Vaginal syringe in packaging

This rubber ‘syringe’, with its squeezable red bulb, was used as a vaginal douche.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many women douched after sex. They used water or a spermicidal solution such as lemon juice, vinegar, soapy water, alum, or quinine. The aim was to prevent pregnancy – but sperm tended to reach their goal before they could be flushed away.