Sea sponge tampons, anyone use them?

[NicoAndTheNiners]

I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly and am intrigued by the idea of these. I won't use a mooncup as I've read a couple of posts on here over the years about people struggling to get them out.

And this is my main concern with the sponges, there's no string. How easy are they to remove?

Also how often do you need to get new ones? They're more expensive than tampons but can be washed and reused but at some point apparantly are no good and need binning. Just trying to work out how long I can expect one to last.

Bump

Sea sponges? They are living creatures. That's not environmentally friendly....

Completely agree with PP, how can taking a living creature from the sea, that actually helps with reducing bacteria etc in its locale, be better for the environment? I doubt they only use sea sponges that lived a long and happy life and died a natural death so how much damage is done to the environment in harvesting them I wonder?
metro.co.uk/2016/05/20/why-you-shouldnt-use-sea-sponges-as-a-natural-alternative-to-tampons-5894193/
There’s definitely a need for a viable alternative to regular pads and tampons but I don’t think this is it.

metro.co.uk/2016/05/20/why-you-shouldnt-use-sea-sponges-as-a-natural-alternative-to-tampons-5894193/

Thanks, will give them a miss.

Wouldn't rabbits work better? Bear's use them.

You can buy reusable tampons.

You can get ethically sourced sea sponges. I personally don't fancy the idea but I don't use tampons to start with.

imsevimse.co.uk/faq-reusable-tampons

These seem to be the main brand of reusable tampons.

I was reading about these the other day, and the site selling them said that when they were harvested, the base of the sponge, the root, remains, so that they can regrow. It was claiming that they are sustainably harvested. I haven't looked into it in depth.

I used to use them before I went on to use a mooncup. Easy peasy to use.

I've started to use tampons without the applicator to save the wasted plastic. Non applicators come in a cardboard box but still have film around them (not ideal).

Have you actually tried a mooncup? I love mine (but misplaced my second one) - it takes a couple of goes to get it fitted comfortably but honestly I don't feel it now and seems so much more practical than anything else.

What about period pants? I've just bought some from cheeky wipes and can't wait to try them

I use them....well it's a menstrual sponge so presume it's the same thing. I tried a mooncup and hated that so went onto the sponge and it's so much better. One sponge can last at least six months, about the same fishing about as a mooncup involves but yeah I just found it much more manageable

I had a sponge and found that if I laughed or coughed it would squeeze the contents out to create a huge, sudden leak! (Mooncup worked well.)

I used a synthetic sponge not long ago on a cheeky week end away with dh! Advertised as suitable for sex while using them. Sorry tmi!
Spent half an hour in a tiny shower cubicle like a contortionist panicking that I couldn't get it out!! Dampened the mood to say the least!!. Never again.

If that ever happens again a soak in the bath is good as it will make the sponge heavier and easier to remove. Might not have been an option though by the sounds of it!

A rabbit? Think I could only manage a foot? 🤔

Never tried a mooncup as I have a fear of it getting stuck. Honestly someone had a thread on here once and it went all suction cup like and wouldn't pull out.

And now Easterbunny's post has put me off the sponges even more.

I lost a tampon once up my vagina and the GP had to remove it!

I wouldn't necessarily see killing a living creature as an ethical choice. I know they are thought to not have the capacity to be aware of what is happening to them or feel pain, but we did say the same about everything up to and including human babies for many years, therefore justifying a lack of pain relief or other treatments.

Technically, using whale oil to lubricate machinery or baleen/bone to construct corsets was more environmentally friendly than petrochemicals like oil or plastic - but (I hope) nobody is suggesting we go after them to combat pollution from plastics or reduce oil dependency.

Mooncups are easy to remove for most people, anyway - if they've travelled a bit further up, you just adjust your position and bear down slightly to get it out. And if that doesn't work for anybody, well then they can use something else. but hopefully not a bit of a dead animal

I'm not vegan, by the way. It just seems wrong to kill an animal when there are alternatives.

Give the mooncup a go, it honestly is easy once you have the hang of it.

at the link. Not envy.

I wasn't convinced that thread about the stuck mooncup was true tbh. Again, a warm bath and a rummage would make it easy to remove.

They look like the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. I’ve read too much of the dangers of them.

What about getting a cup like the meluna which has a ring on the bottom of it? Slide a finger to pop the seal and hook it out using the ring,

I might be a bit daft but it hadn't crossed my mind that they were animals!