From beaver testicle elixir to crocodile dung spermicide... History's worst contraceptives revealed in new video
If you hate taking the pill every day, imagine drinking a glass of moonshine mixed with ground beaver testicles after every rendezvous. And that's not even the worst of it.
A new video from EngenderHealth has highlighted some of the most cringe-inducing birth control methods that women have had to endure through history - none of which were even effective.
From ingesting beaver bits to drinking lead-filled water from the local blacksmith, we'll warn you now: The short film might make you a little queasy.
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This is not cookie batter! In Ancient Egypt, women used a spermicide made of crocodile dung and honey to keep their bodies baby-free
The narrator in the video begins by telling viewers about a spermicide used by Egyptians in 3051 BC that was a mixture of crocodile dung and honey.Yes, crocodile feces.
For those who don't know, a spermicide is a chemical substance designed to kill sperm that is inserted into the vagina before sex.
It's so disgusting that it almost makes the next birth control method seem do-able: In Middle Ages Europe, women thought they could prevent pregnancy by wearing weasel testicles on their leg during intercourse.
Regarding its effectiveness, the video's narrator sums it up in one word: 'Nope.'
No thanks! From 1534 to 1760, Canadian women tried to avoid pregnancy by drinking moonshine mixed with ground beaver testicles (left). Women and men also used condoms made of pig intestines for several hundred years (right)
The video then talks about oral contraceptives. But instead of pills, think onion juice (imbibed by French women in the 1600s) and the infamous ground beaver testicle/moonshine combination (chugged by Canadian women from 1534 to 1760).
Perhaps the most toxic birth control method of all was used by women in Ancient Greece: blacksmith water 'filled with lead.' Tongue-in-cheek text in the video reminds viewers that this is poisonous and 'should not be tried at home.'
'Women also had to insert strange things into their bodies,' says the narrator, referring to metal thimbles, which Europeans in the 1800s believed had a diaphragm-like effect.
And, of course, there were condoms made of pig intestines, which were used for 'several hundred years.'
The final contraception method the video mentions was used as recently as the 1960s: American women would use fizzy cola 'to wash out sperm after sex.' Reminder: It didn't work.
It wasn't just used for drinking! As recently as the 1960s, American women tried using 'fizzy cola to wash out sperm after sex'
EngenderHealth, the video's maker, is a women's health nonprofit dedicated to bringing contraception to women who need it around the world.
They are based in New York City and were founded in 1937.
For more information on Engender, go to engenderhealth.org.
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