Sponges containing spermicide were popular in the 1980s and 1990s. But they dropped out of fashion for some years, before making a recent reappearance.

The ‘Today Sponge’ is a soft polyurethane sponge, containing nonoxinol-9.

The idea is that you place it over your cervix – so it forms a barrier, as well as being spermicidal. There's a small loop on the underside to make it easy for you to remove.

In 1995, the manufacturers ceased making it, purely because of commercial reasons. But some years later, an American pharmaceutical company bought the patent. They re-introduced it to the USA in 2005, and it's now available again in Canada and some parts of Europe. It may well return to UK pharmacies soon.

The Protectaid contraceptive sponge is a polyurethane barrier device, impregnated with three spermicides: nonoxinol-9, BKC and sodium cholate. It's available in Canada, and worldwide online.

The Pharmatex contraceptive sponge is a foam cylinder, containing BKC. It's available in Europe, and also online.

Note: please don't use sponges while you're menstruating because they may increase the risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS).