Highly advanced medical papyri (like the Ebers Papyri) list numerous recipes for "emptying the womb," suggesting it was a standard medical procedure.
Egyptian women used pessaries made of crocodile dung, honey, or lint. The acidity likely acted as a mild spermicide.
Early doctors like Soranus of Ephesus (2nd century CE) incorrectly believed women were most fertile right after menstruation, leading to ineffective timing strategies.