Pessaries

W. J. Rendell's 'Wife's Friend' pessaries (soluble spermicides) date from the 1930s. Walter Rendell was an English chemist who manufactured the first commercial pessaries in 1880 from quinine and cocoa butter. They were used in conjunction with a sea sponge.

Using this item

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa, Dame Margaret Sparrow Collection

by Rachel Leatham

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

Comments

Jim Beatson
17 March 2024

I Was Born “Very quickly”, said my Mum, Eileen, “It only took an hour, but bloody painful. I won’t do that again.” And she didn’t! And not just because, from a lack of trying by my dad, although my mum did say to almost adult me, with typical English understatement, “Your Dad wasn’t very good in bed.” After my first experience of penetrative sex, at around 20, my dad, Cliff, took me to one side, saying, “I hope you had protection.” I replied “Yes, we used a Rendell’s ‘Wife’s Friend’ pessarie.” To which Dad burst out laughing, responding with “That’s what Eileen and I used, when you were conceived.”

Jeff Huuskes
09 September 2017

Hi, have found a intact box of pessaries as per above picture, box and contents are intact also has original information sheet inside with the number 182,688 and signature of w j rendell, any additional information you can supply would be grateful. Thanks Jeff

Change language

Story: Contraception and sterilisation

Pessaries

Using this item

How to cite this page

Comments