Sorry, meant contraceptives, duh. Also, I’m aware that they did have mildly scientifically backed methods for preventing pregnancy, but pregnancies are a genuine concern for modern sex workers, right? Did just way more sex workers get pregnant way more often back then, or were there genuinely methods to make pregnancy avoidable enough to not have a kid once a year if you’re having sex that much?
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Ancient prostitutes employed various methods to avoid pregnancy, despite the lack of modern contraceptives. Some common practices included:
– Using herbal mixtures and emmenagogues (menstrual stimulants) that could induce abortions or make them sterile, such as silphium, Queen Anne’s lace, mugwort and periwinkle.[1][2] Prostitutes had good knowledge of these herbs.
– Physically extracting semen after intercourse by inserting fabric or sponges into the vagina to scrape it out, though this was not very effective.[1]
– Coitus interruptus (withdrawing before ejaculation), which was practiced in brothels and illicit affairs.[3]
– Using primitive barrier methods like animal intestine condoms or inserting stones or other objects into the uterus, an early form of IUD.[1]
However, unwanted pregnancies still occurred frequently among ancient prostitutes due to the lack of reliable contraception.[2] Some may have resorted to infanticide, as evidenced by the discovery of newborn remains near some brothels.[2] Overall, ancient prostitutes had limited options to prevent pregnancy compared to modern times.[1][2][3]
Citations:
[1] In early times, where brothels and prostitutes were a part of … – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1j5nlr/in_early_times_where_brothels_and_prostitutes/
[2] Dead babies, brothels, contraception and presentist history | Berkeley https://news.berkeley.edu/2010/06/26/dead-babies-brothels-contraception-and-presentist-history
[3] Medieval contraception – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_contraception
[4] Sex and Labor in the Greco-Roman World – Project MUSE https://muse.jhu.edu/article/590338/summary
[5] The story of the condom – PMC – NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649591/
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