Birth control is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman giving birth or becoming pregnant. Methods and intentions typically termed birth control may be considered a pivotal ingredient to family planning.
Mechanisms which are intended to reduce the likelihood of the fertilization of an ovum by a spermatozoon may more specifically be referred to as contraception. Contraception differs from abortion in that the former prevents fertilization, while the latter terminates an already established pregnancy. Methods of birth control which may prevent the implantation of an embryo if fertilization occurs are medically considered to be contraception but characterized by some opponents as abortifacients.
Birth control is a controversial political and ethical issue in many cultures and religions, and although it is generally less controversial than abortion specifically, it is still opposed by many. There are various degrees of opposition, including those who oppose all forms of birth control short of sexual abstinence; those who oppose forms of birth control they deem "unnatural," while allowing natural family planning; and those who support most forms of birth control that prevent fertilization, but oppose any method of birth control which prevents a fertilized embryo from attaching to the uterus and initiating a pregnancy.
History of Birth Control
Probably the oldest methods of contraception (aside from sexual abstinence) are coitus interruptus, barrier methods, and herbal abortifacients.
Coitus interruptus (withdrawal of the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation) probably predates any other form of birth control. Once the relationship between the emission of semen into the vagina and pregnancy was known or suspected, some men began to use this technique.
This is not a particularly reliable method of contraception, as few men have the self-control to correctly practice the method at every single act of intercourse. Although it is commonly believed that pre-ejaculate fluid can cause pregnancy, modern research has shown that pre-ejaculate fluid does not contain viable sperm.
Folklore has suggested douching immediately following intercourse as a contraceptive method, and while it seems like a sensible idea to try to wash the ejaculate out of the vagina, it does not work due to the nature of the fluids and the structure of the female reproductive tract - if anything, douching spreads semen further towards the uterus. Some slight spermicidal effect may occur if the douche solution is particularly acidic, but overall it is not scientifically observed to be a reliably effective method.
There are historic records of Egyptian women using a pessary (a vaginal suppository) made of various acidic substances (crocodile dung is alleged) and lubricated with honey or oil, which may have been somewhat effective at killing sperm.
However, it is important to note that the sperm cell was not discovered until Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the late seventeenth century, so barrier methods employed prior to that time could not know of the details of conception.
Asian women may have used oiled paper as a cervical cap, and Europeans may have used beeswax for this purpose.
The condom appeared sometime in the seventeenth century, initially made of a length of animal intestine.
It was not particularly popular, nor as effective as modern latex condoms, but was employed both as a means of contraception and in the hopes of avoiding syphilis, which was greatly feared and devastating prior to the discovery of antibiotic drugs.
Various abortifacients have been used throughout human history, although many do not associate induced abortion with the term 'birth control'. Some of them were effective, some were not; those that were most effective also had major side effects.
One abortifacient reported to have low levels of side effects - silphium - was harvested to extinction around the first century CE.
The ingestion of certain poisons by the female can disrupt the reproductive system; women have drunk solutions containing mercury, arsenic, or other toxic substances for this purpose.
The Greek gynaecologist Soranus in the second century AD suggested that women drink water that blacksmiths had used to cool metal.
The herbs tansy and pennyroyal are well-known in folklore as abortive agents, but these also "work" by poisoning the woman.
Levels of the active chemicals in these herbs that will induce a miscarriage are high enough to damage the liver, kidneys, and other organs, making them very dangerous.
However, in those times where risk of maternal death from postpartum complications was high, the risks and side effects of toxic medicines may have seemed less onerous.
Some herbalists claim that black cohosh tea will also be effective in certain cases as an abortifacient.
Presenters at a family planning conference told a tale of Arab traders inserting small stones into the uteruses of their camel in order to prevent pregnancy, a concept very similar to the modern IUD.
Although the story has been repeated as truth, it has no basis in history and was meant only for entertainment purposes.
The first interuterine devices (which occupied both the vagina and the uterus) were first marketed around 1900. The first modern intrauterine device (contained entirely in the uterus) was described in a German publication in 1909, although the author appears to have never marketed his product.
The Rhythm Method (with a rather high method failure rate of 10% per year) was developed in the early twentieth century, as researchers discovered that a woman only ovulates once per menstrual cycle.
Not until the mid-20th century, when scientists better understood the functioning of the menstrual cycle and the hormones that controlled it, were oral contraceptives and modern methods of fertility awareness (also known as natural family planning) developed.
Protection against sexually-transmitted infections
Not all methods of birth control offer protection against sexually-transmitted infections.
Abstinence from all forms of sexual behavior will protect against the sexual transmission of these infections.
The male latex condom offers some protection against some of these diseases with correct and consistent use, as does the female condom, although the latter has only been approved for vaginal sex.
The female condom may offer greater protection against sexually-transmitted infections that pass through skin to skin contact, as the outer ring covers more exposed skin than the male condom, and can be used during anal sex to guard against sexually-transmitted infections, though knowledge of the product is important in order to ensure its effectiveness.
The remaining methods of birth control do not offer significant protection against the sexual transmission of these diseases.
However, so-called sexually-transmitted infections may also be transmitted non-sexually, and therefore, abstinence from sexual behavior does not guarantee 100% protection against sexually-transmitted infections.
For example, HIV may be transmitted through contaminated needles which may be used in tattooing, body piercing, or injections.
Health-care workers have acquired HIV through occupational exposure to accidental injuries with needles.
Religious and Cultural Attitudes Toward Birth Control Christianity - Islam - Judaism
New Year-Round Contraceptive Pill Safe and Effective Live Science - December 14, 2006
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