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The Conversation
The Conversation
Susan Walker, Reader in Contraception, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Anglia Ruskin University

Five old contraception methods that show why the pill was a medical breakthrough

The wishbone pessary didn't look comfortable Science Museum Group Collection, CC BY-NC

If you have access to it, it’s easy to take today’s contraception for granted. But key discoveries over the last century or so changed the lives of women.

Before the invention of modern intra-uterine devices (IUDs) or hormonal contraception, most products had low effectiveness, and were more useful for delaying pregnancy than preventing it.

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