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.
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.
condoms (external and internal) made of animal bladders, linen, silk, or plants. spermicides made of acacia, honey, rock salt, or crocodile dung. sponges made of moss, grass, or bamboo. vaginal douches or sponges soaked in oil, vinegar, lemon juice, or cedar oil — substances believed to slow or weaken sperm.
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.
Abstinence. The most effective contraceptive, if stuck to continuously, was abstinence. This simply means not having sex at all. It was promoted quite a lot throughout the 1800s, and many married women did follow it.
Honey and acacia
Records dating back to 1850 BC show us that some of the most popular ancient Egyptian birth control methods included the use of honey, acacia fruit, and acacia leaves as natural spermicides. Women would mix honey and acacia fruit and soak lint or cotton in the mixture.
The earliest method of contraception was probably coitus interruptus. Barrier methods of contraception were later developed. The use of a goat's bladder as a female sheath was described in Roman literature and ancient Egyptian texts describe the use of vaginal pessaries.
The finger cot, also known as the finger condom, is a latex sheath designed to fit over a finger tip to approximately the base of the finger. Finger-cots are typically used to cover cuts and open wounds on fingers.
The use of protective barriers during sexual intercourse decreases the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection. The proper use of finger condoms or gloves is a way to avoid direct contact with a partner's bodily fluids and can help prevent injury and illness.
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.
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.
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. Folk remedies were also used including tying a worm to the woman or simply drinking something cold.
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.
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.
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.
1800s. In 1839, inventor Charles Goodyear discovered rubber vulcanization, the technology of which led to the creation of the first rubber condoms in 1855. Given that they were the thickness of a bicycle inner tube and had to be custom-fitted, they were more than a little cumbersome.
Summary. Using condoms the right way can help prevent pregnancy and lower the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). But certain factors can lead to condom failure, like using expired condoms, storing at the wrong temperature, or using an oil-based lubricant.
Condom availability programs (CAPs) began in the early 1990s and are one way schools can help prevent HIV, STD, and pregnancy among teens. Research has shown that CAPs in high schools do not increase sexual activity among teens and can increase condom use among sexually active students and students at high risk.
Condoms interpose a mechanical barrier between sex partners, limit physical contact, reduce tactile sensation, and attenuate heat transduction, all of which reduce sexual pleasure.
The sex people have while wearing condoms can still feel good and be intimate. Yes, wearing a condom feels different than not wearing a condom, but it's not so different that partners don't feel pleasure or orgasm.
Dental dams are very simple devices that create a barrier between a woman's genital area and her partner's mouth during oral sex. Basically, they act as a “tongue condom” that protects both partners from STIs. Dental dams are very thin sheets usually made of latex or polyurethane, and most of them have a square shape.
The male and female condoms should not be used at the same time because friction can break them, make them stick together, or make one or the other slip out of place during intercourse. If a condom breaks or slips, semen can get through, making the condom less likely to prevent pregnancy or STDs.
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.
Significance of the pill
Trials started in 1954, and the first oral contraceptive pill (Enovid) was approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration on 9 May 1960. It was released in Australia on 1 February 1961 under the name Anovlar.
Researchers first began work on a male birth control pill in the 1970s. Now, nearly half a century later, the concept is, perhaps, closer to becoming a reality than ever before. Scientists at the University of Minnesota created a contraceptive pill that was proven to be 99% effective at preventing pregnancy in mice.