to prevent the descent of eggs from the ovaries. If there is no egg than thereis no pregnancy. They also cause changes in the lining of the uterus andcervical mucus. Implants work up to five years after they are removed. Fertility returns immediately on removal of the implants.
Technology has blessed the contraception industry, replacing the mythical stork with methods such as lower estrogen birth control pills; progestin-releasing intra-uterine device; vaginal contraceptive film, Advantage 24 (a bio-adhesive gel), Leah's Shield (combination diaphragm and cervical cap), spermicidal sponge; longer-acting hormonal contraceptives; the female condom; and the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) (also called the 'morning after' pill); recently the Evra trans-dermal contraceptive patch slowly releases estrogen and progesterone into the body.
Research continues to be done in similar areas of contraceptive injections, pills, nasal sprays and implants for men. However there has been little interest in them, perhaps due to the lackadaisical interest from men.
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