In Ancient Egypt, women would mix a bizarre paste made out of sodium carbonate, honey and crocodile dung and insert it into their vaginas before having sex. Women in medieval Europe wore weasel testicles around their necks or thighs as an inventive, fashionable, and – of course – highly unsuccessful method of birth control.

Jumping backwards seven times, drinking beaver testicle tea and using lemons as a (very unpleasant) diaphragm are just some of the methods our ancestors used to prevent pregnancy. Personally we think any of these would kill the mood, but there you go.

The First Condoms

Condoms have been around for a long time; ancient cave paintings appear to show men wearing condom-like objects during sexual intercourse.

Most women (especially vegetarians) don’t want animal intestines anywhere near their privates, but condoms made out of animal bladders and intestines were in vogue since ancient times and readily available at local chemists, pubs and markets in the 17th Century.

In order to combat a syphilis epidemic, linen condoms soaked with chemicals became popular in the late 1500s. Thankfully, the first reusable rubber condom design was created in 1855 by American inventor Charles Goodyear.