image by: Caya Contoured Diaphragma

HWN Suggests

Female-Controlled Barrier Methods: Forgotten but Not Gone

When Margaret Sanger coined the term in the early 1900s, "birth control" meant the diaphragm, a soft rubber dome that’s placed in the vagina to block sperm. In 1916, Sanger was arrested and jailed for telling women how to use a diaphragm. In 1936, after years of court battles, physician–prescribed birth control was legalized in the United States. Diaphragm use became widespread until the 1950s, when the Pill, the first hormonal contraceptive, began replacing the diaphragm. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) and various hormonal methods followed, and vaginal barriers slipped into oblivion.

During the 1970s and 1980s, however, young people sought a non-hormonal, female-controlled method that…

read full article

Featured

  I Ditched My Birth Control Pills For A Diaphragm, Because It Lets Me Control My Reproductive Health

So, doctors? Please stop restricting our options. American women have the right to choose how we want to control our reproductive symptoms and what risks we’re willing to take. Personally, I’ll take the slight inconvenience and slightly higher chance of pregnancy with the diaphragm over all the chance of even one of those side effects, any day.

Articles of Interest

Barrier Methods of Birth Control: Spermicide, Condom, Sponge, Diaphragm, and Cervical Cap

Barrier methods of birth control act as barriers to keep the man’s sperm from reaching the woman’s egg. Some barrier methods also protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A few barrier methods (spermicide, condom, and sponge) can be bought in most drugstores. Others (diaphragm and cervical cap) must be prescribed by a health care professional.

Birth Control 101: The Lowdown on Barrier Methods

There are lots of great reasons to use birth control options like the pill, the ring, or IUDs. Lighter periods? Clearer skin? Not having an immediate "I'm pregnant" panic moment when you discover that your backup method failed? Awesome on all counts. But for women who want to avoid hormones and certain side effects or just aren't into a daily (or monthly, or up-to-10-years-ly) option, barrier methods are another (and often less expensive!) way to go.

Cervical cap versus diaphragm for birth control

The Prentif cap worked as well as the diaphragm to prevent pregnancy. The FemCap did not prevent pregnancy as well as the diaphragm. Both cervical caps appear to be medically safe.

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

The cap and diaphragm were widely used in the US and Europe before the second world war. But the typical failure rate for young women using these methods is about 12%. Partly as a result, less than 1% of women worldwide use them today.

How to use barrier methods like a pro

What do condoms, internal (a.k.a. female) condoms, the diaphragm, the cervical cap, and the sponge all have in common? They all literally put a barrier between sperm and egg. These barrier methods aren’t as effective as many other methods, but they’re generally easy to get, cheap (or free) and can be doubled up with other methods. Oh, and they work best if you use them like a pro.

Natural, Barrier and Permanent Methods of Birth Control

Male Condoms – are the most common barrier form of birth control. And condoms are the only form of birth control on the market that prevent pregnancy AND spreading STDs!

Other Barrier Methods: Diaphragms, Cervical Caps and Sponges, plus Spermicide

Examples of barrier methods include external condoms, internal condoms, diaphragm, cervical cap and sponges. They are inserted into the vagina before sex and must be used every time you have sex.

The Enduring Unpopularity of the Female Condom

The heyday of the female condom was short-lived. A Google Ngram graph shows that in books, the term only came into semi-regular use in the mid-1980s. Its usage peaked in the late 1990s and has been declining steadily ever since.

Why barrier contraceptives (like diaphragms) are so unpopular

Women have used internal barriers in an attempt to prevent pregnancies as far back as ancient Egypt. However, they only became widely known and used after World War I, when they became available commercially and via birth control clinics in the US, UK, Germany, and Austria. As these devices became more widespread, they gradually began appearing in novels and plays: Writers from Mary McCarthy to Philip Roth used them to symbolize specific moments in women’s sexual and reproductive lives, their growth into adulthood, and their romantic—often extramarital—relationships.

Resources

15 Non-Hormonal Birth Control Methods

No matter what you personally choose, birth control allows women control and choice over their own sexual heath which pretty damn awesome.

Caya

The Caya® Contoured Contraceptive Diaphragm is the next-generation diaphragm... The Caya’s® unique, contoured shape was designed with the female anatomy in mind. It was found to be comfortable, easy to use, and effective.

Harvard Health

The diaphragm, cervical cap, and sponge are among the least effective forms of birth control. Pregnancy rates are among the highest for all birth control methods - Harvard Health