**NOTE** Medical advancements have saved the lives of women and babies at risk for injury or death during pregnancy and birth. This site is not about the doctors who properly use interventions to save lives; it is about those who use them unethically for profit or convenience. Improperly used interventions have led to harm and death of women and babies and obstetrics is the only field in which mortality rates are rising and non-medically needed interventions such as c-sections are related to 66% of maternal deaths.
**NOTE** This site is designed to share valid evidence for those working to change the maternal healthcare system who do not have access to databases of peered research.
**NOTE** Chronological order allows users to find new data. It also begs the question of why, when we have known for decades that such practices are harmful, do they not only continue to be used but are increasingly used.
SACRED WISDOM AND ANCIENT TRADITIONS MEET SCIENCE
Modern health practitioners often scoff at the thought that ancient traditions or knowledge has any value in the field of modern medicine. While there are certainly many what we refer to as “old wives’ tales” that are humorous at best, it must be remembered that much of modern medicine has evolved from ancient traditions or knowledge and it is foolish to completely disregard them without inquiry into their validity.
WHAT DOES THE LITERATURE SAY?
2018
Tyssowski, K. (2018). Pee is for pregnant – The history and science of urine-based pregnancy tests. Accessed https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/pee-pregnant-history-science-urine-based-pregnancy-tests/
- CONCLUDED (from article) “For over 3000 years, women wondering if they’ll be mothers have heard some variation of this phrase. In the first known pregnancy tests, ancient Egyptian women urinated on barley or wheat seeds: quickly sprouting seeds indicated pregnancy. While this may sound like pseudoscience, several modern studies have shown that it works pretty well, correctly identifying 70-85% of pregnancies.”
2014
Tsoucalas, G., Karamanou, M. and Sganzos, M. (2014). Midwifery in ancient Greece, midwife or gynaecologist-obstetrician?. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Volume 34, Issue 6. DOI https://doi.org/10.3109/01443615.2014.911834 Accessed https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/01443615.2014.911834
- CONCLUDED: (from article) “Although many consider all midwives as auxiliary medical personnel, Soranus of Ephesus classified them into three categories: (i) those that had only empirical education; (ii) those that apart from their experiences, had theoretical training in obstetrics and gynaecology; and (iii) those with a higher education, training and skills, ranked as equals between men physicians (Soranus 1927). Midwifery had opened the door for women to enter a male world of physicians and enjoy the respect of society (Fantham 1994).”
Fouly, McCool, W. F., & Koucoi, J. (2012). Ancient Egyptian Women’s Health Care in Relation to Modern Women’s Health Care Practices: An Overview. Violence and Victims, 2(4), 269–276. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.2.4.269 Accessed https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273763124_Ancient_Egyptian_Women’s_Health_Care_in_Relation_to_Modern_Women’s_Health_Care_Practices_An_Overview
- CONCLUDED (abstract) “This article will address ancient Egyptians’ knowledge of the childbirth cycle from preconception to postpartum and the similarities of these practices to modern knowledge and practice. From developing the first recorded pregnancy test to using the favorable position of squatting in labor, the ancient Egyptians exhibited a base of knowledge that more recent use of the scientific method has confirmed. Other practices, such as methods of contraception, can be seen as steps in the evolution of methods used today. Ancient Egyptians emphasized maternal nutrition during pregnancy and care of the new- born and mother immediately postpartum. Newborn assessment in ancient Egypt consisted of two parameters—cry and muscle tone—that exhibits a historical technique analogous to the modern Apgar score. Evidence also indicates that the ancient Egyptians devised strategies to suture perineal tears and manage other postpartum complications. In addition to practices related to pregnancy and childbirth, other contributions of these ancient people to medical practice and vocabulary were associated with general women’s health”
2007
TODMAN. (2007). Childbirth in ancient Rome: From traditional folklore to obstetrics. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 47(2), 82–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-828X.2007.00691.x
- CONCLUDED (abstract) “In ancient Rome, childbirth was a hazardous event for both mother and child with high rates of infant and maternal mortality. Traditional Roman medicine centred on folklore and religious practices, but with the development of Hippocratic medicine came significant advances in the care of women during pregnancy and confinement. Midwives or obstetrices played an important role and applied rational scientific practices to improve outcomes. This evolution from folklore to obstetrics was a pivotal point in the history of childbirth.”