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- [Instructor] A woman's reproductive system includes
the vagina, cervix, uterus,
fallopian tubes and ovaries.
During vaginal sex
between a man and a woman,
semen passes out of the man's penis
into the woman's vagina in a process
called ejaculation, semen contains
tens of millions of sperm.
From the vagina,
sperm can pass through the cervix, uterus
and fallopian tubes
to fertilize an egg from the woman's body.
Fertilization of the egg marks the beginning
of human development.
A birth control sponge is a temporary method
for women to prevent pregnancy,
also known as birth control or contraception.
The sponge is made of soft foam.
It has a dimple on one side
and a short cotton loop attached.
The sponge prevents pregnancy in two ways.
First, the sponge covers the woman's cervix
to prevent sperm in the man's semen
from entering her uterus.
Second, the sponge contains a substance
called spermicide that kills sperm.
Birth control sponges are widely available
without a prescription.
To use a sponge, wash your hands
and remove it from its package.
Wet the sponge completely with clean water.
Squeeze the wet sponge a few times
to activate the spermicide inside the sponge.
Next, hold the sponge with the dimple side facing up
and fold the sponge upward.
With the loop hanging down,
insert the folded sponge into the vagina.
Push the sponge as far into the vagina
as it will go with one or two fingers.
When the sponge is released,
it will unfold and cover the cervix.
Check with your fingers to make sure the cervix
is completely covered by the sponge
and the loop hangs down in the vagina.
A woman can have sex right away
or up to 24 hours after inserting the sponge.
Do not leave the sponge in place for more than 30 hours.
To remove it, insert a finger into the vagina
to find the sponge's loop.
Hook a finger in the loop
and pull down slowly and gently.
After removing the sponge,
throw it in the trash.
A birth control sponge
is about 90% effective at preventing pregnancy
if a woman uses the sponge correctly
every time she has sex.
This means about 10 out of 100 women
will become pregnant each year.
Sponges are about 85% effective with typical use
which means about 15 out of 100 women will become pregnant
if they don't always use a sponge
or don't always use it correctly
every time they have sex.
Using the sponge does not protect either sexual partner
from getting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.