Most women with painful periods have mild pain that they can treat themselves at home. However, if your pain becomes more severe and is interfering with your usual activities, you should see your doctor. If you are going to use the device occasionally (less than 4-5 days per month) you may just need a device that allows you to change the intensity.

This is the most common type of painful period. This occurs where there is no underlying problem of the womb (uterus) or pelvis. "Primary" means that there's no other health condition causing it. It often occurs in teenagers and in women in their 20s. Secondary dysmenorrhoea The period pain relief offered by Ova + stretches beyond the regular menstrual cramps. It effectively provides pain relief from secondary period pains that are caused by health conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease.

TENS machines stimulate the release of these chemicals, with different types of endogenous opioids released depending on the frequency of stimulation. The electrical impulses can reduce the pain signals going to the spinal cord and brain, which may help relieve pain and relax muscles. They may also stimulate the production of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers. What TENS is used for

Then there’s the concept of endogenous opioids as pain relief. These are pain relieving chemicals the body makes itself.These devices use “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation”, better known as TENS. In other words, they apply small electrical pulses across the skin to stimulate certain types of nerves. TENS machines are not new. They’ve been around since the 1970s and have been used for a variety of painful conditions, from muscular injuries to pain relief in labour. Another option if you also need contraception is to try another type of contraception that contains progestogen. These might also be recommended if you can't have combined hormonal contraception (some people have medical conditions that make it unsafe). Options include the progestogen only contraceptive pill, the progestogen implant, or an injectable progestogen contraceptive. See the separate leaflets called Progestogen-only Contraceptive Pill (POP), Contraceptive Implant, and Contraceptive Injection which describe these options in more detail. A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine If your GP feels that you have secondary dysmenorrhoea, they may arrange further tests (such as an ultrasound scan) or refer you to a specialist (usually a gynaecologist) for their opinion and other investigations. The investigations that are carried out depend on the likely underlying problem. They may include: