5 craziest contraceptive methods of our ancestors | For women

Wives, unmarried girls, or prostitutes who had been weakened by numerous births secretly reached for various contraceptive methods to relieve their bodies, prevent shame or a life of poverty and hardship. What was used most often and when? We probably won’t use these funds as an example today…

The contraception of our ancestors was of course natural and mostly barrier or based on spermicides. One of the more readily available tips, especially in the areas of India, Egypt and more southerly coastal states, was the use of lemon. Records of this method date back to antiquity. Women put a halved lemon in their vagina, it served as a barrier contraceptive, and its acidity reliably killed sperm. Similarly, a sea sponge was used, ideally impregnated with vinegar or oil or lemon juice. Our great-great-grandmothers also used these means.

5 craziest contraceptive methods

Author: istock.com

It would be more difficult to find crocodile dung in our country, but in ancient Egypt women apparently stepped on it at every step. Such dried crocodile dung was a safe bet: it was ground up with wet clay or honey, and this paste was rubbed deep into the vagina. Elephant dung could serve quite well in India, and grated deer antlers elsewhere. It didn’t seem to bother the men, and a reliable contraceptive that prevented sperm from reaching the right places was guaranteed. After all, honey itself was also used as a contraceptive, which, thanks to its sticky consistency, slowed down and stuck sperm so much that they simply gave up. Honey could be freely mixed with olive oil or cocoa butter, and these suppositories were inserted into the vagina before intercourse. Wax or cloth impregnated with acacia juice served well for this purpose.

5 craziest contraceptive methods

Author: istock.com

One of the medieval methods was smoking the vagina with various herbs with strong, often hallucinogenic or otherwise toxic effects. For this, the right incantations were indispensable. However, these means were often used only after intercourse to subsequently induce menstruation, or even abortion. Women were also helped by amulets of all kinds, conception was said to be prevented by a scapular with children’s teeth, animal dung, bones or dried anus of animals. Spitting into a frog’s mouth three times or jumping backwards seven times after intercourse was said to work as contraception. In addition to smoking, they also practiced washing the vagina with cow’s urine or water from sharply cooled blacksmith’s tongs, which in turn was related to chemistry – it provided an environment that killed sperm. For example, one of the famous incantations was this: “You who conceived without sinning, let me sin without conceiving.”

5 craziest contraceptive methods

Author: istock.com

In addition to barrier contraception and various pessaries, as well as the predecessors of intrauterine devices (for example, in ancient times, they were ivory coils used as an intrauterine device), women helped themselves with various irritants that had the task of killing sperm. In the 19th century, douching with chemicals or sprinkling the uterus with various powders, which were applied to the vagina with blowing balloons, became popular. However, these powders were very irritating and disturbed the natural environment. They then caused numerous and unpleasant vaginal inflammations. Among the irritants were, for example, cocoa butter suppositories containing quinine or other irritants. Rubber pessaries filled with chemicals, which were inserted into the vagina for a longer period of time and were supposed to remain in place, for example, from the end of one period to the beginning of the next, also caused extensive infections of the parents.

5 craziest contraceptive methods

Author: istock.com

And we are talking about male contraception, which also has its own development and started to become a necessity at the time of the development of syphilis. It is known that sheep casings or fish bladders served well for this purpose, but primitive fabric condoms that were tied with a string to keep them in place are also known. The rubber came later. According to Casanova, condoms came to be called “English riding cloaks”. But the original condoms were not thrown away, they were used repeatedly. Sheep casings were always soaked in warm milk before use to soften them, the first rubber condoms were then washed after each use, covered with backfill to prevent them from sticking together, and dried on special racks made for this purpose.