Fertility control in man: the history of contraception from antiquity to the present
Bengtsson, L.P.
Lakartidningen 74(51): 4598-4600
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-7205 PMID: 340822 Document Number: 122102
Short histories of various contraceptive methods are recounted. Prolonged lactation was a method known in antiquity. It again became a widespread contraceptive method in the 1900's, in spite of its ca. 50% effectiveness. The rhythm method was first scientifically formulated in 1930 and is the only contraceptive method sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. Primitive condoms were known as early as 1564, but it was not until the discovery of the vulcanization of rubber that the widespread production of condoms and diaphragms was feasible. Animal studies in 1916 and 1927 showed that administration of an extract from the corpus luteum prevented ovulation. It was only after estrogens and gestagens were isolated and could be synthesized that experiments were performed to determine the effect of hormones on the female reproductive cycle. The first oral contraceptives were introduced in the late 1950's. The principle of the IUD was discovered by the camel drivers in the Middle East; in the 1920's the German Graefenberg developed the principle behind the modern IUDs used in humans. The development of plastic IUDs made them widely available, and in the 1960's it was discovered that the addition of copper improved the effectiveness of the IUD.