History Of Contraception Methods

The history of contraception is not merely a history of medical technology but also a history of the right by which women have decided for themselves the timing and spacing of pregnancy and childbirth. Contraception literally means preventing unwanted pregnancy, but medically it carries the meaning of a woman actively regulating her own body and the plan of her life. In the clinic, the curiosity of "how did people in the old days contracept?" often leads, in the end, to the question "what contraception suits me?" Following which methods were used in each era and what was safe and what was dangerous makes the value of the methods we can choose today all the clearer.

The oldest recorded contraceptive method goes back to ancient Egypt about four thousand years ago. The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus, written around 1850 BC, records a method of mixing crocodile dung with honey and plant juices, shaping it into a ball, and inserting it into the woman's vagina before intercourse. Bizarre as it looks today, there was a logic of its own here. The hardened lump made of animal excrement served as a barrier physically blocking the cervix, and the honey is presumed to have acted in part to slow the movement of sperm through its viscosity and antibacterial properties.

Next, the Ebers Papyrus of around 1550 BC features a method close to a kind of spermicidal tampon, moistening fibers like acacia leaves, honey, and downy cotton and placing them in the vagina. Interestingly, when acacia ferments lactic acid is produced, and this touches on the same principle as the acidic environment that later spermicides aimed for. Ancient contraception was used mainly among the aristocracy, and various attempts such as herb-taking, withdrawal, and folk remedies coexisted.

Among the contraceptive methods in history, not a few were of uncertain effect or even life-threatening. In some eras, methods of ingesting heavy metals like mercury or lead were used, which were dangerous attempts that brought about death by poisoning while their contraceptive effect was minimal. From a clinical perspective, this history well shows why the present practice of evaluating every contraceptive method along the two axes of "effectiveness and safety" together is important.

On the other hand, there were also relatively reasonable attempts. There is a record passed down that the 18th-century adventurer Casanova hollowed out half a lemon and fitted it over the cervix, which can be seen as a kind of primitive barrier method combining acidic juice and a physical cap. Such currents were later organized into pessaries (diaphragms), cervical caps, spermicides, post-coital douching, and the like, and were widely used until the condom and the oral contraceptive became popularized.

The roots of the condom go back to the 16th century. The Italian anatomist Gabriele Falloppio, in a work published in 1564, introduced a linen sheath soaked in medicine and recommended it for the purpose of preventing syphilis. Amid the syphilis epidemic that swept Europe at the time, the starting point of the condom lay as much in preventing sexually transmitted infection as in contraception. Later, sheaths made from the intestines of sheep and goats were used, and the word "condom" itself is confirmed in literature of the early 1700s.

The decisive turning point by which the condom established itself as a popular tool was rubber processing technology. After Charles Goodyear invented rubber vulcanization in 1844, rubber condoms began to be made from the mid-1850s. Early rubber condoms were thick, expensive items premised on reuse, but later, with mass production, they spread far more widely by the 1880s. The condom contributed not only to pregnancy but to reducing the transmission of infectious diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea, and to this day it remains almost the only method that prevents pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection at the same time.

If you are considering contraception and sexual health together, it is good to first look at the care flow at the pregnancy and contraception clinic guide.

The history of the intrauterine device (IUD) also spans more than 100 years. In 1909 Richter devised a ring-shaped device made of silkworm gut, which is counted as an early form of the IUD in the record. In the 1920s, Gräfenberg advanced it a step by clinically applying a ring-shaped device made of silver filament and publishing the results. However, devices of this period were accompanied by concern about infection risk.

The modern IUD began in earnest with the introduction of plastic material in the 1960s. Later a T-shaped design wound with copper appeared and established itself as the form of most IUDs today, and from the 1990s on, hormone-releasing devices were added. Methods that, once placed, last for several years, like the IUD and the subdermal implant, are classified as long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) presents them as options high in safety and durability. Points to know when using an IUD are covered in more detail in the article on precautions for using the Mirena IUD.

The turning point of contraceptive history is, by far, the appearance of the oral contraceptive in 1960. The American birth-control activist Margaret Sanger dreamed of "a contraceptive pill taken as easily as aspirin," and, on the basis of financial support from the patron Katharine McCormick, commissioned its development to the biologist Gregory Pincus. Its fruit, the oral contraceptive Enovid, received approval from the U.S. FDA and went on the market in 1960.

The oral contraceptive had a social impact great enough to make the lists of the great inventions of the past two thousand years chosen by scientists and notable figures. Because, as women became able to regulate the number of children, the spacing of births, and the timing of childbirth themselves under a medical prescription, the breadth of education, employment, and social participation widened. Of course, the oral contraceptive has points to consider, including the risk of clots, depending on an individual's health status, and there may be individual variation in effect and side effects. So it is important to choose the ingredient by weighing underlying factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, and migraine together.

In our country too, contraception developed beyond individual choice, in step with social currents. In 1961 the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea was launched and carried out family planning education, the distribution of contraceptive devices and pills, and survey research. This organization operated in connection with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and today it has broadened its name and role to the Planned Population Federation of Korea, broadly addressing the population and health tasks of the low-birthrate era.

As, over half a century, the central topic of Korean society shifted from "birth control" to "responding to low birthrates," the context surrounding contraception also changed. Contraception is no longer understood only as a means of preventing childbirth, but is accepted as part of active health management for preparing for pregnancy healthily at the desired time. In the same vein, situations also arise where emergency (post-coital) contraception is needed, and for the choice at that time, referring to the article on how to take emergency contraception helps.

The conclusion history teaches is clear. There is no all-purpose contraceptive method, and good contraception is the one that "suits me." When choosing a contraceptive method, it is good to weigh the following factors together.

• Duration and frequency of use: whether it is short-term, or planned to maintain for several years
• Underlying disease and lifestyle: high blood pressure, migraine, clot risk, whether you smoke
• Age and future pregnancy plan: whether you want pregnancy in the near future
• Need for infection prevention: whether prevention of sexually transmitted infection is also needed
• Cost and convenience: whether a daily-attended method suits you, or a long-acting one does

Comparing the characteristics of the main contraceptive methods briefly is as follows.

Whichever method, it is safe to consult a specialist before starting to compare pros and cons, and to check regularly during use as well. The big picture of contraceptive methods is also organized in what types of contraception are available.

The four-thousand-year history of contraception can, in the end, be summarized as "the process by which women came to regulate their own bodies more safely." The last step of that choice is always the task of finding the method that suits me. If you have questions, please inquire about a contraception consultation by chat.

Written by: Lee Dong-hee, Director · OB/GYN Specialist · View physician profile

First published April 1, 2024 · Last reviewed May 30, 2026

References: 미국산부인과학회 ACOG, Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (2017), 세계보건기구 WHO, Family Planning Contraception Methods (2023), 미국 FDA·역사 기록 Enovid 승인 (1960), Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus 연구 (기원전 1850년경)

This article is intended to provide general health information and is not a substitute for individual diagnosis or treatment. If you have symptoms, please consult through a medical visit.