This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Method of use

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The sponge is moistened with a little water which, as a result of the spermicide, may cause it to look and feel foamy. The sponge is then folded in half with the dimple up and the loop down, and slipped into the vagina as high as possible so that the dimple fits over the cervix. The patient should slide one or two fingers up the side of the sponge to ensure that the cervix cannot be felt.

The sponge remains effective for 24 hours during which time, intercourse is not restricted. Following intercourse, it should be remain in place for six hours.

The sponge is removed by pulling gently it's loop. It should be thrown away and not flushed down the toilet. If the loop cannot be found, the sponge should be grasped between the middle and index finger, and then pulled.

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.