Title:
The Roots of Contraception
Summary
This article summarizes different
events that triggered women into
preventing pregnancy with the use
Summary
of several birth control methods, all
depending from their time period,
race, religion, beliefs, and so on.
Summary
From rituals, myths, amulets and
dances, birth control has been
practiced for many years.
Keywords
birth control
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Even before, women have already used
birth control to avoid pregnancy
especially if she had children.
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Pregnancy is considered as a dangerous
business for women even before the
advent of modern medicine, and many
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women have died because of this
occurrence. Most of the birth control
methods that were developed were done
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so with trial and error, and some of
the secrets were quietly passed down
through generations.
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The earliest forms of birth control
were rituals, use of amulets, dances,
and myths. By the 2nd century, Greek
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gynecologist Soranus already knew that
women became fertile every ovulation
period, and thus promoted the rhythm
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method. Unfortunately, he was wrong on
his assumption that ovulation period
happens during menstruation, rather
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than prior to it. Soranus also
recommended several, less scientific
ways to prevent conception: holding
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one's breath while drawing the body
back during sexual intercourse to
avoid sperm penetration in the uterus;
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sperm dislodging by jumping backwards
seven times after intercourse; and
sitting on bent knees in order to
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provoke sneezing. Also, 1st century
prostitutes are said to have grounded
their pelvises just to increase their
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partner's pleasure, with the
assumption that these movements
simultaneously divert the sperm away
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from the womb.
To prevent conception, ancient Roman
women wore a leather pouch containing
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a cat's liver on their left foot
during intercourse. Another ritual was
the spitting in the frog's mouth three
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times to prevent conception. Other
European women were advised to turn a
grain mill's wheel backwards four
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times at midnight. While others sought
the idea that if they inserted a
finger inside the vagina and swished
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it around after intercourse, this
could dislodge and confuse the sperm.
Around the same time frame, women in
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other parts of the world wore birth
control necklaces or carried amulets
in order to avoid pregnancy.
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However, in cultures where the moon is
believed to be responsible for
fertilizing crops, women sleep under
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the moonlight just to prevent
moonbeams from impregnating them. In a
similar situation, Papuan Islanders
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worries about their homosexual males
getting pregnant. To ensure that this
does not happen, they held ceremonies
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during which they fed themselves limes
to prevent conception. A much reliable
way used during ancient times was
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continuous breastfeeding that can
prevent ovulation until the child
turns three years old. When talking
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about abstinence, some women in
Catholic Europe during the Middle Ages
opted for a life in the church. This
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decision was encouraged partly because
the vocation meant money which was
then turned into an inheritance over
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time.
Another known method of birth control
would be the use of oral
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contraceptives. These were already
available 4,000 years ago, and some
women in ancient China drank mercury
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just to prevent pregnancy. After this,
women in India used carrot seeds,
while an aboriginal group in Eastern
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Canada drank brewed tea from beaver
testicles. These are just a few
examples of how women prevent
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pregnancy long before birth control
pills were invented.