A sea sponge used to catch the menstrual flow. Although there is some controversy surrounding the use of sponges as an alternative to tampons, they have not been implicated in Toxic Shock Syndrome to the same stent that super absorbent tampons have. The advantages of sponges are that they are reusable and that they do not have mystery ingredients. The sponge can be prepared for use by steaming or boiling for a couple of minutes and by checking for bits of coral or undetected debris.