Reviews

    Product Review: Tap Tens Unit – Tap away the period pain

    As a uterus owner I’ve grown accustomed to the pain that comes each month during my menstrual cycle. After teenage years spent doubled over in agony, birth control helped control the pain until I had to go off while we worked to conceive. Jokes on me that it took 5 years and brought me right back to the reason I needed to go on birth control in the first place. Now that I don’t particularly want to go back on hormonal birth control I need a better way to manage the pain, without taking handfuls of pain medication.

    Enter Tap – a wearable tens device designed specifically for period pain. TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. TENS units are small, portable devices that deliver low-level electrical impulses to specific areas of the body through adhesive electrode pads placed on the skin. These electrical pulses stimulate the nerves in the targeted area and can modulate pain perception, providing a natural and non-invasive way to manage pain.

    I’ve been curious about how a tens unit might be able to help and was excited to try the device out for myself when they reached out.

    After two months of trial, I can confidently say it helps, ALOT. I’ve been told the reason for my severe cramping is related to uterine fibroids, a fairly common condition that causes no other medical challenges. That said, being curled up in a ball for several days each month isn’t an option between work and taking after a toddler.

    The device itself is smaller than a compact mirror, and easily charges with a standard USB. You can select from one of two electrode pad configurations and the pads are reusable for several uses if you store them properly. The electrodes connect to the device and a simple button push turns the unit on for one hour at a time.

    The feeling itself is not unlike what a woman experiences during pregnancy as the early flutters – which is unsettling at first – but not painful. You can easily select a level of intensity that’s best for you and personally I used the highest setting due to the severity of my cramping. I’ve found it works best with continuous use, even when the pain has somewhat dwelled, because otherwise it might surge back up again without warning.

    Each electrode pad is supposed to work for up to 3 months, but I would recommend buying extra sets upfront as mine easily stuck to my clothing meaning the sticky pad was no longer effective sooner then intended. I’m not sure if they will continue to work over several months but I’ll order more and see if I can do a better job of preventing it from getting stuck to fabric.

    I personally preferred the butterfly shaped pad, as it was a bit more consistent of a feeling with the electric taps and the unit itself didn’t need to be clipped to anything to stay connected.

    Overall when combined with a light heat pad and a low dose of Tylenol I was really pleased with the results. The pain is not entirely gone, but again I have extremely severe cramps so I wouldn’t expect them to disappear like magic. Tap made my period a thousand times more manageable and I wish I had found them earlier!

    Disclaimer: I was provided a review unit to facilitate the development of this content. I did not receive any other compensation and all images and opinions are my own.