The Wake

On Tuesday, Mar. 20, the Bell Museum of Natural History’s Café Scientifique hosted a talk at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater focused on the history and evolution of birth control in the United States in honor of the 40th anniversary of the pill. John E. Troyer, who teaches in the Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature department at the U, introduced Elizabeth Jansen and warmed up the audience of approximately 50 people by asking several questions related to the topic of the night. One of the questions was “What common household device was the most widely used contraceptive from 1930-1960? Birthday balloons, cling wrap, Lysol disinfectant, or a sponge?” The answer, much to the surprise to the audience, was Lysol disinfectant that was marketed during that time as a feminine hygiene product.

The early idea of contraception was that one could rinse away sperm after intercourse, which is why Lysol became so popular. Other early methods of contraception were honey, olive oil, multiple herbs, mud and cow or elephant dung that was used as suppositories in the vagina as a way to kill the sperm, Jansen, the night’s speaker, says.

Jansen started her speech by warning the audience that she is not a licensed health care professional and could not diagnose any problems or promote any type of contraceptive device, but she would talk about the history and future of contraception devices. She then gave a brief history of contraceptives, a little about anatomy and physiology and finally contraception today and in the future.

Around the mid-1800s different types of condoms were created. Lambskin or animal related materials were popular materials used to make condoms, but were rather porous and not an ideal material to make condoms out of, Jansen says. Later on, vulcanized rubber became the primary material used to make condoms and was initially believed to be reusable, Jansen says.

After the early ideas of contraception devices, the invention of the diaphragm allowed women to prevent pregnancies differently. The diaphragm fits over the cervical opening, preventing sperm from entering the uterus.

Another form of birth control around that time was an intrauterine device. IUDs were molded plastic devices that were inserted in the vagina to disrupt the normal uterine environment. This would cause an irritation in the area, preventing implantation from occurring. A certain type of IUD had a shield on it that had a string on the end that exited into the vaginal canal to be able to remove the device. The problem was that the nylon string would wick liquid into the uterus. Since the uterus is all about growth, any bacteria introduced into the uterus will grow more and more bacteria causing raging bacterial infections, Jansen says. These infections lead to death in some women, but now after changing the string to a type of non-wicking cotton, the IUD is the most common type of contraception in the world used by women today.

None of these contraceptives were a perfect form of birth control, Jansen says. In 1957, the FDA approved the pill for use in women with serious menstrual health problems and then approved general use in 1960. The pill is a combination of estrogen and progestin and is to be taken at the same time of day for three weeks and then not taken for the fourth week to be the most effective. This way it mimics a woman’s natural cycle. The pill has a high level of effectiveness: in the 90 percent range if used in the correct way. Any variances from taking the pill lessens the effectiveness and that is when women can become pregnant even if they are taking the pill, but have forgotten to take it for a few days.

The pill works by disrupting the hormonal level in the woman and prevents implantation of an egg and sperm. It takes a few weeks for this to take effect, which is why it’s so important to keep up with the pill for three weeks, Jansen says.

Today, levels of estrogen in the pill have been greatly reduced to lessen the side effects. There are now over 40 different combinations of the pill. Some include placebo pills for the week off, or others have different combinations of estrogen and progestin in the pill. There are also new ways to have the hormones delivered to the body. For the first 40 or so years, the only way to take the pill was by doing so every day. Now, women can have a hormone shot that time releases the hormones over a month or three months at a time. There is also a patch, where a woman wears a patch that is changed weekly and then does not wear one for the fourth week. Another way to deliver the hormones in the pill is by wearing a vaginal ring. The vaginal ring is a rubber ring that is inserted into the cervix and the hormones are released over a three-week period. The ring is then removed for the fourth week of the cycle.

As science changes, so will advancements in birth control and contraceptives. No one knows what will happen in the future in this area, but it is important to keep up on this topic, Jansen says.

“Be informed, ask questions, read, ask more questions, know your body and stay tuned.” Jansen says.