EM50 Menstrual TENS + Heat

Things I like -- - It works. It helps with the cramping pain, and that is the number one thing I need this device to do. - Easy to use in terms of the setting. It's pretty brainless, which is what I need when I'm in pain. Up for more, down for less. No calibrating, and no thinking about how far apart to put the TENS pads. - The maroon color is pleasant to me. - I don't know if this was intentional, but mine has a sort of bergamot scent. I am not usually in favor of scents, but this is not bad. Sometimes I buy things and they have a petroleum sort of smell, so this was good that it did not smell weird. - So far, it is easy to re-use. The gel pads stick pretty well. - So far, it has not fallen off. I keep thinking it will fall into the toilet sometime and then the entire thing might not work, but so far it has been good. - The USB recharger is easy to open with a subtle tab. - So far, the charge does last pretty well. - The buttons are raised so you can feel where they are -- this is important because if you're like me and do not have a flat stomach, you are not having to strain to see what is happening. The lights on it easily show you what you are selecting. You have to memorize what order they are in, but that's not hard. - The material is firm but flexes, and is easy to wipe off if you feel you need to. Things that could be better -- - The beeping. It is a lot of beeping. The device beeps when you press the main power button, which you have to do to turn it on, to select the combination type of treatment, to turn it off, and at the end of each session, which is only 20 minutes long. So if you use this device, every 20 minutes it is beeping, and then you have to make it beep again to start a new session, and it beeps when you select the initial intensity level. So far I am using this at home so it doesn't matter in terms of being discreet, but it is annoying, and if I were trying to use this in public/at work it would not be discreet at all. My hard-to-ruffle husband said, "Does it have to beep all the time?" I scoured the instructions -- unfortunately, the answer is yes. There is no setting to turn off the beeping. - It is weird every 20 minutes having to stop what I am doing and reach into my front of my pants to restart this device. Again, I am using this at home, so it doesn't matter much to me, but it would be awkward/impossible at a lot of workplaces or other public places. - The heat function is okay if you are looking for an extremely subtle amount of heat. I stopped selecting for it because I cannot tell it is on and I am thinking maybe it will make the charge last longer if I only run the TENS. - You get one set of gel pads. I would have liked to get two sets as this device is basically not useable without the gel pads, and it seems reasonable and courteous to the customer to pack an extra set in case of error when first learning to apply the gel pads, or some dysfunction with them etc. - Again, I do not have a flat abdomen, but with this on me I have an additional lumpy quality from the middle part. This is just the way it is with the manta ray sort of design this has, and doesn't bother me that much as I am not yet using this in public, but if you are, you need clothing which will obscure the device. - They state in the directions not to sleep with this, and I have not tried to, but I agree with the manufacturer that it is not a good idea. Unless you want something to only work for 20 minutes while you go to sleep, this device is not a good choice for pain relief when sleeping. It stops after 20 minutes with a beep, then has to be reactivated with more beeping that unless you sleep alone could be annoying to whoever else is in the room with you. Also, I am thinking that if you sleep on your stomach that could be bad for this device. So they do not claim that you can/should use this during sleep so keep that in mind with your expectations and you will be okay. I hope this review is helpful to someone!

I am typically not someone to leave reviews - but this is REALLY, REALLY BAD! This item seemed promising at first. It worked fine for about a week. I was thrilled because my period cramps are extremely painful and this device eased some of the pain. However, it quickly stopped working, starting with the buttons flashing orange and a beeping noise about 20 times, then would turn off. I am under the impression that this is a sign of low battery level, but in this case, I could charge it for hours upon hours and it STILL WOULD NOT COME ON. Now, it won’t light up at all and is completely dead no matter how long it sits on the charger. Mind you, I returned one of these devices a couple months ago because it stopped working, and got a new one in the mail, but the new one doesn’t work either, and now I am past my return date. I am very disappointed, especially considering this item was not necessarily cheap. I would NOT recommend this to ANYONE!

My periods are very painful. I have an active job. I can't just take off 2 days per month to stay in bed with a heating pad, taking pain killers that destroy my stomach. After seeing an ad on social media for a TENS device, I went to Amazon. I wanted something that would hide under my clothes, and I didn't want to spend too much on it in case it didn't work, and this one fit those two requirements. Plus it has heat, which helps anyway, and I wouldn't have to keep buying those adhesive heating pads because my skin doesn't really like adhesive and they fall off easily, plus they're pretty wasteful. (It's not great to have to decide between being in pain or being itchy.) This device actually works! The tingling took some getting used to, but it really did take away the pain, and lasted even after the device shut off. The heat was really nice. Yes, I still had to take Tylenol, but that's easy on my stomach. I was able to work without being completely miserable, either in pain or extremely nauseated. I just wish the battery lasted a little longer, and that you could shut off the beeping. I really have no complaints for this device. It's inexpensive, it works, it hides under my clothes, has heat, and actually stays stuck to my skin. I've recommended this to a friend, and I think I'm going to purchase a second one so I can always have one fully charged and ready to go.

This works perfectly to help relieve my cramps. I am on my feet for 10 hours at work and use this under my clothes. I wear a white coat, which does helps to conceal it better but I don't think it is that noticeable when I wear it. If I wore more form-fitting clothing, that may be a different story. The raised buttons allow me to adjust the settings through my work pants but this would not be possible to do with thicker material such as jeans. I usually need this after lunch, so I wear it for about 5-6 hours of my work day. I use an electrode gel on my abdomen first to increase the longevity of the pads. When fully charged, the battery has lasted for the whole 5 hours at work plus 30 minutes on my drive home without dying. The heat is not great. I can't really tell the difference if it is on or off, so I don't use it as much. There are replacement pads available but it would be nice to get more than one set. The beeping is not super loud, but my technicians can hear it when I push the buttons. Overall, I am satisfied with this and plan to buy a second unit.