Birth Control Research Paper

More commonly referred to as “birth control” – a term coined by Margaret Sanger – contraception is “the deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse” (“Contraception”). There are various forms of contraception, including barrier methods, such as condoms and foams, which are used only during intercourse, contraceptive pills, which contain hormones that prevent ovulation, intrauterine devices, which prevent the fertilized ovum from implanting, and male or female sterilization, which prevents an egg or sperm from even being released. Abstinence is the most effective form of birth control, as there is no intercourse being performed, but all other methods, if used properly, …show more content…
Prior to modern birth control methods, women relied on withdrawal or periods of abstinence, but these methods were seen to be not as effective as desired, and changes were sought. Before the Industrial Revolution, dating back to the B.C. era, birth control devices in America relied largely on condoms for men, made from linen or animal intestines. The invention of rubber protection in 1839 soon led to the beginnings of a U.S. contraceptive industrialization, as many improvements were made to condoms, while other devices, such as IUDs, sponges, and diaphragms, were also invented. These devices were originally considered illegal, and they began to be secretly sold as “hygiene products” to women so that pregnancy could still be prevented, when desired. The rhythm method – having sex only when a woman is not ovulating – was widely recommended by doctors, but it was then found that this is when women are most likely to conceive, so women that could afford medical advice were essentially being …show more content…
Soldiers brought their newfound safety knowledge home with them, and condoms became legal in 1918, the same year the war had ended. By the 1920’s, the U.S. birth rate dropped by half, as condoms were in widespread use. Condom reliability was still terrible by today’s standards, but people achieved effective birth control by combining the use of several methods in combination, such as condoms, the rhythm method, male withdrawal, diaphragms, and/or intrauterine devices. In 1938, a judge lifted the federal obscenity ban on birth control, allowing a great freedom to the country as a whole, but contraception still remained illegal in most

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