Contraception: A Concise History

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by Donna J. Drucker

The development, manufacturing, and use of contraceptive methods from the late nineteenth century to the present, viewed from the perspective of reproductive justice.

The beginning of the modern contraceptive era began in 1882, when Dr. Aletta Jacobs opened the first birth control clinic in Amsterdam. The founding of this facility, and the clinical provision of contraception that it enabled, marked the moment when physicians started to take the prevention of pregnancy seriously as a medical concern. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Donna Drucker traces the history of modern contraception, outlining the development, manufacturing, and use of contraceptive methods from the opening of Dr. Jacobs's clinic to the present. Drucker approaches the subject from the perspective of reproductive justice: the right to have a child, the right not to have a child, and the right to parent children safely and healthily.

Drucker describes contraceptive methods available before the pill, including the diaphragm (dispensed at the Jacobs clinic) and condom, spermicidal jellies, and periodic abstinences. She looks at the development and dissemination of the pill and its chemical descendants; describes technological developments in such non-hormonal contraceptives as the cervical cap and timing methods (including the "rhythm method" favored by the Roman Catholic church); and explains the concept of reproductive justice. Finally, Drucker considers the future of contraception--the adaptations of existing methods, new forms of distribution, and ongoing efforts needed to support contraceptive access worldwide.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medical

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

Senior Adviser in English as the Language of Instruction at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany, and a historian of the intersection of science and technology with gender and sexuality.

Donna J. Drucker is Assistant Director of Scholarship and Research Development at the Columbia University School of Nursing. She is the author of Contraception: A Concise History (also from MIT Press), The Classification of Sex: Alfred Kinsey and the Organization of Knowledge, and The Machines of Sex Research: Technology and the Politics of Identity, 1945–1985.

Reviews

[Divya Shanmugam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in the MIT Press bookstore and I learned a lot outside of the history of the birth control pill. Some of the sections were a little slow to get through and I felt there was a lot of setup for the information to come.

The sections on male birth control research were the most interesting to me ! Particularly a trial (run from 2008-2012) for a men's contraceptive vaccine that exhibited /92.5% effectiveness/. Men reported mild side effects (ones that are not as bad as the side effects of female birth control!!!) and the study was terminated.

[Alexandria Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the content of the book had a lot of interesting information I found the delivery in the way it was written a bit dull at times. I did really appreciate the focus on reproductive justice towards the end of the book though.

[Trish Smallwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book and I loved how intersectional it was. The tone was definitely academic but still approachable. My one issue was in the conclusion it mentioned how a partner would “stealth” with contraception, and this was only brought in to the main body once and without that specific terminology. It’s a great introduction to the history and meaning of contraception.

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

shoutout to darcy for assigning a chapter of this for hst252 in 2022, and shoutout to me for picking it back up today. so informative and not even boring. i ❤️ my nexplanon

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came into this knowing the basics of modern birth control methods and came out of it knowing the same stuff in very slightly more detail. I was hoping for more of a historical overview, I think, so maybe I didn't actually want the concise history that the title promised and I received. This wasn't bad, just not as interesting as I was hoping it would be!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wide-ranging and yet concise history of contraception--primarily in the US, but also Europe, Asia, and Africa. I learned a lot from the history, and I appreciated the chapter on reproductive justice as an important contemporary framework.

[cypher · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book offering a compact overview of the history of contraception. useful and interesting information. since the topic has such a huge impact on society, i'd recommend this book to every adult to get a base knowledge of the dynamics which influenced politics, medical research, culture and law.

[Bex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed, inclusive, a great primer on the history of contraception in the Western World.

[Lulu]

Read Fertility Technology by same author

[Chiara Brück · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short overview of the history of contraception and reproductive justice!

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly effective history, spanning from diaphragms to the patch. Jumping around from continent to continent, Drucker offers an insightful and respectful stitching together of topics such as women's control and privacy when it came to birth control, the legality of different medications and devices, home-made/contraband solutions, the politically split market between Communist and Capitalist products in different countries, and more. Drucker never fails to articulate the definition of reproductive justice as an overarching necessity for autonomy; including the highly manipulative and racially drenched motivations on who is forced to conceive and who is forcefully sterilized. One of the most engaging books to annotate, the way in which facts are laid out makes it very easy to look further into the subject matter and very efficient to quote. If you are passionate on issues such as the treatment of mentally ill people and the way sanism is diminished even within more progressive spheres this is the book for you. If you are an advocate for male birth control and finding out why the successful methods were not approved, who to blame, and who to fund: this is the book for you. If you are a nerd about sexual health and have been in a long debate about whether spermicide should still be recommended in youth health classes: this is the book for you. A highly recommended read especially as a starting point for research into the field of contraception: historically, scientifically, and politically.