Once every month, the uterus sheds its lining; that’s what’s referred to as menstruation. We as women are supposed to embrace and celebrate it as it’s a part of womanhood. However, sometimes the pains can really get horrible.
Celebrating your body and femininity is the last thing you’ll be thinking about as your uterus goes through the contractions caused by menstrual cycles. During your periods, it’s normal to experience some discomfort, minor pains, and slight cramping. However, it’s not normal if you experience excessive pain.
The condition is known as dysmenorrhea, and there are two types: primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. When you experience pain during your menstruation, and before it starts, then you’re experiencing primary dysmenorrhea. If your cycle starts normally and becomes painful later, it’s secondary dysmenorrhea.
It is caused by the production of excessive hormones in the uterus, known as prostaglandins, that will induce the uterus’ contraction. Blood supply to the uterus is temporarily stopped when the contractions are too intense. It may lead to a lack of oxygen on the uterus muscles, and hence the period cramps begin. Some conditions are associated with painful periods, including endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. 50% of women go through menstrual pain every month.
There are several ways menstrual pain can be stopped, from natural methods to devices and medicinal solutions. Advil certainly helps, but sometimes it’s good to try other means that don’t involve the use of medicine. Medical devices have been developed to help with dealing with different medical conditions at home. There’s a solution for menstrual pain through the use of Livia.
What is Livia?
This is a small electronic device that’s designed to help you get relief from period pain. All you must do is clip it on, turn it on, and start working on your pain. With Livia, you get relief from period pain without consuming any drugs. It works by locking away pain by stimulating the nerves. Livia is FRA approved. According to a clinical study done on 163 women to test the device’s effectiveness. The results that came back were promising. Over 80% of women agree that the method works, and they’ve reduced the use of medicine consumption significantly. Others don’t take any at all. An innovative device that is certainly worth trying.
Livia by iPulse Medical
Price when reviewed: $149.00
The type of pain relief method used by Livia has proven to be effective. There have been several clinical studies conducted that have proven it works well. This solution is highly recommended for the use of getting rid of menstrual pain. The electronic device is approved by the FDA and CE under the supervision of renowned women’s medicine expert Professor Bari Kaplan. Therefore you can be sure it’s not going to harm you when you use it.
This device was invented by iPulse Medical, a start-up company in Israel that focuses on making Femtech products. Livia is the brand’s primary device that has achieved maximum success. Chen Nachum is the one who founded the company. The product was launched on Indiegogo, which is a crowdfunding site, in April of 2016. Despite being financed by Indiegogo, Livia has grown to be very successful. By 2018 it had made sales of up to $1,741,622. The company was awarded the Gold prize for Health & Wellness in the Women’s Wellbeing category at the Edison Awards in 2018. It has now expanded and has distributors globally.
How does Livia work?
This product operates as a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) machine. TENS aren’t products that have just been recently discovered. They have been in use from as early as the 1960s in the treatment of different conditions and pain in the muscles. They’re all clinically proven to work through stopping pain from getting to the brain. Livia releases vibrations that move to the brain faster than pain and hence get rid of the feeling of pain. This is because the brain can only focus on one thing at a time, and it will focus more on the vibrations instead of the pain.
Despite TENS machines being around for years, none had ever been designed to help relieve menstrual pain. Livia is the first product to do this. The vibrations were mainly made for the purpose of getting rid of the period pain. You get quick relief by using the device through electrodes being positioned over peripheral nerves. It also helps with the production of beta-endorphins which help with activating your natural response to pain.
Who can use the device?
Having a CE certification and being FDA approved makes Livia safe to use for every woman who experiences menstrual pain. It does not include any side effects that may affect your health. However, every woman is different, and an individual’s body can respond differently from how another person’s body responds.
The women who should stay away from the device are women in their first trimester of pregnancy, those who are getting fertility treatment, and those that have pacemakers.
How do you use Livia?
Livia has a pair of gel pads that are attached to it. You can stick the gel pads on your skin around the area where you’re feeling pain. Then it automatically clips onto whatever clothing you have on. You’ll feel the relief immediately with the device. The battery lasts long, and it can work for 15 hours without you having to charge it again. You won’t be required to use batteries since there’s a power pack that can be recharged where electrodes are attached.
It contains an LED indicator that shows you what level you have adjusted the device to. It’s also possible to adjust it from low to high intensity with 16 intensity settings available. The package comes with four gel stickers that can go for up to six months. If you want to get a replacement pack, then you’ll only pay $29. You get a variety of colors to choose from depending on your taste. So you can have fun switching the colors for only $12 into textured patterns, red, and black.
Product description
The Livia package comes packed with: 1 Livia device, one pair of flower pads (electrodes), disposable gel pads that can last for three months, one carrying case, one USB charging cable, blue, green, or lavender skin color. Numerous skin colors or textures are available separately on the Livia website to personalize Livia to your taste.
Livia’s mode of action is 100% natural. The company’s state-of-the-art technology works by using external pulses to stimulate the nerves found in the body tissues to prevent pain. No tolerance build-up and use of chemicals. The device works by relieving headaches, menstrual pain, fatigue, bloating, and backaches.
Electrodes transmit electric pulses to areas prone to cramping, in order to block the pain. Just clip it and turn it on. Could not be simpler.
Pros
- Livia is very easy to use. It’s so easy to apply. You get the electrode flower pads that you attach to your skin pre-applied with gel for application ease. The only thing you need to focus on is charging the device. Afterward, you place the electrodes on the areas you’re experiencing pain.
- It offers you the ideal solution of getting pain relief without the use of any drugs. Taking a lot of medicine can have adverse side effects on your body, including dizziness, nausea, or heartburn, among others. Livia does the job of getting rid of menstrual pain using technology, so you don’t have to worry about any side effects, like the ones many women often suffer from when using various medicines.
- The device is small hence offering easy mobility. You can place it under your clothing and move around with it if you need to get some things done. When you first look at it, you’d think it’s an old-school mp3 player. It doesn’t include a bunch of plugs and cables.
- It works extremely fast. Within 30 seconds of placing it on your skin, it starts taking effect. This shows it works much faster than how you’d wait for painkillers to take effect or other treatments.
- It’s scientifically proven to work efficiently. The technology used by the device is the gate control theory to block the signals of pain.
Cons
- The device can’t be used when you’re charging it.
- It doesn’t offer pain relief as fast as it’s advertised, especially for people with severe menstrual cramps and those who have endometriosis.
- The sticking gel of the flower pads doesn’t always stay on when you’re moving around. It doesn’t properly hold on to the skin and needs constant pressing down to make it work.
- The charge may not be enough for a whole night’s sleep.
In a nutshell
All in all, Livia is an impressive product despite the minor setbacks it has. The fact that it offers a drug-free solution and no side effects is a huge plus. The device is so small and therefore won’t stick out under your clothes while you’re wearing it. Everyone’s body works differently, and the results vary from one person to another.
However, that’s not a problem since the company offers a money-back guarantee if the device doesn’t work as expected. The settings can also be increased or lowered depending on how intense you want the vibration. You can combine the use of this device with other means of menstruation pain relief like exercise.