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Joy Ma\u017eulyt\u0117, 26, from London, tried a \u00a3499 device that claims to help with period painsCredit: Supplied 8<\/p>\n Joy wearing the Nettle headband – she says it felt like “nettle stings”, which is similar to the side effects described by the companyCredit: Supplied 8<\/p>\n The headband sends low current, electrical pulses (transcranial direct current stimulation or \u2018tDCS\u2019) via electrodes to the parts of the brain that handle pain and moodCredit: Supplied 8<\/p>\n tDCS has shown promise in managing conditions like depression, chronic pain, and even anxiety, a GP told Sun HealthCredit: Samphireneuro<\/p>\n That\u2019s despite it impacting at least 90 per cent of women.\u00a0<\/p>\n Research by Wellbeing of Women found that millions of women in the UK suffer with severe period pain<\/a> and bleeding every month<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 2023 survey also found that one in 10 girls aged 12 to 18 feel their symptoms are so debilitating<\/a> it makes their lives not worth living.<\/p>\n Like so many others, Joy Ma\u017eulyt\u0117, 26, from London<\/a>, had reached a point where her periods were crippling.<\/p>\n Read more on women’s health<\/p>\n \u201cMy menstrual cycle <\/a>has always been difficult to manage, but it got considerably worse when I had an IUD <\/a>[coil] put in, in 2020,\u201d the photographer tells Sun Health.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter that I started bleeding heavily for at least seven days every month, I couldn\u2019t stand up with the pain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so debilitating, and had a seriously negative impact on my work and social life.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor at least one to two days a month, I was unable to function and had to cancel plans, missing some important celebrations.\u201d<\/p>\n But, after years of resorting to over-the-counter painkillers that didn\u2019t work as well as trying other remedies like stretching, Joy finally found the relief she has longed for.<\/p>\n It was Joy\u2019s best friend Akvil\u0117, a doctor, who pointed her in the direction of a new device called \u2018Nettle\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n The menstrual cycle and hormones explained<\/p>\n The futuristic-looking headband is designed to transform symptoms of PMDD and endometriosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it comes at a cost – of \u00a3499.<\/p>\n It works by using low current, electrical pulses (transcranial direct current stimulation or \u2018tDCS\u2019<\/a>) delivered directly via electrodes to the parts of the brain that handle pain and mood – the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and motor cortex.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Joy spotted they were running trials in London and were looking for volunteers to test the headband, she jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really know anything about it, I just totally trusted my friend,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when I was chosen to take part, and it was all explained to me I remember thinking it was going to be historic – a breakthrough in women\u2019s health<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Nettle creator, Emil\u0117 Radyt\u0117, tells Sun Health: \u201cI invented Nettle after realising that women’s hormones were not being considered in psychiatric treatments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe spent three years with Samphire Neuroscience developing and testing Nettle\u2019s technology to make it available for women all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Feedback from the early trials and users on the app, have shown many women not only struggle with PMS and period pain but often experience PMDD<\/a>, endometriosis<\/a>, ADHD<\/a>, autism<\/a> and other pain and mood disorders, Emil\u0117 says.<\/p>\n Joy was given a headband to take home as part of the clinical trial, and was told to wear it for 20 minutes a day, five days before her period was due to start.<\/p>\n \u201cIt literally feels like a nettle sting,\u201d says Joy.<\/p>\n \u201cI find that for the first couple of days in each monthly session I barely notice any sensation, but as I get closer to my period the tingling gets stronger and stronger.\u00a0<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Joy says she ‘couldn’t stand up’ due to the pain of her periodsCredit: Supplied 8<\/p>\n Since starting using the device in a trial, Joy says she can’t remember the last time she took a painkiller for her period painCredit: Supplied 8<\/p>\n Joy told to wear the headband for 20 minutes a day, five days before her period was due to startCredit: Supplied<\/p>\n \u201cThe team suggested this may be related to how the female body becomes generally more sensitive at this time of the month.\u201d<\/p>\n Three months after first using the headband, Joy says she was left \u201castonished\u201d by the results.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the pain I had been experiencing was completely gone,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no PMS cramps at all and my period became much shorter and lighter too.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, I can\u2019t remember the last time I took a painkiller for period pain.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mood is much better too.\u201d<\/p>\n BRAIN ACTIVITY HACKED<\/p>\n The electrical current is thought to calm the pain pathways in the brain, and works to trick the brain into mirroring the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle<\/a>, as opposed to the luteal phase.<\/p>\n The follicular phase is the two weeks that follow the period in the menstrual cycle, when the body is preparing for reproduction. This tends to be when women experience increased energy, clearer skin, elevated mood <\/a>and even increased libido.<\/a><\/p>\n Clinical research has suggested that hormone fluctuations throughout a woman\u2019s cycle can change function of the brain.<\/p>\n Given it is women\u2019s health, there haven\u2019t been tonnes of studies – but one, published in the journal Nature<\/a>, studied women\u2019s brain activities in three different phases of their cycle.<\/p>\n It showed huge variation in how different brain regions worked, depending on the hormones present during different menstrual phases.<\/p>\n For example, the early follicular phase (just after a period) had the lowest complexity in brain activity, but areas involved in focus and attention peaked.\u00a0<\/p>\n Techniques like tDCS have shown promise in managing conditions like depression, chronic pain, and even anxiety… It could provide a non-pharmacological, accessible alternative to traditional treatments for PMS and related symptoms like menstrual cramps and mood swings<\/p>\n Dr Deepali Misra-SharpGP and clinical lead for Women\u2019s Health at her NHS practice in Birmingham<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It means that, while we know hormones can affect mood and how women feel over a month, scientists are only just beginning to understand the exact mechanisms in the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n Emile says mild side effects using Nettle are quite common, and include itching and tingling, which usually disappears within a few minutes of use within a session.<\/p>\n Meanwhile the most intense of the mild side effects are nausea and transient headaches<\/a> that have been reported in about 1 per cent of the cases, and resolve within 30 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere hasn’t been a single serious side effect reported in over 30 years of this technology being used in the market,\u201d Emile says.<\/p>\n UNEXPECTED BENEFITS<\/p>\n Other than the stinging sensation, Joy hasn\u2019t experienced any negative side effects so far.<\/p>\n But she has noticed an unexpected benefit.<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Side effects that are common with Nettle include itching and tinglingCredit: Supplied<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m more in touch with my body than ever before,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cI now understand my cycle better and know when I might expect to experience emotional dysregulation and other PMS symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs a result, I also know what I need \u2013 how to adjust my environment, slow down and just be a little kinder to myself.\u201d<\/p>\n But what do medical professionals think?\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp, GP and clinical lead for Women\u2019s Health at her NHS practice in Birmingham, says the emergence of innovative solutions to women\u2019s healthcare should be viewed with both interest and caution.<\/p>\n \u201cTechniques like tDCS have shown promise in managing conditions like depression<\/a>, chronic pain<\/a>, and even anxiety<\/a>,\u201d she tells Sun Health.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this technology works as intended, it could provide a non-pharmacological, accessible alternative to traditional treatments for PMS and related symptoms like menstrual cramps and mood swings.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are certainly positive aspects to this kind of innovation, but also important considerations regarding evidence, safety, and the broader context of healthcare for women.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Misra-Sharp says there are still doubts about how strong the clinical evidence is for these devices, particularly for conditions like PMS, and emphasises that they need thorough clinical testing to confirm they work well and are safe.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a GP, I would need to see a stronger evidence base before I could confidently recommend a device like this,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important anyone thinking about trying the headband seeks medical advice from their GP, before using it.<\/p>\n Dr Misra-Sharp says: \u201cThere are certain groups of people who should not use this device: Anyone with a history of epilepsy or seizure, people with metal implants in the head or neck, such as cochlear implants or deep brain stimulators and those with certain neurological conditions.\u00a0Always speak to your GP or specialist if you\u2019re unsure”<\/p>\n Joy says: \u201cUsing Nettle really tunes me into what I need, as a woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn our society we\u2019ve been taught to function as men, just going and going without much room for these fluctuations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve developed a new relationship with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n When heavy periods could be something sinister<\/p>\n WHEN it comes to periods, there is a textbook definition of normal – but then there is also what a normal\u00a0period<\/a>\u00a0looks like for you.<\/p>\n For some (lucky) people, these definitions overlap; for others, they don’t.<\/p>\n The\u00a0NHS<\/a>\u00a0recognises a ‘normal period’ as losing between 30 and 60ml, or six to eight teaspoonfuls, each month. A ‘heavy’ period’ is anything more than 80ml.<\/p>\n Another, arguably simpler, way of working out whether your period is heavy is to count the number of pads or tampons you use.<\/p>\n Having to change a pad or tampon every one to two hours, or emptying a menstrual cup more often than is recommended, is a sign your period is heavy.<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0610304f-3f4b-4118-92f4-17fa7a603fb0.jpg\")
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