I Tried the Noha Device and Here’s What I Found

Too often, by the time the cramps start, we don’t have any energy to do much about them. I never feel like going to the store, and I pray there is chocolate and Midol already in the house.

If not, I hunker down as if a storm is coming and make do with whatever’s on hand, even if it’s just tea and graham crackers.

New device for period pain

A company called Ovira has a Noha device that has been a welcome addition to my pain toolkit. It’s a rechargeable system with two tiny paddles, each slightly larger than an Oreo.

You place these against the skin using stickies and click the device on. At first, the 'love handles' (paddles) felt cool and gummy against my midsection. But as soon as they start vibrating, they feel warm and comforting.

Noha has several speeds, and although I try the higher settings, I only like the lowest and slowest ones, which are gentle, buzzing pulsating vibrations. I find the higher speeds more intense, and I imagine they are a good fit when the pain is more intense and stabbing.

But for the first few days of my period, the pain is a pinching concentrated in one area, and the low-level warming and pulsating feels as gentle as an index finger slowly tracing circles right where my pain is.

The device uses TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) technology. It feels like a massage, and it alleviates my cramps.

To be honest, I don’t fully know how it works. What I know is that the massage stimulation feels good.

Perhaps this pleasant touch cancels out the pain of the cramps. I notice the good more than I notice the bad.

Finding something helpful for the discomfort

It does seem, too, that with time, the cramps lessen. I use the Noha for as long as the battery lasts, which for me is about four hours, and during that time, it does seem like the cramps have decreased. As soon as the battery dies, I charge it up again for another round.

The whole system is small and discreet. The power source is no more significant than an old-school pedometer if you remember those. It’s about the side of a ladyfinger cookie.

I work from home and am mostly wearing sweatpants when my period comes. With a mindful wardrobe selection, you could wear the Noha to work. You would just need a waistband to clip the device and perhaps a loose top that would sit below your pant waistline.

Overall, it’s about time technology focused on women’s needs and at-home solutions for everyday problems. For women with endo, sometimes it can feel like we’re left on our own to get through the worst.

Certainly, that’s not true, as we have a community, including this one. I mean that it’s nice that companies like Ovira are creating solutions that, in a way, legitimize our pain.

By devoting time and resources to our pain, devices like this one let us know that our problems are real and deserve solutions.

Because everything else seems superficial, sure the chocolate is delicious, and the pills dull the pain, but with neither of those, I feel seen by the makers of this tiny but mighty device.