Female Condoms Essay

Submitted By ReyLaKey
Words: 826
Pages: 4

Barrier types of birth control, which usually contain spermicide, are types of birth control that block sperm from reaching the uterus. Spermicide is a chemical used to kill most of the sperm that enters the vagina and the barrier is used to block any living sperm from getting through. This obviously lowers the risk of pregnancy. There are a few barrier methods of birth control, such as condoms (male & female), diaphragms, and cervical caps. Condoms are the most common among the barrier birth controls to be used. Signs of male condoms have been around since some time in the 1500’s, though they were not used in America. Early versions of the condom were made from animal skin, horns, intestines, and shells, as well as oiled paper. They were mostly used around Asia and some parts of Europe at first to prevent the spread of syphilis. Condoms were recognized after Casanova was reported using “assurance caps” to assure he didn’t impregnate any of his mistresses in the 18th century. They weren’t used very often during that time due to most peoples’ religious views. To reduce pregnancy was considered immoral to most in those days. It was also believed that condoms would promote promiscuity since they provided protection against STDs. Regardless of all the disapproval towards them, condoms became a widespread product in the 19th century and were then spread to America. In the mid to late 19th century, feminists believed that women should have the rights to birth-control use and rejected the idea and use of the male condom. This caused a large increase in the rates of sexually transmitted diseases in America. Towards the beginning of the 20th century, it was proven that condoms didn’t fully protect people from STDs. To get this message across to everyone, sex education classes were given in public schools. The irony in this was that condoms weren’t being promoted in these classes because the medical community saw sexually transmitted diseases as punishment for having sex. Their views were so strong that some hospitals even rejected patients that came in to treat STDs. To add to the disapproval of condoms, Sigmund Freud, the inventor of psychoanalysis, also disagreed with the use of any forms of birth-control. He felt the failure rates were “too high” and that the use of condoms, specifically, “decreased sexual pleasure.” So, regardless of the rise in STD rates, feminists and many Europeans refused to use condoms. During the 1830s, Charles Goodyear began processing natural rubber in a way to make it more elastic. This made a better condom during those times because the material was much more durable than the sheep’s skin condoms which high a tendency to rip. During the 1920s, latex rubber was invented and was used for condoms instead of the rubber made by Goodyear. Not only was it cheaper to be made, but it also performed better for the users. The fact that latex was made with water, rather than gasoline and benzene, made the FDA’s approval of the latex condom easier in 1930. In the 60s, the birth-control pill became the number one method for birth control, but male condoms were still being used commonly. During the 1970s, the FDA tightened the quality regulations on condoms, making their quality