Meet the pessary. It's the earliest contraceptive device for women. Pessaries are objects or concoctions inserted into the vagina to block or kill sperm. By 1850 B.C., Egyptians used pessaries made of crocodile dung, honey, and sodium carbonate.
Could ancient forms of birth control actually work?
The single most effective method of birth control known in antiquity was probably coitus interruptus. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle ( c. 384–322 BC) recommended applying cedar oil to the womb before intercourse.
Do Ancient Egyptian practice polygamy?
The word polygamy consists of two sections: polys “many” and gamos “marriage” Polygamy literally means “often married” in Late Greek. Polygamy in ancient Egypt was not common; however there was no restriction in the ancient Egyptian religion or law obliged monogamy.
Could I learn Ancient Egyptian?
You can certainly learn to read & write Ancient Egyptian - “speak” is another matter, because most of the vowels were not recorded, but then again, whom were you going to speak it with anyways? :-D
Is ancient Egyptian the same origin to modern Chinese?
There seem to have been some visits to Africa by the ancient Chinese, so at least some Egyptians probably knew at least something about China. Remember that the ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for over 5000 years, so what was known in one era of that long period may not have been known during another era. 424 views
Did Egyptians have birth control?
Birth control and abortion are well documented in 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.
What was ancient birth control?
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.
What is the most ancient form 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.
Did Egyptians use crocodile dung as a contraceptive?
Birth control pessaries made out of poo The ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians would mold crocodile dung into a block that was inserted into the vagina, acting as a birth control pessary. Crocodile feces wasn't the only excrement used as contraception.
How did Vikings prevent pregnancy?
Society expected a woman to remain faithful. Because of a lack of birth control, this was the only way to prevent the woman from having illegitimate children. However, Viking women engaged in extramarital sex. If caught cheating on her husband, the husband would cut off her hair, sell her as a slave, or kill her.
What did people use before condoms?
Lamb intestines, silk paper, animal horns, leather – it's hard to believe any of these materials were used as contraceptives prior to the condom we know now. It turns out that even in ancient history, when it came to sex, people always found a way.
How did Victorians prevent pregnancy?
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.
Can lemon stop pregnancy?
While the authors of the Krest Bitter Lemon study suggested its use as a postcoital douche, it is unlikely to be effective as no published studies have been done on the effectiveness of lemon juice preparations in preventing pregnancy, though they are advocated by some as a 'natural' spermicide (Short et al., 2004).
When was the pull out method invented?
2,500 years agoPerhaps 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.
How did they prevent pregnancy in the 1700s?
In the 1700s, the famous seducer Giacomo Casanova told of using half a lemon rind as a cervical cap. In pre-industrial America, women used homemade herbal douches to prevent pregnancy. If a pregnancy was discovered, there were elixirs women could take to induce a miscarriage.
Can honey be used to prevent pregnancy?
Mix some dried apricots with honey and water and blend it into a mixture. Consume one cup of this mixture to prevent pregnancy. It is an effective, easy and quick way to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Is honey a spermicide?
Honey is actually a natural spermicide so this makes a pretty perfect form of contraception.
What were the ancient Egyptians' methods of abortion?
Some of these methods are still in practice around the world. The ancient Egyptians practiced birth control and abortion and have a long medical history. It is one of the oldest medical practices, evidence of which dates back ...
What were the oldest documents in Egypt?
Although, the rules and traditions around the female fertility has not changed much through the ages. The Ebers Papyrus and Kahun Gynaecological papyrus are the oldest surviving documents on female fertility.
What is the oldest document on female fertility?
The Ebers Papyrus and Kahun Gynaecological papyrus are the oldest surviving documents on female fertility. According to Ebers Papyrus, an abortion could be induced with the use of a plant-fiber tampon coated with a compound that included honey and crushed dates.
Where did the first medical practice originate?
It is one of the oldest medical practices, evidence of which dates back to ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Around 1550 B.C. ancient Egypt Abortion techniques used by Egyptian pharaohs were documented in the ancient Ebers Papyrus. The Ebers Papyrus is one of the oldest surviving document on medical practice. It was purchased by Georg Ebers in mid ...
Who bought the Papyrus?
It was purchased by Georg Ebers in mid 1800s. Ebers Papyrus contain details on different diseases including the now extinct diseases. There is evidence that suggests many civilizations in history, from the Egyptians to the ancient Romans Persians and Greeks, would have practiced Abortion during their respective eras.
Where was abortion used?
Modern Approach. Abortion induced by herbs or manipulation was used as a form of birth control in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and probably earlier. It was only in the 19th century that opinion about abortion underwent a change. Modern researchers have found Acacias to be spermicidal.
Is it safe to have an abortion with herbal abortifacients?
However, they are highly toxic and not considered safe.
What were the methods of birth control used in ancient Greece?
Here are nine forms of birth control used in the ancient world, from Greece to China. 1. ACACIA AND HONEY.
What was the Egyptian method of preventing pregnancy?
5. CROCODILE EXCREMENT. Ancient Egyptian women (circa 1800 BCE) used an unusual ingredient—crocodile excrement —to prevent pregnancy. After mixing the reptile’s feces with fermented dough, women would sprinkle the concoction on their vulvas or inside their vaginas to block sperm from reaching their uteri.
Why do women put wool in the vagina?
Women also put wool soaked in the plant’s juice into their vaginas to prevent pregnancy. Silphium (also called laserwort) was valuable and important to the ancient Mediterranean trading economy, and Cyrenians put an image of a silphium seed on their currency.
Why did ancient Minoans drink Silphium?
They used this fennel-like plant to ease bloated stomachs, season their food, perfume their bodies, and prevent pregnancy. For six centuries, women drank the plant’s heart-shaped seeds as some form of juice once a month for a natural contraceptive. Women also put wool soaked in the plant’s juice into their vaginas to prevent pregnancy. Silphium (also called laserwort) was valuable and important to the ancient Mediterranean trading economy, and Cyrenians put an image of a silphium seed on their currency.
How to use Soranus's contraceptive?
POMEGRANATES. To try one of Soranus’s contraceptive methods, get your hands on a pomegranate. According to the Greek gynecologist, women should grind the inside of a fresh pomegranate peel, add water, and apply it to their vagina.
What did ancient Indian women use to make sperm?
Women used whatever ingredients were readily available to them, so ancient Indian women in the 1st century CE inserted cotton dipped in a blend of ghee (clarified butter), honey, and/or tree seeds into their vaginas. They also used rock salt as a spermicide, which sounds excruciatingly uncomfortable, but the women most likely ground the salt into small, less sharp pieces.
What did ancient Chinese women drink to reduce fertility?
4. LIQUID LEAD AND MERCURY. To reduce their fertility, ancient Chinese women (usually prostitutes or the concubines of the emperor or members of his ruling party) drank lead, mercury, and arsenic, and possibly all three mixed together.
How did Egyptian women deliver their babies?
Most ancient Egyptian women labored and delivered their babies on the �cool roof of the house or in an arbor or confinement pavilion, which was a structure of papyrus-stalk columns decorated with vines� (Parsons p. 2). In Ptolemaic times, women from the noble class gave birth in birth houses that were attached to temples. The positions that these women took when they delivered their babies were standing, kneeling, squatting, or sitting on their heels on birthing bricks, or sitting on a birthing chair. The midwife would then be positioned in front of the mother to help the delivery and catch the baby. Two other women or midwives would be placed on either side of the mother to hold her hands and arms while she was pushing and to give encouragement. Sometimes the midwife would place a dish of hot water under the birthing chair so that steam could help ease delivery. The birthing bricks that ancient Egyptian women used were 14 by 7 inches long and decorated with colorful painted scenes and figures of the birth process. Birthing chairs were made of brick and had a hole in the center. They were decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions of the owner and painted scenes of the mother, baby, and goddesses.
What did the Egyptians do for their midwives?
In Ancient Egypt the midwife came in many forms. For peasants the midwife was a friend, neighbor, and/or family member who helped deliver the baby. For noblewomen and wealthier classes the midwife was usually a maidservant or nurse who already lived in the household. Midwives at this time did not have formal training to learn their trade. Instead they learned by apprenticeships where the knowledge was passed down from family member to family member or from friend to friend. The work of the midwife included providing emotional support, encouragement, medical care, and religious help and protection to women during their lives. The areas that midwives focused on were pregnancy, labor, fertility, and contraception.
What were the birthing chairs made of?
Birthing chairs were made of brick and had a hole in the center.
What were the positions that women took when they gave birth?
The positions that these women took when they delivered their babies were standing, kneeling, squatting, or sitting on their heels on birthing bricks, or sitting on a birthing chair.
What did Egyptian midwives use for help?
Since birth and delivery could be dangerous for both the mother and child, ancient Egyptian midwives used many goddesses and gods for help and protection.
What is the magic wand used for in midwives?
Another way that midwives called on divine help and protection during labor was to �place a magic ivory crescent-shaped wand, decorated with carvings of deities, snakes, lions, and crocodiles, on the stomach of the women giving birth� (Parsons, p. 3).
Who is the dwarf god of the baby?
She took the shape of a cow. Bes was a dwarf-goddess who vanquished any evil things hovering around the mother and baby. Taweret was the pregnant hippopotamus-goddess and the chief deity of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. She carried a magic knife or the knot of Isis.
What is the history of birth control?
The history of birth control, also known as contraception and fertility control, refers to the methods or devices that have been historically used to prevent pregnancy. Planning and provision of birth control is called family planning.
Why was birth control made available in the Soviet Union?
In the Soviet Union birth control was made readily available to facilitate social equality between men and women. Alexandra Kollontai, USSR commissar for public welfare, promoted birth control education for adults. In Eastern Europe and Russia, natality fell abruptly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
What plants were used for birth control in ancient Greece?
Other plants commonly used for birth control in ancient Greece include Queen Anne's lace ( Daucus carota ), willow, date palm, pomegranate, pennyroyal, artemisia, myrrh, and rue.
What is the birth control used in the papyrus?
Other birth control methods mentioned in the papyrus include the application of gummy substances to cover the "mouth of the womb" (i.e. the cervix ), a mixture of honey and sodium carbonate applied to the inside of the vagina, and a pessary made from crocodile dung. Lactation (breast-feeding) of up to three years was also used for birth control ...
Which two methods were used to prevent the release of semen during intercourse?
China and India. In the 7th century BC, the Chinese physician Master Tung-hsuan documented both coitus reservatus and coitus obstructus, which prevents the release of semen during intercourse. However, it is not known if these methods were used primarily as birth control methods or to preserve the man's yang.
When did birth control start?
Starting in the 1930s and intensifying in the '60s and '70s, the birth control movement advocated for the legalisation of abortion and large scale education campaigns about contraception by governments.
Who was the first person to use pessaries for birth control?
In the late 9th to early 10th century, the Persian physician Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi documented coitus interruptus, preventing ejaculation and the use of pessaries to block the cervix as birth control methods. He described a number of pessaries, including elephant dung, cabbages and pitch, used alone or in combination.
What is the name of the herb that was used in medicine?
Silphium. Silphium was a member of the fennel family that grew on the shores of Cyrenaica (in present-day Libya). It was so important to the Cyrenean economy that it graced that ancient city’s coins. Silphium had a host of uses in cooking and in medicine, and Pliny the Elder recorded the herb’s use as a contraceptive.
What is the best herb to use for abortion?
Rue , a blue-green herb with feathery leaves, is grown as an ornamental plant and is favored by gardeners for its hardiness. It is rather bitter but can be used in small amounts as a flavoring ingredient in cooking. Soranus, a gynecologist from 2nd-century Greece, described its use as a potent abortifacient, and women in Latin America have traditionally eaten rue in salads as a contraceptive and drunk rue tea as emergency contraception or to induce abortion. Ingested regularly, rue decreases blood flow to the endometrium, essentially making the lining of the uterus non-nutritive to a fertilized egg.
Why do women drink Dong Quai?
Women drank a tonic brewed with dong quai roots to help regulate irregular menstruation, alleviate menstrual cramps and help the body regenerate after menstruation. Taken during early pregnancy, however, dong quai had the effect of causing uterine contractions and inducing abortion.
Why do women chew on cotton root?
Interestingly, though, women during the times of American slavery would chew on the bark of cotton root to prevent pregnancy. Cotton root bark contains substances that interfere with the corpus luteum, which is the hole left in the ovary when ovulation occurs.
Is mercury safe for pregnancy?
It was likely pretty effective at convincing a woman’s body that she wasn’t fit to carry a child, leading to miscarriage, so in that sense, it worked as a contraceptive. However, as we know today, mercury is enormously toxic, causing kidney and lung failure, as well as brain damage and death. At that point, pregnancy would probably be the least of your worries.
Can papaya seeds be used as a contraceptive?
The seeds of the papaya could actually serve as an effective male contraceptive. Papaya seeds, taken daily, could cut a man’s sperm count to zero and was safe for long-term use. Best of all, the sterility was reversible: if the man stopped taking the seeds, his sperm count would return to normal. 2. Silphium.
What is the ancient contraceptive herb?
Silphium, the ancient contraceptive herb driven to extinction. Revealing the Ramesseum Medical Papyri and Other Remarkable Finds from the Temple of Ramesses II. Sex Pottery of Peru: Moche Ceramics Shed Light on Ancient Sexuality. Tutankhamun’s condom, identified via DNA residue. ( Image: gallivantrix.com )
Where is the oldest method of contraception found?
According to some, the earliest depiction of a condom can be found on a 13000 year old cave painting in the Grotte des Combarrelles, France.
Is the pill a form of contraception?
In today’s society, there are various forms of contraceptives available on the market. Some of these, like the combined oral contraceptive pill (often referred to just as ‘the pill’), for instance, are relatively new inventions. Others, such as condoms, have a much longer history behind them. The ancients too had access to contraceptives, though some of these may seem rather bizarre to a modern observer.
Who had condoms in cave paintings?
The earliest surviving condoms come from a much later age. Some ancient Egyptian pharaohs, Tutankhamun, for instance, had condoms (which were made of cloth) as part of their grave goods.
Did the ancients have contraceptives?
Others, such as condoms, have a much longer history behind them. The ancients too had access to contraceptives, though some of these may seem rather bizarre to a modern observer. Condom with Latin manual from 1813 Lund University Historical Museum .
Is mercury a contraceptive?
As this metal causes miscarriage, it would have been effective as a contraceptive. On the other hand, mercury is extremely toxic, and its ingestion may seriously harm the internal organs, causing kidney and lung failure, damaging the brain, and ultimately causing death.
Did ancient Egyptians use contraceptives?
Pessaries. It is believed that the condoms of the ancient Egyptians did not serve a contraceptive purpose, but were used with the goal of preventing tropical diseases. Nevertheless, contraceptives did exist in ancient Egypt.
