Contraception - An Ancient Interest, A Controversial Practice, Evolution Of The Condom, Modern Times, The Pill And Its Offspring
remains methods contraceptive
Efforts to prevent pregnancy have been attempted since ancient times and in many cultures. Contraception methods ranged from the use of tampons treated with herbal spermicide by the Egyptians in 1550 B.C. to the use of animal membrane condoms in the eighteenth century. The introduction of the oral contraceptive pill in 1960 launched a new era, making contraception easier and more effective than earlier methods. However, sterilization remains the method used most frequently.
In the United States, about 64% of women between 15 and 44 years of age used contraception in 1995, a total of about 60 million. Worldwide, contraceptive use increased 10-fold from 1963 to 1993. However, contraception remains controversial, with some religious and political groups opposed to the distribution of contraceptives.
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A survey of early contraceptive methods reflects an odd combination of human knowledge and ignorance. Some methods sound absurd, such as the suggestion by the ancient Greek Dioscorides that wearing of cat testicles or asparagus would inhibit contraception. Yet some early methods used techniques still practiced today. Aristotle was one of many ancient Greeks to write about contraception. He advised…
Respectable physicians advocated contraceptive methods in ancient Greek and Roman society. However, by the Middle Ages, contraception had become controversial, in large part due to opposition by the Church. Early Christians were not outspoken about contraception. The first clear statement about sin and contraception was made in the fifth century by Saint Augustine who, with others, wrote that cont…
Prior to the modern era, many of the most effective contraceptives evolved, rather than appearing suddenly as the result of an invention. The development and evolution of the condom is an example of a device that was present for hundreds of years, changing in function and manufacture to fit the times and needs of its users. Contemporary condoms are used widely for contraception and to prevent the …
For centuries, limited knowledge of women's physiology slowed the development of effective contraceptives. There was no understanding of the accurate relationship between menstruation and ovulation until the early twentieth century. Yet contraceptive developers did make progress in the nineteenth century. One major area was in updating the vaginal pessary. The rubber diaphragm and the rubbe…
The development of oral contraceptives has been credited with helping to launch the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Whether oral contraceptives, also known as "the pill," should take credit for broadening sexual activity or not, their development changed the contraceptive world dramatically. In 1988, oral contraceptives were the
Variety of contraceptive methods. Photograph by Mi…
Sterilization, the surgical alteration of a male or female to prevent them from bearing children, is a popular option. While sterilization can be reversed in some cases, it is not always possible, and should be considered permanent. In 1995, 38.6% of all contraceptive users aged 15 to 44 used sterilization, a slight decrease from the 1988 rate of 39%, which was an increase from 34% in 1982. Among …
Birth control policies and practices are controversial in the developed and the developing worlds. In developed countries, such as the United States, contraceptive methods fail frequently. Many of the types of contraceptives used commonly by Americans have well-documented rates of failure. One measure of the number of unwanted pregnancies is the rate of abortion, the surgical termination of pregna…
The high cost in time and money of developing new contraceptive methods in the United States creates a barrier to the creation of new methods. In the early 1990s, a new contraceptive device could take as long as 17 years and up to $70 million to develop. Yet new methods of contraception are being explored. One device in clinical trials is a biodegradable progestin implant which would last from 12 …
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