People in the 1700s had more birth control options than you might expect. Condoms made from animal intestines, sponges soaked in vinegar or brandy, withdrawal, and prolonged breastfeeding were all widely used methods. None were as reliable as modern contraception, but they were common enough that birth rates in parts of Europe, particularly France, began dropping noticeably by the late 18th century.
Animal Intestine Condoms
Condoms in the 1700s were made from linen or animal intestine, typically from sheep. They were reusable, generally one-size-fits-all, and had to be soaked in water before use. Some households even had recipes for making them at home. They were tied at the base with a ribbon or string, since elastic didn’t exist yet.
These condoms served a dual purpose: preventing pregnancy and protecting against sexually transmitted infections, which were rampant in 18th-century Europe. Giacomo Casanova, the famous Venetian adventurer whose memoirs provide one of the best firsthand accounts of 1700s sexual practices, referred to condoms by a rotating cast of euphemisms: “packets,” “sheaths,” and “English articles.” In one memorable episode from 1754, he describes discovering a box of “certain preservative sheaths against the fatal and dreaded plumpness” in the desk of a cloistered nun he was having an affair with. The nun, identified only as M.M., pleaded for him to use them “for security” against pregnancy. Condoms were clearly not limited to brothels or the lower classes. They circulated among the wealthy, the educated, and even within convents.
Sponges Soaked in Vinegar or Brandy
One of the most widespread contraceptive techniques of the 1700s involved inserting a small sponge into the vagina before intercourse. The sponge acted as a physical barrier, but the real innovation was what it was soaked in. Vinegar, brandy, wine, and alum (a mineral salt) were the most common choices. French peasant women used cotton plugs soaked in vinegar or antiseptic vinegar douches after sex. Wealthier women had access to sponges pre-soaked in brandy, described in one late 18th-century French text as “secrets of a kind to chase away the natural shyness of many girls.”
The reasoning behind these liquids was partly based on real chemistry, even if the people using them didn’t understand it in modern terms. Vinegar is acidic, and acidic environments do reduce sperm motility. Alum is an astringent that causes tissue to contract. European medical texts dating back to the 1500s and 1600s had recommended alum, vinegar, and wine-based mixtures inserted vaginally, initially as post-childbirth treatments to tighten tissue. By the 1700s, these same substances had been repurposed as contraceptives. Their effectiveness was limited compared to modern spermicides, but they were better than nothing, and they were cheap and widely available.
Withdrawal
The oldest and simplest method, withdrawal (pulling out before ejaculation), was practiced throughout the 1700s and for centuries before that. It required no materials, no money, and no special knowledge. It was also unreliable, with a real-world failure rate that modern studies place around 20% per year. Still, when practiced consistently, it does reduce pregnancy risk significantly compared to no method at all, and historical demographers believe it played a major role in the declining birth rates observed in 18th-century France and other parts of Europe.
The method had an obvious limitation: it depended entirely on the man’s willingness and timing. Women had no control over whether it was used correctly, which is one reason barrier methods like sponges were so valued by women who wanted to manage their own fertility.
Extended Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding suppresses ovulation. This isn’t a folk belief; it’s a well-documented biological effect now called lactational amenorrhea. Women who breastfeed exclusively and frequently often don’t get their periods back for months or even over a year after giving birth. In the 1700s, people understood this connection even without knowing the hormonal mechanism behind it.
The practice created a social tension. Religious and medical authorities encouraged mothers to breastfeed their own children, partly because it was recognized as a way to space pregnancies. But many wealthy women sent their babies to wet nurses instead. The reasons were practical and personal: husbands wanted to resume sexual relations (abstinence during breastfeeding was widely preached, if not always practiced), and some women worried breastfeeding would change their body shape. Sending a baby to a wet nurse meant the mother’s fertility returned faster, which often led to more frequent pregnancies, the exact opposite of what breastfeeding would have accomplished.
Abortion as a Last Resort
When contraception failed, abortion was an option, though a dangerous and secretive one. Casanova’s memoirs provide a revealing glimpse. When he worried about having caused a pregnancy with M.M., the nun, she calmly reassured him that she would “know before long” and could be “cured” by a physician if necessary. She didn’t describe the method, but her casual tone makes clear that abortion services were available and understood among those with connections and money.
Herbal abortifacients, substances believed to induce miscarriage, had been documented in European medicine for centuries. Pennyroyal, tansy, and other plants were widely known, though their effectiveness varied and the doses required could be toxic. For women without access to a sympathetic physician, these herbs were often the only option, and they carried serious health risks.
Who Had Access to What
Birth control in the 1700s was shaped by class, gender, and geography. Animal intestine condoms were expensive enough that they were primarily used by the upper classes and by sex workers whose clients could afford them. Sponges and vinegar were cheaper and more accessible, making them the go-to method for rural and working-class women across France. Withdrawal cost nothing but required male cooperation. Breastfeeding was available to all women but demanded a significant commitment of time and physical energy.
France stands out as the country where contraceptive use became most widespread during this period. French birth rates began falling decades before industrialization, a demographic puzzle that historians have largely attributed to the quiet, grassroots spread of sponges, vinegar douches, and withdrawal. These methods were passed between women in whispered conversations, not published in medical textbooks. One French phrase from the era captures the secrecy perfectly: “C’est le secret du vinaigrier,” meaning “It’s the vinegar-maker’s secret.”