Meet Livia, a gadget promising to ‘switch off’ period pain
What if we told you that a gadget could be like a magic wand and make your period pain disappear?
With about three in four reporting experiencing cramps just before or during their period, menstrual cramps can interfere with or even restrict our life on a monthly basis. According to a recent survey, 32% – 40% of people who have periods report this pain is so severe they have to quit running their daily errands.
For those of us who are tired of downloading apps to track our menstrual cycle or Googling how to make the pain go away, Livia appears to be a worthy gadget to invest in. No, Livia is not another hot water bottle or home remedy to reduce period cramps... instead, Livia is said to be the world’s first scientifically proved solution for period pain packed in a portable device.
What is Livia and how does it work?
Livia is a small portable device said to provide instant relief from menstrual cramps. Using technology based on the ‘Gate Control Theory’, its electrode gel pads attached to the lower abdomen transmit gentle electric pulses to soothe the muscles responsible for the unbearable period cramps.
My Livia
Livia Classic, £200
Livia is a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machine. TENS Units are basically nothing more than a substitute that keeps your nerves “busy”, closing the nerve gate so the pain signals won’t reach your brain, and therefore won’t translate into feelings. Although TENS have been widely used since the 1960s, Livia is the first device, goal-oriented to the purpose of reducing period pains.
Livia’s pros
What we valued is its featured +/- buttons which allow the user to personally adjust the transmitted pulses until the pain subsides, choosing between its 16 intensity settings. After all, no one knows the pain you’re going through better than you.
Another plus is its minimalist design and its petite size, allowing the user to reduce unforeseen cramps on the go. Looking alike your mini iPod, Livia is designed to clip to your waistband and can be worn discreetly under outfits. Its battery is made to last for 15 hours, and its rechargeable with a USB cord.
The gadget comes in a pastel colour palette of your choosing, along with four gel stickers. Each pair lasts up to six months and a replacement pack costs $29.
But can a device literally ‘switch off’ severe pain?
In an independent clinical study, 163 women who suffer from ‘significant menstrual pain‘ used Livia and 80% said the device allowed them to eliminate the use of pain medications ‘drastically’ or ‘completely’.
Scrolling through Livia’s reviews, users describe Livia as their successful ‘last hope’. However what was reviewed as a ‘life-changing’ gadget by many, was only a ‘placebo’ for others.
Cosmopolitan and Wired gave the device their thumbs-up and DailyMail.uk wrote an extended review on the £200 gadget responsible for drastically improving a model with adenomyosis life. On another trial, a writer for huffingtonpost.co.uk found pain rescue in ibuprofen when Livia failed to meet her hopes.
Accordingly, clinical studies, as published on Livia’s website, present that 90% of the participants using the gadget reported pain reduction, with only 31% admitting to complete pain relief and 59% reporting moderate relief.
While its success in thoroughly removing or reducing the pain to a bearable level may vary from woman to woman, the gadget does work its miracles from the minute you plug the wires into the device, saving you from the 30+ minutes that pain prescription medications take to alleviate pain.
Unlike traditional pharmaceutical painkillers, Livia is side effect free, FDA approved and with a CE certification (meaning both the US and Europe have considered it safe for use), while TENS technology has long been clinically proven for pain relief.
Other devices promising menstrual pain relief
Livia is not alone on the battlefield in securing a pain-free period for women. The Beurer EM 50 Menstrual Relax is considered to be your ‘assistant’ when it comes to menstrual pain.
Beurer’s pad meets Livia on the TENS non-invasive and drug-free technology and on its extremely thin design, ensuring its discreet fit underneath clothing. Unlike Livia, the portable, rechargeable pad comes with an optional heat function, apart from its 15 TENS intensity levels.
Beurer
EM 50 Menstrual Relax, £84.86
Livia believes that ‘life is too beautiful to spend so much of it in pain’. And they are right. These devices negate the need for large doses of painkillers each month, supplements or diets said to alleviate menstrual pain and saves you from simply lying on your bed with a hot water bottle until you feel better. And although it may not keep up to its promise to completely ‘switch off’ your period pain with the press of a button, it literally won’t hurt to give it a try.
