Two Day Magazine

...Because Choosing When and If Benefits Us All!

I’m sure most people are aware by now that The Pill just celebrated its 50th anniversary! People of the world rejoice! Let’s look back at some fun and surprising facts about the Pill and her predecessors.

WHAT IS THE PILL?

The Pill is a form of birth control that was introduced to the public in 1960. Birth control pills are made of synthetic hormones that mimic how estrogen and progestin work in the female body. It tricks the body into believing that it is already pregnant, thereby preventing ovulation. (Meaning, no new eggs are released by a woman every month.) It is 99% effective if used correctly.

HISTORY OF CONTRACEPTION:

Besides rituals, myths and staying abstinent during certain times of the month, here are some more concrete methods used in ancient times:

In the ancient medical manuscript, the Ebers Papyus (1550 BCE) it was believed that if you ground dates, honey and acacia tree bark together into a paste and applied it with seed wool to the vulva (ooouch), you could prevent pregnancy. Since acacia ferments into lactic acid (a well known spermicide) this could have actually worked. Other options to apply to the vulva were: tobacco juice, ginger, olive oil or pomegranate pulp.

Douches have also been popular throughout history as a way to prevent pregnancy. In the 1600s, French prostitutes were fond of using syringes to douche with an acidic liquid, which was thought to work better than water.

Pessaries, aka diaphragms, have been recorded as early back as 2nd-century BCE. They utilized crocodile or elephant dung, seaweed and leaves. Other methods were placing an apricot pit in the uterus (Yikes!) or a product containing cocoa butter, tannic acid and boric acid. Sea sponges, soft wool applied with lemon juice or vinegar inserted into the vagina were also sperm barriers. Asian women often used oiled paper to “cap” the cervix, while Europeans used beeswax.

A frightening “so-called” diaphragm, invented by quite a sadistic man, was a wooden block in the shape of a doorstop. (What? How do you even get that thing up there?) This was condemned, however, in 1930, as an instrument of torture...ya think?

Despite its bad rap in the modern day, abortion has been practiced throughout the history of the world, as well. Midwives often doubled as family planning counselors, who would assist in childbirth, as well as relieving a woman of an unwanted pregnancy. Emmenagogues (which bring on menstruation) as well as abortifacients, were known as “women’s medicines” and resembled the morning after pill. In the early 1900s, these products were advertisied as “preventing irregularities” and “removing obstructions” in the menstrual cycle.

Much of the wisdom of these ancient midwives has been lost over time due to taboos brought on by strict religious and medical books written by men. In one of Aristophanes’ Ancient Greek comedies, Hermes advises the hero to “add a dose of pennyroyal” to keep his mistress out of “trouble.” Other herbs that were known to prevent or abort unwanted pregnancies include yarrow, willow leaves, and colocynth.

In 1920, a German gynecologist created the first IUD was made for humans, using silver wire and silkworm gut coiled into a ring.

THE HISTORY OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES:

Oral Contraceptives have been available for about 4000 years! Women in India consumed carrot seeds, women in ancient China drank mercury to prevent pregnancy, and an aboriginal group in Canada sipped a tea made with beaver testicles!

In Ancient Rome and Greece, the juice of a silphium plant was a very effective and popular way to prevent pregnancy, for you only had to drink it once a month. Sadly, the plant only grew in one place in Cyrene and was so popular, that it became extinct by the first century CE. In the second century CE, Soranus recommended that women drink the water blacksmiths used to cool hot metals, instead! Poisons such as arsenic, mercury and strychnine were also popular, as well as certain animal parts and urine.

HISTORY OF THE MODERN PILL:

Margaret Sanger was a lifelong advocate of women’s rights, and that included the right to birth control. During the 1930s, it was discovered that hormones prevented ovulation in rabbits. Sanger, while in her 80s, produced the research necessary to create the first human birth control pill in 1950. She was able to raise an astonishing $150,000 for the project!

Thank you, Frank B. Colton (who invented Enovid, the first oral contraceptive) and Carl Djerassi for inventing the modern birth control pill. He has lectured extensively on birth control.

After learning more about all of these old methods, some strange, some scary, some downright dangerous; all I have to say is, “Thank Goodness for The Pill!”

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE PILL:

It does not offer protection against HIV or other STIs so always remember to use condoms, use them correctly, and use them every single time!

Not all birth control pills cause weight gain. An equal number of women tend to lose weight as equally as those who gain weight while on the Pill, so its important to talk to your gyno about which pill is best for you.

Only one pill is effective for treating moderate acne, and that’s Ortho Tri-Cyclen.

There is no clinical evidence to suggest that the Pill can affect fertility. When you are ready to become pregnant, you should talk with your healthcare professional and stop taking the Pill. Most women will experience a speedy return to fertility.

Certain women can NEVER use the Pill: Women with blood clots, certain cancers, those who may be pregnant, and those with a history of heart attack or stroke. A better alternative for these women is a diaphragm, IUD, or other form of non-hormonal birth control.

The Pill has no effect on your virginity. It doesn’t cause a change in body odor, it doesn’t send out hormonal cues that you are ready to have sex or want to have sex. It will not make you more sexually active or make you promiscuous. Don’t buy the hype, learn about your body, and take control of your life!