JJ (El Paso Texas) on 03/18/2026

She mentioned that she tried sponges after a pessary did not work for her... And that her favorite sponge was a natural sea sponge... I went straight to the natural sea sponges and they have worked beautifully (found mine in Hobby Lobby).

I'll add that before inserting the sponge, I spread some coconut oil over it so it will not feel so dry. Figured out that a plastic tube (like those that perhaps contain a lotion sample) that's about 4 inches long and about 3/4 of an inch at the lid works very well to push the sponge further up so that it will stay.( Holding the tube from the more narrow part - at the bottom and pushing the flat lid up against the sponge) I did find that I had to play around with the size of the sponges; the ones that are more airy and have more holes work best.

I change the sponge twice a day and clean it with soap and warm water, after rinsing it, I wring it out and spray it with alcohol.

Also, as mentioned elsewhere in this site, I do find that constipation or hard stools can make things worse, and can even cause the sponge to start coming out if it's really bad.

So now I add just about half a capful or more of apple cider vinegar to the water I have with meals once or twice a day and that's enough to take care of that concern.

I hope this is as helpful to others as it has been for me! 🙏