what did women from ancient china drink in order to prevent pregnancy? *
But ancient civilizations, enamored with the mystery metal, assigned it healing properties for a variety of ailments. Women in ancient China were told that drinking hot mercury would prevent pregnancy. Which is kind of true, since drinking mercury can lead to organ failure and death, so those women definitely wouldnât be carrying a child anytime soon. Coca-Cola. AP Not all crazy birth control methods date back to ancient pre-technology societies.