I am a fan of the sponge. But they need to stop teasing, for real.
At one time the Today Sponge, a spermicide-coated polyurethane barrier placed in the vagina to inhibit sperm, was the most popular form of over-the-counter birth control for women. Now, a new distributor is introducing it again this weekend, hoping to reclaim that status.Introduced in 1983, the sponge first disappeared from drugstores in 1994 after some manufacturing problems. It reappeared in 2005 under new ownership, which spent millions to promote the brand before selling it to another company. That new proprietor declared bankruptcy in late 2007, taking the Today Sponge out of production last year.
I remember when the sponge came back in 2007, and I started to use it soon after. Then *poof*, gone. So let's hope the Today sponge is here to stay - because the more contraceptive options women have, the better!
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I think we need a Seinfeld clip......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qpSFXzlKYw
Beat me to it.
I have been chasing this product for over a year attempting to figure out where it went and why it disappeared. Fortunately, it was never a problem with the product itself.
I am beyond THRILLED that it is back. I've signed up at mytodaysponge.com for more more info as to when I can buy my first box.
The Today Sponge is currently available now at CVS Drugstores or online at www.todaysponge.com, the official website of the Today Sponge. It will soon be available at Walgreens, Duane Reade and Rite Aid drugstores.
One other company that has the Today Sponge and other hormone-free contraceptives and natural and organic sexual health products is Naturally for Her.
Great, except for the fact that the nonoxynol-9 it's soaked in assists in the transmission of HIV.
Not just HIV. The spermicide irritates the vaginal wall and causes small cuts that make any infection more likely to spread.
And even if you're not worried about STDs, nonoxynol-9 gives a lot of women yeast infections.
oh, that's what happened...
Actually, that is not what happened. I even placed a call to the FDA for confirmation. They never lost FDA approval and product safety was not in question.
The former owner/manufacturer of the product had issues with the water filtration system in their plant, where they also produced other health products. Instead of changing their system, which was extremely costly, they closed the plant and sold the assets (the sponge) to another company.
In terms of how birth control is handled in the US, one really should consider that big pharmaceutical companies are determined to keep millions of women on totally toxic hormone-based contraceptives. It is all about the bottom line -- not your health and safety. They do not want competition from products like the sponge.
Would any contraceptive sponge fans explain its special appeal? It's always nice for there to be more contraceptive methods, especially ones that can be controlled by women, but I'm curious about the reasons that some people have found that this is better than condoms or diaphragms (especially since according to the stats on their website, the sponge is slightly less effective)?
Yeah, I don’t get it either. I used it once and it was miserable. I followed the instructions and when I pulled it out, I had the worst yeast infection of my life! (Sorry if that was TMI!) I don’t know maybe I didn’t do it right.
I’ve always been a fan of condoms, but I’ve always had partners who were good with them/about using them. One of my first boyfriends told me: “if any dude ever whines at you that it doesn’t feel right or whatever and doesn’t want to use one, he’s an a**hole, OK?” never was a nicer thing said to an 18 year old!
Well, I was a fan of the Protectaid sponge too. It's good as a birth control method that doesn't take planning. They're available over the counter (or mail order) so you don't need a doctor to fit you like you do for a diaphragm; you don't have to deal with hormones and making sure you take the pill every day. If you have a doctor phobia it's great. Also it's not just men who might prefer not to use a condom. No good against disease of course.
If you're really, really worried about getting pregnant, it's also a good back up method- you can double up with the pill or a condom.
Good point, Taq.
No birth control method is 100%. Couples who don't want an unintended pregnancy should double up on the contraceptives.
The Protectaid Sponge was discontinued and is no longer available.
I think one of the best aspects of the sponge is that it can be purchased over the counter at a great price point. I always felt empowered by the fact that I did not have to rely on a physician or prescription to obtain reliable, safe and convenient birth control. The other aspect is that it is comfortable and easy to use. I have always been surprised when I've heard complaints about it being noticeable during sex as I find it very unobtrusive and I have never had an issue with removal.
IMO, the bottom line is that women need more non-hormonal options for birth control and having the sponge back on the market is a positive step in that direction.
Yes, agreed. There are plenty of women who can't use hormonal birth control for medical reasons, and thus it's important to have non-hormonal options available that can be combined with condoms to get a reasonable effectiveness rate.
Carol3, the sponge has some big advantages over condoms, though each advantage is only going to apply to certain people. You can use it without interrupting the sex act. Some people are turned off by the mechanics of stopping in the heat of the moment to fumble for a condom. Some people feel insecure without having some tangible reminder of safe sex, so the condom interruption reassures them and they don't want to get rid of it.
There are also women who like being able take charge of birth control themselves, even when they have sex with a man who won't use a condom. The sponge lets a woman do that without hormones, and without getting a diaphragm fitted.
Some people are allergic to latex. The chemical is a "sensitizer," which means exposure can make the allergy worse, even if it starts as such a mild allergy nobody notices it. Condoms are made of latex, but the sponge is made of polyurethane. Some people are sensitive to N9. Some are sensitive to latex. The main thing is to make more choices available.
Thanks everyone for the info! Very interesting. It's always great for there to be more options for everyone's different needs, so yay for the return of the sponge!
I used them for years, but I always preferred the Protectaid brand over Today. I found it to be less irritating and less likely to cause a yeast infection.
Of course, I had to order them from Canada, but it was worth the postage (especially back in the days when the exchange rate heavily favored Americans).
I found out during the awkward pre-college sex talk that the reason why my older brother is here is because of a Sponge that didn't quite do its job..
My older brother was a condom baby
My little sister is a tubal cautery baby...
My little sister was conceived AFTER my dad had his tubes tied.
To tell the whole story, it was his fault. He was supposed to wait a while to be sure he was shooting blanks, but my mom took him out for a nice dinner I guess.
Oh! And the doctor who did the surgery (colleague of my pops') did his OWN vasectomy as well. It didn't take.
Effectiveness in preventing pregnancy would be my main concern. I'm always on the lookout for non-hormonal options but haven't found any reliable enough.
But still, great news that it's back. I know a lot of women who love(d) it.
Yay! I'm glad that there's another alternative being marketed, and I will probably try it. I'm totally against hormonal birth control, and I've "been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt" for almost every kind of birth control method that's non-hormonal (and as vegan as possible, because I'm also vegan, and a lot of latex condoms use animal ingredients). Oh, I'm in a relationship with a fertile dude. We found this out during an unplanned pregnancy after I'd been faithfully using a diaphragm with nonoxyl-9 spermicide for a year.
It's such a huge hassle for all the folks who are committed to non-hormonal methods. I recently had a huge yeast infection after returning to nonoxyl-9 spermicide, but after I got used to it, it was okay. I hope that lots more alteratives come out on the market and that the sponge is really popular.
I recently took part in a research study for a silicon diaphragm called "SILCS" that might eventually be sold over the counter (because it's more pliable than a latex one). It was awesome, but they took it away after the study was over. Bummer.