Contraception in the prepill era

Hormonal Management of Migraine Associated With Menses and the Menopause: A Clinical Review

“…There are other reasons for the upsurge of interest in extended duration contraceptive regimens. It has been pointed out that the typical 21/7 oral contraceptive regimen, which produces monthly withdrawal bleeding, was developed not for health reasons but simply because “the manufacturer of orally active progestins was unwilling to supply them for any use that would be perceived to interfere with the normal menstrual cycle.” 72 A pill regimen that produced monthly bleeding episodes mimicking the naturally occurring menstrual cycle was thus viewed as more culturally acceptable. In contrast to the traditional 21/7 oral contraceptive regimen, a typical extended or continuous duration regimen consists of 84 active/6 or 7 pill‐free days 73 and decreases the number of withdrawal bleeding episodes to 3 or 5 a year.…”

The Latest Advances in Hormonal Contraception

“…The history of contraception has been filled with trial and error. Historians have reported that in the premodern era, contraception and fertility control were attempted with the use of devices, herbal remedies, potions, and magical charms and ceremonies (Connell, 1999). The efficacy and safety of these remedies were less than optimal.…”

“…In the 1950s, research by Dr. Gregory Pincus, a reproductive biologist, supported by Katharine McCormick, a European philanthropist, and the advocacy of Margaret Sanger, a visiting nurse in New York City, led to the availability of highly effective hormonal birth control. Two pharmaceutical companies, Syntex and Searle, were able to mass‐produce synthetic progesterone, testosterone, estrone, and estradiol (Connell, 1999). Searle was the first to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market the contraceptive pill, Enovid (Tyrer, 1999).…”

Achievements in Public Health, 1900-1999: Family Planning

“…4 In 1900, six to nine of every 1000 women died in childbirth, and one in five children died during the first 5 years of life. * Distributing information and counseling patients about contraception and contraceptive devices was illegal under fed-eral and state laws 8,9 ; the timing of ovulation, the length of the fertile period, and other reproductive facts were unknown.…”