--- title: How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries description: A history of contraception, in all its many forms canonical: https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-23T16:28:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:02:36.278Z article:section: Health og:title: How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries og:description: Watch a brief history of contraception — in all its many forms og:url: https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0b4014f5a7be1bc/6987788606f2c179903333eb/birth-control-pills-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2151 og:image:height: 1210 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Birth Control Pills og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries twitter:description: Watch a brief history of contraception — in all its many forms twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0b4014f5a7be1bc/6987788606f2c179903333eb/birth-control-pills-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=6f8ef3f8-5634-429f-bb2f-ff8a7badc7c8&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The History of Birth Control [Watch (HLS stream): The History of Birth Control](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4oCau3Jn.m3u8) (3:12)  _Published 2015-01-22. For as long as men and women have been having children, they’ve been trying to figure out how not to. Artifacts dating back to ancient times have shown that contraceptives have been used for thousands of years._ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) and [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) Jan 23, 2015 4:28 PM UTC by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) and [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) Jan 23, 2015 4:28 PM UTC Birth control may still be a hot button issue today [in some countries](http://www.ibtimes.com/pope-francis-rabbits-contraception-controversy-poverty-caused-economic-injustice-not-1789762), but men and women have been using contraceptives for thousands of years, albeit with varied results. In ancient China, a popular remedy involved drinking a cocktail of lead and mercury. In ancient Egypt, a paste made out of honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung was a popular form of contraception. However, not all historic forms of contraception were based on superstition. A prototype of the cervical cap has been in use since the 18th century, and cave drawings in France appear to show a version of a condom. For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries women in the U.S. had a hard time getting their hands on effective contraception. Due to anti-obscenity laws, doctors were not allowed to spread information about birth control. To compensate for the lack of official methods, household products like Lysol and Coca-Cola were often used, as they were believed to kill sperm. In 1960 modern birth control was born, when the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive pill for women. Within 5 years, millions of American women had prescriptions for the pill. Today, 99% of women of child-bearing age say they have used some form of birth control. However, universal access to birth control still does not exist worldwide. Some 220 million women from developing countries [say](http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Family-Planning) they want to use birth control but don’t have access. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] For as long as men and women have been having children, they've been trying to figure out how not to. Artifacts dating back to ancient times have shown that contraceptives have been used for thousands of years. Unsurprisingly, not every method was all that effective. In ancient China, concubines would drink a cocktail of lead and mercury. Unfortunately, the side effects included sterility, brain damage. Kidney failure and death. Ancient Egyptian women would mix honey, sodium carbonate, and crocodile dung into a thick paste they would insert into themselves before having sex. In Greece in the year 200 a gynecologist named Soranus. Advised women to hold their breathe during intercourse and sneeze afterward. [ SNEEZE ] And in the Middle Ages in Europe, women believed tying weasel testicles to their thighs or around their necks during sex would prevent pregnancy. Huh? But it wasn't all a shot in the dark. Many modern forms of contraception have roots in the ancient past. For example, ancient cave drawings found in France appear to show an early version of the condom and a prototype of the cervical cap has been used since Casanova's days. In his memoirs written in the 18th century he describes using partially squeezed lemon halves to do the trick. [ MUSIC ] The modern history of not having babies begins in the mid 1800's. When vulcanized rubber was patented and condoms could be mass produced. [ MUSIC ] Yet for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries women had a hard time getting their hands on effective contraception. Contraception. Anti- obscenity laws in the US restricted anyone, including doctors, from spreading information about it. But that didn't stop women from trying to prevent pregnancy. Many women would use household products, such as Lysol or Coca- Cola, which they believed would kill sperm. [ MUSIC ] Advertisements for Lysol even endorsed the product as a way for women to protect their married happiness. All of that changed in 1960 when the FDA approved an oral contraceptive pill thanks to the tireless efforts of activist Margaret Sanger. And a team of doctors. Within five years millions of American women had prescriptions for the pill. In the following decades other forms of reliable contraception appeared, including IUD's. Safe and effective birth control still isn't a universal privilege. A 2013 report found that 222 million women from developing countries around the world. Said they wanted to use birth control but didn't have access to it. But in the US, a whopping 99 % of women of child bearing age say that they've used some form of contraception. No crocodile dung required. 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