--- description: A history of contraception, in all its many forms title: How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0b4014f5a7be1bc/6987788606f2c179903333eb/birth-control-pills-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Sex](/tag/sex/) ## Sex Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) and [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) Jan 23, 2015 4:28 PM CUT  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) and [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) Jan 23, 2015 4:28 PM CUT 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 "undefined"), 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 "undefined") they want to use birth control but don’t have access. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/"},"headline":"How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries","datePublished":"2015-01-23T16:28:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T11:41:45.117Z","description":"A history of contraception, in all its many forms","url":"https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/","keywords":["Sex","Pope Francis topic","contraception","FDA","Birth Control","birth control pill"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0b4014f5a7be1bc/6987788606f2c179903333eb/birth-control-pills-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd0b4014f5a7be1bc/6987788606f2c179903333eb/birth-control-pills-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Birth Control Pills","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Birth Control Pills","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/sex/","name":"Sex"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3680215/birth-control-history/","name":"How Birth Control Has Changed Over the Centuries"}}]}] ```