I Tried The Period Belt That’s Supposed To Help Decrease Cramps And Menstrual Pain Every Month — Here Are My Honest Thoughts
One of the many annoying things we deal with as women is *drumroll please*...periods!
Although everyone with a period has experienced the dread around a period at least once in their lives, what happens during that experience varies from person to person.
Maybe you're on specific birth control where you don't get your period monthly anymore. Or maybe your period has always been on the lighter and shorter side. Perhaps you experience a heavy flow and excruciating PMS symptoms either leading up to your period and/or during your cycle. Everyone's body is different.
I relate to the latter half: suffering through painful cramps, back pain, and headaches before and during my period week. I wrote a post last year about how I went off of birth control after being on it for seven years. Admittedly, since stopping the pill, my period symptoms got worse.
Nowadays, when it's that time of the month for me I rely on taking a few ibuprofens and rotating a heating pad from my lower abdomen to my lower back. This combo helps to an extent.
On that note, I'm always eager to check out, learn more about, and test out products that ~claim~ to make periods less of a pain in the butt. Enter the My OBI belt — a portable $62 device that can heat and vibrate, and target whatever body part you choose to wear it against. I reached out to the company and they sent me one to test for myself.
So when my most recent period came, I didn't curse my cramps or back pain because, this time around, they gave me an opportunity to try out the OBI belt. It's about looking at the glass half full, right?
I think it's important to note that I told myself I wasn't going to rely on taking any sort of pain reliever, like Tylenol, ibuprofen, or Midol while trying the OBI belt to see how well it actually relieved my symptoms.
At the first sign of a cramp, I adjusted the belt to fit my waist and hit the "on" button on the vibrating side of it. The belt is meant to adjust to fit all sizes and for different body parts depending on where you want to use it.
Note: I did make sure to charge the belt with the USB charger it comes with as soon I received it in the mail so I was prepared once it came time to use it.
In all honesty, I struggled with turning on the vibrating side at first. How? Why? I truly don't know. It definitely could've been my long nails getting in the way because I don't think it should've been this complicated.
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The instructions for the OBI belt are clear: quickly double-tap the button to turn it on. To change the intensity press the button once, and to it turn off, hold and press the button. The same applies whether you're on the heating or vibrating side.
Once I finally turned it on, I started at the lowest vibrating setting until I got used to it. Then, I turned on the heat to the medium setting. I first let the belt do its thing on my lower stomach and then I planned on rotating it to bring some relief to my lower back as well.
Fabiana Buontempo
I've used a heating pad to treat my period symptoms before and although it would help a bit, the pad would eventually get too uncomfortably hot, forcing me to turn it off after some time. My heating pad is annoying because I'm stuck laying next to an outlet!
For some background info: The reason why people use heat to relieve period pain is that according to Healthline, "When you apply heat to the lower abdomen or lower back, uterine contractions are relaxed. Heat also increases blood flow which can help reduce pain."
Considering the belt's USB charge lasts anywhere from two to five hours, depending on the setting, I was happy that I could go about my day without worrying about it turning off or having to sit near an outlet with a long wire attached to me.
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While wearing the belt under my hoodie, I did things like working at my at-home desk, cooking lunch, and walking my dog. Throughout the day, depending on how I was feeling, I adjusted the heating and vibrating settings to make myself more comfortable.
Even on the highest setting, the belt never got too hot where I felt like I had to rip it off before it burnt my skin. If anything, I actually liked the high heat setting because it was incredibly soothing for my cramps, but especially my lower back.
The ideal setting for me was the heat on the highest setting and the vibrations on the medium setting. Speaking of the vibrations — when you first turn it on, it pulses at first before going into a constant, steady vibration.
I was shocked at how I eventually forgot I was wearing the belt because of how comfortably it stayed on my body. Several hours later, when my charge was close to running out, I took off the belt and was very surprised by how much my cramp and lower back pain had subsided. It still lingered a bit but it was much more manageable.
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Overall, I think the OBI belt was really helpful with soothing my period symptoms and letting me go about my normal routine during a painful day when I otherwise would've just wanted to curl up in a ball. Here are my honest thoughts on it:
Will I continue to use it for future period pain?
Yes! I really loved how convenient it was to strap on the belt and go about my business rather than feeling the need to curl up with a heating pad glued to my stomach and back. Usually, when I have period symptoms, it's difficult to move around much, and honestly, all I really want to do is curl up in a ball. The fact that I was able to soothe my pain while moving around and wearing it under clothes was ideal. I've also never used vibration therapy to help with my period pain — since I only relied on a regular heating pad — but I think the combo of the two is what really did the trick with subsiding my pain. Going forward, I plan to use the OBI belt for both of its functions.
How is it different from a regular heating pad?
The OBI belt is much more lightweight than a heating pad and it's portable, meaning you can strap it on your body wherever you need some relief. I was able to strap it on under my clothes and go about my day without relying on sitting near an outlet since the belt runs on a USB charge. The belt wasn't heavy at all to wear under my clothes — the brand's site even claims it weighs less than an apple. It also felt safe enough to keep on my skin without getting a heating pad burn as I've gotten in the past. I do advise everyone to use it with caution and if it's getting too hot, remove it from your skin immediately.
Was it worth the money?
I do feel that over $60 for the OBI belt is a bit pricey. I have my own thoughts about the price of feminine products being expensive so to purchase something for this much money to relieve symptoms from something my body does each month is a bit wild. However, although I was sent this product to test, it did help me a great deal. I loved the fact that I didn't have to spend half my day moaning and groaning about my period symptoms and I was able to actually go about my day without feeling terrible pain. So if you're someone like me, who is tired of relying on heating pads and ibuprofen, it might be worth giving this belt a try.
Was there anything about the belt that I didn't like?
I mentioned this earlier, but I struggled with some of the buttons, which also might be my own fault. Not everyone might have the same trouble with turning the belt on and off but this was my personal experience with it.
It's important to keep in mind that everyone's bodies and experiences are different so what works for me may not work for everyone.
For more information on the OBI belt (€59,95, $62.64) — keep in mind it ships from Spain — visit the brand's site here.
BuzzFeed was sent this product free for review, but was under no obligation to give a positive review.
