How did ancient people prevent pregnancy?

In ancient times, science and technology were far less developed than they are today, and there were not many reasonable contraceptive measures. However, when couples or opposite sexes have sexual relations, they need to take some measures to prevent pregnancy. After all, there will be more troubles after pregnancy. However, the contraceptive methods at that time were not very reasonable, and there were many health risks. So how did the ancient people prevent pregnancy?

When China's family planning policy was at its most intensive, men and women were often forced to undergo sterilization for the purpose of contraception. In ancient times, there was a contraceptive method similar to the current sterilization method. For men, it was called "self-castration", commonly known as "castration"; for women, it was called "confinement", also known as "confinement". They simply cut off the reproductive organs of men and women. Of course, this is usually used as a means of punishment, not a conventional method of contraception. The most famous example is Sima Qian, the author of "Records of the Grand Historian", who was castrated because of the Li Ling incident.

In the past, there was a "traditional way" of contraception, which was to jump up and down. It was believed that this method could make semen and even the fetus jump out. I remember there was a plot in the TV series "The Passionate Years" where the heroine went to bed with a man and was worried about getting pregnant, so she kept jumping around. This was a method of contraception, but the success rate was obviously very low.

There is also a folk remedy, which is said to be to use tiles to dry the persimmon stems and eat them, seven at a time, for seven days in a row, which can keep you infertile for a year. If you want to get pregnant, eat two more persimmon stems. It sounds weird. I really don't understand why it is necessary to eat seven and not eight, and why you can get pregnant by eating two more.

There is another method, which is the "acupoint" contraceptive technique. It is said that after the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had sex with his concubines, he would massage a certain acupoint on the concubine's lower body to make her infertile. I think this method is just like "tearing the Japanese apart with bare hands", which is definitely unreliable. If this method is really effective, it should have been applied for World Heritage status earlier.

Contraceptives were also used in ancient times. It is said that one method was to put musk and other drugs into a woman's navel. It not only had a contraceptive function, but also had a beautifying effect. After taking the medicine, the skin would be as smooth as cream, with a sweet fragrance and appear youthful. This medicine can also be made into a decoction, which was called "cold medicine" in ancient times. It has the effects of contraception and abortion.

Through the above introduction, everyone has a clear understanding of how ancient people used contraception. Whether using contraceptive drugs or other methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies, there are often certain health risks. However, the level of science and technology in ancient times was still limited. With the development of the times, these contraceptive methods will naturally be gradually replaced.