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We Spent 4 Months Testing The 5 Most Common Treatments For Endo Pain. Which One Is Currently #1?

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Published By Dr. Margaret Hayes, MD

Board-Certified OB-GYN, Endometriosis & Pelvic Pain Specialist

Last update: May 12, 2026  • 

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83,993

3 min

In our recent survey of women with endometriosis, the #1 complaint was pain that comes back every month, whatever they try.

 

Second was being told by a doctor that it's just a bad period.

 

Most of them had already been through birth control, often three or four different kinds, along with 800mg of ibuprofen every four hours, a heating pad on the highest setting, and a TENS machine. 

 

The pain still came back every month.

 

That's because endo pain comes from inflammation sitting 5 to 7 centimetres below the skin.

 

A heating pad only reaches about one centimetre, and painkillers wear off within hours.

 

None of these treatments bring the inflammation down.

 

So we ran a 4-month test with 60 women with endometriosis to find a treatment that eases the pain on the day and makes the next period hurt less. We tested:

  • Heating pads
  • TENS machines
  • Painkillers (ibuprofen)
  • Birth control
  • A red light therapy belt

We split the women into 5 groups of 12. Each group used one treatment, and only that one, for 4 full cycles. Everyone in the birth control group was already on a prescription.

 

For each group we tracked:

  • Pain on day 1 of their period
  • Relief while using the treatment
  • How long relief lasted after stopping
  • Whether the next period hurt less
  • Side effects

Here's how they ranked, from worst to best.

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#5: Heating Pad

Helps only while it's on, and years of use can leave permanent brown marks

What it is

 

The first thing most women with endo reach for.

 

How it worked

 

Heat felt good while it was on, but it only reaches about a centimetre into your skin. It warms the surface above the pain and never gets near the inflammation, so women in this group kept turning the setting up.

Several already had brown, mottled marks across their lower belly from years of use. Dermatologists call it erythema ab igne, or toasted skin syndrome.[1]

 

Price: $[X]

 

Data from check-ins and self-reports:

  • Pain on day 1: [X] → [X] out of 10
  • Relief while using it: Moderate
  • Relief after stopping: None
  • Next period: Same
  • Side effects: Skin marks with long-term use

Pros

  • ✅ Cheap
  • ✅ Comforting on a bad night

Cons

  • ❌ Stops working the moment you unplug it
  • ❌ Only reaches the surface
  • ❌ Years of high heat can mark your skin for good
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#4: TENS machine

Blocks the pain signal while it's on. The cramp is still there when you switch it off

What it is

 

A small device with sticky pads that sends a buzzing electrical current through your skin.

 

How it worked

 

It distracts your nerves so your brain gets less of the pain signal. Women felt some relief while it was on, but the cramp came back the moment they switched it off, because nothing about the inflammation had changed.

 

Price: $[X], plus replacement pads

 

Data from the test:

  • Pain on day 1: [X] → [X] out of 10
  • Relief while using it: Moderate
  • Relief after stopping: None
  • Next period: Same
  • Side effects: Skin irritation from the pads

Pros

  • ✅ No medication
  • ✅ Small enough to carry around

Cons

  • ❌ Stops working the second you turn it off
  • ❌ Gel pads stop sticking and need replacing
  • ❌ Several women couldn't stand the buzzing
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#3: Painkillers (ibuprofen)

Takes the edge off for a few hours, then you're waiting for the next dose

What it is

 

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. Most women in this group were taking 400 to 800mg every 4 to 6 hours on bad days.

 

How it worked

 

A tablet goes through your stomach and bloodstream before any of it reaches your pelvis, which takes 1 to 2 hours. Relief wore off after 4 to 6 hours, and the next period was no different.

 

Price: About $[X] a year

 

Data from the test:

  • Pain on day 1: [X] → [X] out of 10
  • Relief while using it: Moderate
  • Relief after stopping: None
  • Next period: Same
  • Side effects: Stomach irritation at high doses

Pros

  • ✅ Cheap and easy to get
  • ✅ Helps with milder cramps

Cons

  • ❌ 1 to 2 hours before it starts working
  • ❌ Wears off in 4 to 6 hours
  • ❌ High doses every month are hard on your stomach
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#2: Birth control

Best of the rest for the next period, though side effects were the most common complaint

What it is

 

A hormonal prescription, usually the pill, that suppresses or lightens periods.

 

How it worked

 

For some women, periods got lighter and less painful over the 4 cycles. For others not much changed, and several had already been through two or three different pills. When a cramp broke through, it didn't help on the day.

 

Price: Varies with insurance

 

Data from the test:

  • Pain on day 1: [X] → [X] out of 10
  • Relief while using it: Moderate
  • Relief after stopping: Only while you keep taking it
  • Next period: Lighter for some
  • Side effects: Moderate (mood, weight, headaches)

Pros

  • ✅ Can make periods lighter over time
  • ✅ Covered by insurance for many women

Cons

  • ❌ Doesn't help once a cramp has started
  • ❌ Side effects were the most common complaint in the test
  • ❌ Many women try several before one works

If you're on birth control for your endo, don't stop it without talking to your doctor. The #1 pick works alongside it.

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#1: LumaLean red light therapy belt

The only one that eased the pain on the day and made the next period hurt less

What it is

 

A wearable belt with 450 light chips and two wavelengths. 660nm red light calms things at the surface, and 850nm near-infrared reaches 5 to 7 centimetres down to where the inflammation is.

 

How it worked

 

It was the only treatment where women said the cramp eased during the session and kept easing after they took it off, and the only one where the next period hurt less than the one before. They used it for 10 minutes a day, sitting down.

 

Price: $149.95 once (currently 53% off, normally $319)

 

Data from the test:

  • Pain on day 1: 8 → 3 out of 10
  • Relief while using it: High
  • Relief after stopping: Kept going for hours
  • Next period: Easier
  • Side effects: None reported

Pros

  • ✅ Reaches the inflammation that heat and TENS can't get to
  • ✅ Keeps working after you take it off
  • ✅ Eases this period and makes the next one hurt less
  • ✅ No heat, so nothing to burn or mark your skin
  • ✅ One payment, nothing to refill

Cons

  • ❌ It's corded, so you need to be near a plug
  • ❌ Works best used daily, not just on bad days

Check out LumaLean
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Why LumaLean came out on top

1. It reaches where the pain starts

A heating pad reaches about 1 centimetre into your skin, while the inflammation behind endo pain sits 5 to 7 centimetres down. 850nm near-infrared travels that far, which is why the relief kept going after women took the belt off.

2. It's been tested on women with endometriosis

In a randomised trial, 40 women with endometriosis had light therapy three times a week for 8 weeks, on top of their usual hormonal treatment. Half had the real light and half had a device that was switched off. The women who had the real light had significantly less pain.[2]

3. You use it on your sofa

Wrap it round your lower belly, press one button and sit down for 10 minutes. It shuts itself off.

Use it every day, not just on bad days. The inflammation comes down in the weeks between periods, which is why the next one hurts less.
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What women with endo are saying

"I haven't plugged the heating pad in once"

Third period using it. Day one I put it on when the cramp started and I was up making dinner an hour later. I've had endo since I was 19.

Jase Beil, Verified Buyer

"I haven't plugged the heating pad in once"

Third period using it. Day one I put it on when the cramp started and I was up making dinner an hour later. I've had endo since I was 19.

Maliyah Dream, Verified Buyer

"I haven't plugged the heating pad in once"

Third period using it. Day one I put it on when the cramp started and I was up making dinner an hour later. I've had endo since I was 19.

Ryleigh Kline, Verified Buyer

"Can't I just buy a $40 red light belt on Amazon?"

You can, but most of them won't do anything for endo.

 

Cheap belts usually have red light only and around 60 chips. Red light works at the skin and doesn't reach the inflammation underneath.

 

LumaLean has 450 chips, with 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared in every LED. The near-infrared is the part that matters for endo, and it's the part cheap belts leave out.

What endo pain is already costing you

Every year
Over 5 years
Ibuprofen
$[X]
$[X]
Replacement TENS pads
$[X]
$[X]
New heating pads
$[X]
$[X]
Birth control copays
$[X]
$[X]
LumaLean
$149.95 once
$149.95

You buy LumaLean once, and there's nothing to refill or replace afterwards.

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Final word

Every treatment helped these 60 women a little, but only one did both things women with endo want. LumaLean eased the pain on the day, kept working after they took it off, and made the next period hurt less across all 4 cycles, with no side effects reported.

 

Picture day one of your next period: the first cramp starts, you put the belt on, and ten minutes later you're making dinner instead of lying down.

 

If you're waiting on a laparoscopy, you have time to try this first, since your next period is coming either way.

Try LumaLean risk-free

Trusted by over 74,000 women.

 

✅ 53% off: $149.95 instead of $319

✅ 60 days to try it for free, which is two full cycles

✅ 1-year warranty

✅ 660nm red + 850nm near-infrared, 450 chips

✅ No pills, no prescription, no heat

✅ Free shipping

The guarantee runs 60 days because one period tells you if it helps on the day, and the second tells you if the next one is easier. Use it every day between now and your second period. If that period isn't easier, email us and you get every dollar back.

Claim your 53% off now

Questions women ask before buying

1. Does it work if I've already had a laparoscopy?

Yes. A lap removes the lesions a surgeon can see, but it doesn't stop your body making new inflammation each cycle, and that inflammation is what the light works on.

2. Can I use it while I'm on birth control?

Yes. Nothing here interacts with anything you take, so keep taking your prescription.

3. Is it safe to use on my pelvis every day?

Yes. Nothing here interacts with anything you take, so keep taking your prescription.

4. Does it get hot?

No. There's no heating element, so there's nothing to burn or mark your skin. You'll feel a gentle warmth from the light itself.

5. How soon will I notice something?

Most women feel the cramp ease during their first session. A next period that hurts less takes one to two cycles of daily use.

6. Is it corded?

Yes, so you'll want to sit near a plug on the sofa, in bed or at a desk.

7. What if it doesn't work for me?

Email them within 60 days and they'll refund you.

3 soures

  1. Erythema ab igne in patients with endometriosis: a narrative review. Life, 2025.
  2. Thabet AA, Alshehri MA. Effect of Pulsed High-Intensity Laser Therapy on Pain, Adhesions, and Quality of Life in Women Having Endometriosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Photomed Laser Surg, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29668354/
  3. Ang et al. Effectiveness and safety of light therapy for treating primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2025.
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Comments (3)

jess_m

16 Sep, 2026 at 9:42 pm

I've done the heating pad thing for 11 years and I've got the marks to prove it. Had no idea it had a name.

rachel.k

14 Sep, 2026 at 11:08 am

Does this work if you've already had a lap? Mine was two years ago and the pain's back.

amanda_t

4 Sep, 2026 at 6:51 pm

I had mine in 2023, same thing. Third cycle with the belt now and day one was the best it's been since before the surgery.

lauren.p

11 Sep, 2026 at 7:26 pm

Is it the same as the ones on Amazon? I bought a cheap one last year and felt nothing.

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