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After 8 Years – An Old Option Returns Several hundred women are finally breathing a sigh of relief and awaiting the delivery of a birth control product that they ordered up to two years ago. Yes, the Today Sponge has returned to the birth control market, in Canada that is. So, what does this mean to women in the US? If you live close to the Canadian border, you will be able to drive across into Canada and purchase the Today Sponge at many retail outlets. For the rest of the women that don't live near the border, you can make your purchase online. The company, Allendale Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is currently filling orders that have been placed over the past two years, and expects to have the sponge available throughout Canada by the end of this month. Allendale is hoping for FDA approval to market and sell the Today Sponge in the US within a year. The original patent holders, Wyeth Labs, was informed by the FDA in 1995 that their manufacturing plant needing to be upgraded. Wyeth decided to remove the Today Sponge from the market instead of making the needed changes at their manufacturing plant. Allendale purchased all the machinery and the patent for the sponge from Wyeth in 1998, but tougher FDA standards kept the company from offering the sponge to the public as quickly as they had hoped to.
When Wyeth removed the sponge from the market rumors started flying that it was removed because of safety issues, or because of the sponge not being an effective form of birth control. These rumors are coming back now that the sponge is coming back. Take heart consumers, the rumors are not true. The Today Sponge is an effective form of birth control, and it is one of the better options for women that can't or won't use hormonal methods. Because the sponge contains spermicide and not synthetic hormones, women that have had reproductive cancer, breast cancer, or other medical conditions can use the sponge. The sponge is also a little more 'user friendly' than the condom is, as it is not felt by either partner during intercourse. Excerpt from the course Birth Control: Your Options! – "The sponge should not be used during menstruation, after childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, or other pregnancy termination, and should not be used by women that have had TSS in the past. It is also best not to use the sponge if a vaginal infection or irritation is present. Typical use effectiveness is between 84% and 87%, but with perfect use, the effectiveness increases to between 89% and 91%." It is unfortunate that women have had to wait so long for a previously approved method to return to the marketplace. The good news is that it is now available in Canada, and it does not require a prescription or a fitting. The bad news is that the US is still waiting, but hopefully not for much longer. You can learn more about the Today Sponge, and about several other birth control options available in the US with the Suite University course Birth Control: Your Options! There are two web sites that currently sell the Today Sponge: * Birthcontrol.com
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