Every time I read or hear "Today sponge" I think of Seinfeld.
Elaine Benes would be thrilled about this development!
Birth control ads really irritate me. The new one for Seasonique (did it used to be Seasonale?) takes the cake - with the "logical" and "emotional" women playing different parts of the brain. ::shudder::
Then there's this cheesy cartoon with an Asian woman, Black woman, Hispanic woman and White woman! I love diversity but god it seems so forced.
I can just hear the advertising wizards: "OK, so we've covered all our bases, right? There's only four, right?"

The last time I used the sponge with a condom, my 17 year old son was the result. Here's my Blog For Choice on the subject:http://sgtmums.blogspot.com/search/label/Blog%20for%20Choice
I certainly hope they are more effective now.

By the way, they were really convenient and easy to use, but don't wear them under water because they foamed up like a sponge full of spermicial dish soap!

Wow. I thought this came back on the market over half a year ago? It was well in the news when the company was bought out.

Like the diaphragm, this is one of those old non-hormonal forms of birth control that I'd probably never use, unless it was in conjunction with a condom. Of course, then I'd just use a condom.

According to the Today Sponge's web site, they cite statistics from 1985 to prove its efficacy. Hmmm. And even then, they're not very good: 89 - 91% effective if used correctly and consistently every time.

And what does that entail? "With proper use: thoroughly wetting the Today® Sponge with tap water before insertion, leaving in place for six hours after the last act of intercourse and having it in place every time intercourse occurs. Without proper and consistent use, women can expect a use-effectiveness rate in the 84% to 87% range."

I suppose it could be argued that this could put the power in women's hands cos they could insert it on their own time and not have to bother their male partners about putting on a condom. Could be good for developing countries and populations. But here? For a barrier method, condoms all the way.

While I'm glad there is another non-hormonal option, I will definitely be steering clear of this option. Nonoxynol-9 can be nasty stuff. Also, the efficacy is so low compared to other available barrier methods.

I remember very clearly my sex ed teacher recommending against the sponge since it was how she conceived her third child. Not something ninth graders wanted to hear, but a good lesson, ultimately.

Well, I don't know about all of you, but one of the first things that I learned in sex ed during high school was to NEVER use spermicide with condoms. It can dissolve the latex and leave you at risk for accidental pregnancy and STI's.

I'd take the 99.9999 etc. effectiveness of condom and pill combo anyday.

I used it back in the day, but I found that it sometimes had some unpleasant side effects. At the risk of TMI, let's just say I quit using tampons (for the most part) and the sponge around the same time, and I haven't had a yeast infection since.

That said, it was really convenient and easy to use, and I never heard of anyone else having the same problem with it as I did.

I used these in high school when I was in a hugely bad situation and that was the only option around (as far as I can remember), available from the grocery store. (I lived on the very remote north shore of Kauai, nowhere near any resources like Planned Parenthood.) I'm completely horrified about it now because it had - and apparently still has - an abysmal failure rate. (A website I just looked at answered a FAQ question, "What are the chances of getting pregnant while using a sponge?" with these stats: Typical use: 20%, Perfect use: 9%. So, doesn't look like it's improved much. Anyone with further info?) But given the grossly exploitative "relationship" I was in (with my mother's ex-boyfriend who was still living with us, who had foisted himself on me one night when I was literally falling-down drunk, following which I didn't have the self-esteem to end it), demanding condoms was not something I could manage; I just bought those sponges on the sly and hoped to God I wouldn't get pregnant, which obviously would have made the situation all the more disastrous. (And, months later was able to break it off when I left the island for college.)

So I'm glad, of course, that I had access to them (I did not, in fact, get pregnant, thank God), but I'm horrified at the notion of it being, perhaps, oversold to young women who deserve more reliable methods (not to mention STD protection and, oh yeah, freedom from grossly inappropriate and exploitative dickwads).

Err. I remember reading about those sponges back in high school when I was doing a study about Toxic Shock Syndrome. The marketers encouraged women to leave the sponges in for a long time, putting them in danger of TSS.

Um, yeah. Nonoxynol-9 (the spermicide used in lubes and the sponge) is BBBBAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDD for you. Bad bad bad. You know how Chevron is always talking about how they put Techron in their gas? Techron is Nonoxynol-9 - it's the same fucking chemical.

The one time I accidentally used a spermicidal condom, my vagina let me know about it for a week. It also makes your mouth completely numb (don't ask me how I learned that) - that can't mean anything good.

Personal experiences aside, spermicides in general are kind of debatable, and a lot of sex educators suspect they may do more harm than good. They're extremely corrosive (it's meant to kill sperm, for Christ's sake) so it can lead to irritation, which can lead to increased STDs. And for Pete's sake, don't ever use a spermicidal lubed condom - studies have shown that the amount of spermicide on a pre-packaged spermicidal condom isn't enough to do any sperm damage, but it is enough to cause irritation and tiny vaginal tears that can increase STD transmission. If you insist on using spermicide, use a condom and a SEPARATE spermicide (such as the sponge, gel, or suppository). And yeah, the sponge on its own = not so good (effective-wise).

Just droppin' a little health educator knowledge.

(P.S. the spermicide in condoms doesn't dissolve the latex, but it does do other bad things, as mentioned above. I think moley's confusing spermicide with oil-based lubes, which will break down latex.)

I used the sponge for years. It was easy to use, there were no side effects, and no pregnancies while I was using it.

However, should you use it, make sure your dog can't get in the trash where you put the used ones.

I have one Today Sponge story to share. When I was young, maybe seven or eight, I went looking in the bottom drawer of our built-in drawers, which is where my mom kept the curlers. I found a load of empty boxes of the Today Sponge. Curious, I read the label: contraceptive sponge. I had no idea what "contraceptive" meant (though I'm pretty sure I knew about sex by then) and just stored away the information.

Years later, in high school, I was up late watching Saturday Night Live by myself, and there was an ad for the Today Sponge. It all clicked, in one horrifying moment. The reminder that my parents had sex (more often than the two times it took to have me and my sister, which is what she thought for YEARS), and the fact that I now knew what method of contraception they used. It was almost too much to bear for a young nerd who had yet to even have a first kiss.

Yeah....I used to love love love the sponge - I used it for two and half years with no side effects and no problems - then duh duh duh - I got knocked up....makes me sad b/c I loved that damn sponge. When I did a little more research I found that some said that there was an increased risk of getting pregnant on the sponge if you have already had a child, which I have.
But yes, I miss my trusty sponge, but alas he let me down :-(

I might be stupid, but it seems like a condom would be easier, cheaper, smaller and have the ability to prevent STD transmission.

Goddamn things started me on the merry road to chronic yeast infections.

Bah.

Now I feel kind of old! But I did use the sponge way back when. Pros: it worked (though maybe that was the infertility) and I never got pregnant. Didn't require a prescription. Cons: It's incredibly gross when you remove it. I seem to remember that it was too expensive for frequent use. The pill was cheaper per-use if in a relationship. Echoing an earlier poster: the spermicide does numb the mouth, limiting the variety of activities. And it doesn't take the place of a condom. I didn't always use it with a condom, but I knew better and I should have.

Two main points:

1) Don't use the sponge if an unintended pregnancy is totally unacceptable for you. [A good use for the sponge: as a backup method.]

The overall 1st year failure rate, for women who have not given birth (nulliparous), is 9% with perfect use, and 20% with typical use. For women who have given birth (parous) the failure rate is 20% with perfect use, and 40% with typical use. [For specific brand rates see here.]

2) If you want to use the sponge, it's better to use a brand with less/no N-9 (Protectaid/Pharmatex).

There are three sponge brands available, Today, Protectaid, and Pharmatex. The first two brands contain the spermicide nonoxynol-9 (N-9).

Today has the highest dosage of the two, at 1,000 mg.

Protectaid contains the spermicidal F-5 gel, a mixture of 6.25 mg of N-9, 6.25 mg of benzalkonium chloride (BZK) and 25 mg of sodium cholate. [This brand is available in Canada and online.]

Pharmatex doesn't have any N-9. It contains 60 mg of BZK. [Available in Europe, and, I think, Israel. Not sure if you can get it online.]

Never used the sponge but the high rate failure may have to do with the fact that it would seem to be a movable barrier method.

My favorite form of barrier birth control was the cervical cap -- a nice, tight fit to the cervix, relatively soft, and nary a failure over years of use, for me anyway.

Smaller than the diaphragm, so it's easy to insert, it's also is a one-time cost, versus the one-time use for each sponge.

Never used the sponge but the high rate failure may have to do with the fact that it would seem to be a movable barrier method.

My favorite form of barrier birth control was the cervical cap -- a nice, tight fit to the cervix, relatively soft, and nary a failure over years of use, for me anyway.

Smaller than the diaphragm, so it's easy to insert, it's also a one-time cost, versus the one-time use for each sponge.

Never used the sponge but the high rate failure may have to do with the fact that it would seem to be a movable barrier method.

My favorite form of barrier birth control was the cervical cap -- a nice, tight fit to the cervix, relatively soft, and nary a failure over years of use, for me anyway.

Smaller than the diaphragm, so it's easy to insert, it's also a one-time cost, versus the one-time use for each sponge.

The Today sponge gave me a terrible bacterial infection, and I used it according to the directions.

I don't think I understand how it works. It absorbs all the sperm and then you take it out?

It's a barrier method, a sponge filled with spermicide. You put it over your cervix, and since its malleable, you don't have to worry about fit, as you do with a diaphragm or a cervical cap. The sponge blocks the cervix, and when the sperm hit the sponge, they die from the spermicide.

Or rather, it's malleable.

Sponges are not fun when they flip though. Mine flipped over and I couldn't reach the string. As a result, I had to go to an Urgent Care and have the doctor remove it. Talk about an embarrassing experience.

It wasn't that bad--I liked them because they could be used several times in succession, without having to remove them.

In retrospect, of course, I did a *lot* of things in the 80s that I might have thought better of today :)

I used the Today sponge exactly once. It worked fine, I guess (I didn't get pregnant) but when I tried to get it out, the sponge broke in half. It took me at least 45 terrifying minutes to retrieve it!

Ugh. This brings back memories of my short-lived hetero life.

I used the sponge as a backup to the condom the first time I had sex because my boyfriend and I were 17 and 18 and I was terrified of getting pregnant. Never having put anything larger than a slender tampon in, I had trouble getting it in. Then I had trouble getting it out the next day. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to get it out and I would have to call a friend to get me to Planned Parenthood, because there was no way I was telling my parents I'd had sex, even if I had to keep the thing in me the rest of my life. Seriously, death from TSS was preferable to telling my parents I'd had sex. In retrospect it's kind of funny, because my parents were much less conservative than I thought. A few months later I went on the pill and my mother found them and dealt with it just fine.

I haven't needed any form of birth control in 11+ years, but when I read stuff like this and start to think about how it is for straight women, I get quite irritated on your behalf that there isn't better contraception. With all the advances in medicine, you'd think someone would have come up with something better for women. I guess I should be surprised. In this society pills that give men erections are much more important than letting women take control of their bodies.

When I was in college, my friend Babs was over the moon about the sponge - I will always remember her referring to them as being "a buck for a fuck".

They may cost more than that now.

Oh, wow...I used these in High School (now I'm so very much showing my age--LOL!) and I used them...well, with significant frequency, shall we say. Drawbacks? I did get RAGING yeast infections. Turns out, I'm horribly allergic to the Nonoxyl-9 spermicide, and my poor vagina revolted against the sponge.

I was, however, meticulous about following the directions for fear of pregnancy. I'm glad they've reintroduced them, as I think that--as with any BC method--this is a good option for some women. In my thirties, I discovered that I was indeed a fertile-Myrtle, so in retrospect, I can safely say that the sponge worked very well.

My grandparents used them after they had my mom and her older brother - Needless to say, my mom has two younger brothers as a result of the sponge.

This was my mother's warning to use reliable birth control like the pill or condoms, and not the sponge.

Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that some of the "Women of Today" are single? Condoms aren't mentioned so presumably they are recommending that people use the sponge on it's own, without any protection against STDs/STIs. If the women aren't in long term relationships (with the disease testing associated with them) they could catch anything, especially with the nonoxynol-9 issues.
Gross!

I used the sponge--and like many others here had yeast infections and BURNING.

I much preferred the cervical cap--easy, cheap, pretty effective. It works before you've had any children, but the failure rate goes way up after a vaginal delivery (yes I was refitted). That's how kid 2 came along.

I see a common thread in the comments: we need much better contraception.

BY NO MEANS do I recommend the sponge to ANYONE.

My default method of birth control is the Pill, since I am in a monogamous sexual relationship. Last summer, I went on a month-long scuba diving expedition and got an ear infection which required heavy-duty antibiotics, so I decided that me and my partner should use an alternate method in case the antibiotics had affected my Pill's effectiveness. I picked the sponge, and regretted it the next day: I had strange bleeding, pain, and felt ill and light-headed for two days afterwards, not to mention it was almost impossible to remove. Of course I called my gyno, who said that I had simply had an adverse reaction and everything would be fine.

It was fine, we used condoms until the antibiotics were out of my system, and the back to the Pill.

Using the sponge is not worth risking that kind of "adverse reaction", believe me. It was awful. It is my firm belief that a brand of Pill that works for you (+ condom if need be) is the best form of birth control.

I've always been told that the sponge is highly ineffective.
With that said, I have another birth control related question. I have been using the NuvaRing for a couple of years now.I absolutely love it. My insurance used to cover some of the cost,(only about 5.00) making it about 40.00 per month. Now the NuvaRing is being packaged in sets of 3, my insurance will not cover any of it, and they are costing 60.00 a ring. That's 720.00 a year. Is any one else having this problem? I know planned Parenthood is most likely selling them for less, I will probably start going to them. But it seems strange that medication that traditionally goes down in price while on the market is increasing in price. Added to that the insurance companies charge you more because you are female and capable of getting pregnant, yet won't provide adequate coverage for birth control to save themselves the expense of covering your pregnancy and delivery. What the Hell is going on?

Flyinfur: Cats, condoms. Our garbage by our bed is up high where they can't get to it now.

Who knew our male cat would like to eat used condoms?

Sara - My experience with the NuvaRing is similar. I was paying $50 for 3-month packs at a local grocery pharmacy. Then, my insurance company(Priority Health)changed their agreements with the pharmacies in town. Now, to get a 3-month pack I have to do a mail-order pharmacy deal (in order to pay $50 for three months). If I want to support our local economy and business, I have to pay $50 per ring, which costs $50.79 without insurance.

The pharmacist and I had a long talk about it and they were angry too. Turns out our locally owned insurance company is screwing all local pharmacies, because anyone on maintenance meds or bc has to go with Walgreen's mail order system in order to save money on co-pays. Boo. But you might want to check out the mail-order method.

Nuva-Ring side note: My first year was great, then I started having panic attacks that woke me up, pains in my legs, I was exhausted, and I was moody/weepy all of the time. I stopped using the ring and feel 100% better. Who knew? Between the cost and the side effects, it just wasn't worth it.

Sara - My experience with the NuvaRing is similar. I was paying $50 for 3-month packs at a local grocery pharmacy. Then, my insurance company(Priority Health)changed their agreements with the pharmacies in town. Now, to get a 3-month pack I have to do a mail-order pharmacy deal (in order to pay $50 for three months). If I want to support our local economy and business, I have to pay $50 per ring, which costs $50.79 without insurance.

The pharmacist and I had a long talk about it and they were angry too. Turns out our locally owned insurance company is screwing all local pharmacies, because anyone on maintenance meds or bc has to go with Walgreen's mail order system in order to save money on co-pays. Boo. But you might want to check out the mail-order method.

Nuva-Ring side note: My first year was great, then I started having panic attacks that woke me up, pains in my legs, I was exhausted, and I was moody/weepy all of the time. I stopped using the ring and feel 100% better. Who knew? Between the cost and the side effects, it just wasn't worth it.

Thank you madlibpoet. I will look into that. Sorry about your side effects, I had a similar problem with low dose yasmin, then i switched over to the nuvaring.

I too used it the first time around as a backup method while I was in the process of going on the pill. I loved that you could just leave it in for hours of fun. It never caused any problems for me personally.

Curious, but I thought that lactating women did not ovulate. Thus, why would you use a breast-feeding mom as a model for your contraceptive, if she doesn't need one?

FYI, I had a girlfriend in the 80's who used the sponge. She liked it, and said it was easy to insert and remove. You need to think farther ahead than a condom, but not too much so. A later girlfriend had a lot of trouble removing the sponge, so we used condoms until the pill kicked in.

To ShifterCat:

Nonoxynol-9 and Techron are NOT whatsoever the same chemical. I'm a chemist. They have only superficial relatedness, but they are NOT "the same fucking chemical." If you wish to impart knowledge, please know your facts.