How did people in the "old days" practice birth control?

Question

Before the days of condoms, the "pill", spermicides, IUDs, surgery, and other contraceptive measures, how did people practice birth control?

Answer 1

There have been condoms for centuries. They may not have been latex, but there were condoms. They also practiced abortion.

Other than that, have you noticed how many children they used to have back then? Free farmhands!

Answer 2

How many Christians believe that the world revolves around the earth and not the other way around? Many Christians use to believe this? Galileo was abused for thinking that the earth revolved around the sun. One can only see that the world is over populated and birth control is good. However, the Catholic Church and some radicals fail to see this. I am against Abortion 100%. I am against people fornicating. As for married couples using birth control, that is OK and actually very loving to the world. There is a nut in my parish that believe that Catholics should have large families because the United State will soon be over run by Muslims. What kind of believe is that? Certainly not Christian. I am Catholic and I do not believe that birth control is evil as the Church says that it is. We need to start following Jesus instead of trying to prove and disprove our believe system. If you think birth control is evil, so what. I don't and most Christians don't as you have pointed out. What have you learned from following the "traditional latin Mass?" Has it brought you closer to Jesus or has it caused you to judge in a polarizing way that says "I am right and you are wrong" I don't think Jesus ever was a teacher of I am right and you are wrong. Rather, he rebuked those that believed that they were right by there own self righteousness. I hope you don't fall into this pattern as the Pharisees did. May the peace of the Lord be with you.

Answer 3

Disease controlled birth rates. By ~1700, half of children born did not survive to be six year olds, and one in five mothers died during the childbirth.
Vulcanization made rubber condoms available in the mid 1800s. The birth rate in France dropped more than other European countries after 1860 - possibly due to increased use of condoms. "Sheepskins" were used before rubber condoms. {I'll have to look this up. It was probably a product of sheep intestines as the answerer above stated.}
"Vatican Roulette" (the rhythm method) might have been used, but not earlier than the rubber condom. I don't believe anyone understood the ovulation cycle before 1900, but I'll have to look this up as well. Good question!

Here's some info I looked up:
1640s Reports say farmers in Condom, France began using sheep guts - possibly the origin of the lambskin condom.
1660s - Allegedly, the name "condom" was coined when Charles II was given oiled sheep intestines to use as condoms by a Dr. Condom. However, some believe the name "condom" came from the Latin word "condus" which means "vessel".
1855 - Rubber is introduced as a component of condoms. Men are advised that these rubber condoms can be washed and reused until they crumble.
1912 - The introduction of latex makes condoms cheap and disposable. Thus, the single-use condom is born. By World War II, latex condoms are mass produced and given to troops all over the world.

As for the Rhythm Method - this method for prevented pregnancy was not understood until the early twentieth century. So it was the 1900s when this came into use.

Answer 4

There was the "rhythm method", very highly unreliable, and there were condoms, made of sheep intestine, available for over a thousand years. There are also a number of herbal preventatives and abortifascents. That's right; abortion has been practiced for thousands of years. Did not know that, did ya?

Answer 5

I believe people used to use intestines like condoms .. and then of course many people used to just wait until marriage for the exact reason that their was no birth control in the "old days" ...

what ever happened to the good "ol' days" ..?

Answer 6

Coitus interruptus - withdrawal. It is actually mentioned in the Bible.
Outercourse
Pessaries and vaginal suppositories - to block and/or kill sperm
Douches
Condoms- ancient, dating at least to the Egyptians. They just weren't made of rubber until the 19th century.
Breast-feeding - for many women, breastfeeding delays the resumption of ovulation.
If these methods failed, some groups practiced abortion, infanticide, or both.

Answer 7

Waiting until they were married and WANTED KIDS helped a lot. Also there were "methods" that could be used. One of the more famous was the "rhythm method", probably best known because the Catholic Church approved of it.

Answer 8

pull out and shoot on the face. j/k, condoms have been around for thousands of years, before that it probably wasn't necessary, because people were interested in populating the earth.

Answer 9

Ever see Knocked Up? The gravity theory...lol

Answer 10

they use the goats' intestines as condom..