I know you can supposedly leave sea sponges in when you have sex, but yeah, I'd imagine that semen is going to increase the mess factor. Plus, I've heard from some friends that it absorbs vaginal lubrication (which makes sense to me), making dryness a possible issue.
If you go ahead with it, just make sure you clean the sponge really, really well afterward (maybe boil it). But I find that putting an old towel down works fine.
Depending on your comfort level, and whether the strings are curled up rather than sticking down, you may be able to use the instead still. The warnings are a reflection of the possibility of snagging a string and removing the IUD, if your strings are not hanging down at all, this is very unlikely to happen.
Obviously, nothing is perfect, but it works well for some women to use the instead despite the IUD. Alternatively, old towels are grand. :)
Yea, for how light my periods are I don't feel like it's worth it to take the risk (though my strings are curled up). I think I might try out the sponge with condomless sex, and if it's not ideal, I'll just go back to the towel.
No sex in my world at this time, but I got one of my girl friends hooked on sea pearls, and she said she quite liked having it in when she had sex because it reduced the drip factor afterward. ;) She didn't mention if it was particularly harder to clean with semen than just with blood, and I didn't think to ask - but she probably would have mentioned if it had been a lot worse. So I would presume that it's not significantly harder to handle. :)
I'm excited to see that a bunch of people like them. I've seen many complaints ("They'll deteriorate and you'll die D:") but that's what I've been wanting to switch to. And now that I have my first postpartum period, it's so light that tampons have been painful.
Interesting, my periods suddenly came back after about 1.5 years too.
I don't think it's any messier than the sponges regularly get, but then I am used to having to scrape mucus off the sponge with my fingernail. Semen comes off easier, actually. And completely disintegrates in the peroxide I usually clean the sponge in anyway. So, no messier than usual.
Oh great! Yea, the mucus is definitely difficult to get out with just water/soap.
I'm hoping this is a fluke...I've had my IUD since March of 2008, and I had semi-light periods for a while. Then they went entirely away (minus spotting that is barely worth mentioning), and now it seems I'm having one that, while not *heavy* or even regular, will leak onto my underwear unless I'm wearing something.
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If you go ahead with it, just make sure you clean the sponge really, really well afterward (maybe boil it). But I find that putting an old towel down works fine.
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Obviously, nothing is perfect, but it works well for some women to use the instead despite the IUD. Alternatively, old towels are grand. :)
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I don't think it's any messier than the sponges regularly get, but then I am used to having to scrape mucus off the sponge with my fingernail. Semen comes off easier, actually. And completely disintegrates in the peroxide I usually clean the sponge in anyway. So, no messier than usual.
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I'm hoping this is a fluke...I've had my IUD since March of 2008, and I had semi-light periods for a while. Then they went entirely away (minus spotting that is barely worth mentioning), and now it seems I'm having one that, while not *heavy* or even regular, will leak onto my underwear unless I'm wearing something.
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