The surprising (and sordid) history of hormonal birth control

Birth control is so ubiquitous and so easy to procure, that many women have not stopped to think about how it prevents pregnancy, and why it matters. The history of birth control, from the very first iteration of the Pill to the modern options available to women today, provides some interesting clues about what birth control is, how it works, and what its creators intended it for.

 In this episode of The Natural Womanhood Podcast (Season 1 / Episode 4), our co-host Grace Emily Stark discusses the history of hormonal birth control, based on research she conducted for the Novak journalism fellowship she was awarded in 2019. As you'll come to find from listening to this episode, the history of the Pill is much more unsavory than most people realize (or will admit).

If this episode gets you mad that literally nothing has changed when it comes to transparency (or the lack thereof) about birth control risks and side effects, the good news is there is something you can do about it—today. Head over to the Natural Womanhood website, where you can read about and sign our petition to the FDA, which demands greater transparency about birth control side effects from Big Pharma. 

The Natural Womanhood Podcast brings together experts in the field of fertility awareness for candid, informative, and friendly conversations about authentic women's health. The podcast is hosted by Grace Emily Stark and Cassondra Moriarty. Grace is an award-winning journalist, a certified instructor of the Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness, and she holds a M.A. in Bioethics and Health Policy. Cassie is a certified instructor of FEMM, an IBCLC lactation consultant, and DONA postpartum Doula.

The Natural Womanhood Podcast is a production of Natural Womanhood, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving women's health literacy through the promotion of evidence-based fertility awareness methods (FAMs) of natural family planning. Natural Womanhood exists to help women discover safe, side effect-free natural birth control options, empower them to work with their bodies instead of against them, and to inform them about harmful birth control side effects.

Learn more about Grace and her work here, and learn more about Cassie and her work here.