A History of Birth Control

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Through most of history pregnancy and childbirth were a very dangerous undertaking for women. In medieval Europe 1 in 3 women died in their child-bearing years and 1 in 4 children did not live to see their first birthday. Even when both mother and child survived the ordeal of birth women were not always able to provide for a child. And in most cultures pregnancy outside of wedlock was considered a great sin and often resulted in the shunning of the woman and child while the man often got away Scott-free. It is no surprise therefore that women throughout history have been trying a wide variety of methods to prevent conception. Some worked but most did not and many were dangerous and frankly disgusting. It should go without saying, don’t try any of these historic birth control methods at home.

Sources:
https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality-in-the-past
https://mashable.com/2015/06/07/early-birth-control/
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.britannica.com