Newest Form of Old Birth Control

Okay, I’m pretty sure that the last people to ever use “Sponges” as a contraceptive method were our moms…maybe our grandmas. Well, that might be a little overdramatic. I think Elaine on Seinfeld was the last person to discuss their death on that famous Sponge episode. And seriously, the thought of using a Sponge nowadays is as obsolete as the idea of boy bands making a comeback.

So, it came as a surprise to me when I saw an article in the New York Times reporting that “The Sponge is Back, With a More Modern Approach.”

Apparently, the pharmaceutical company has updated the packaging for the Today Sponge from conservative and feminine looking to pictures of “hip-looking women, playful typography, and colors that officials call ‘fuchsia and wine.’”

Interesting marketing ploy, but I have a hard time believing that young women will start using the Sponge again, mainly for the statistics of inefficacy.

“16 percent of American women who had never given birth and may have used the sponge incorrectly or inconsistently became pregnant within a year, while 32 percent of women who had given birth and used the sponge this way became pregnant. The pregnancy rate for women who relied on condoms for birth control and may have used them incorrectly or inconsistently was 15 percent, while the rate for women using birth control pills in this way was 8 percent.”

So, I struggle to understand why anyone would choose to use the Sponge if it has such a low efficacy rate compared to other forms? I am also ashamed to admit that I hardly even know how the Sponge works. I looked into this and found all the info I ever needed to know on Wikipedia. “The sponges are inserted vaginally prior to intercourse and must be placed over the cervix to be effective.” Sounds messy and gross.

Yet, there are some advocates of the Sponge and they make good points. For one, it was convenient to buy. You didn’t need a prescription and could buy it at a local drugstore. Also, you avoided any complications with pills and how that may affect you chemically, emotionally, etc.

Will the Sponge be a big hit and make a comeback? Hard to tell, but my guess is no. Yet, I do think it is a step in the right direction for there to be many alternative forms of contraception offered so girls have a number of options to pick from depending on their preferences and bodies.