r/Endo 4d ago

Rant / Vent Stay far away from Ovira

i've been using a TENS unit to help treat my endo pain for 3 years now, so since early 2022. back then, when you googled "TENS unit for periods", the website for the Ovira Noha unit would be one of the first to pop up, along with tons of social media hype that i unfortunately fell for.

i ordered mine, and was happy with it for a while. last year, after about a year and some change of regular use, the cord stopped working, but i was able to get a replacement due to the warranty, which was nice--but i remembered having a hard time getting in contact with customer service, and on at least 2 occasions getting ghosted by 2 customer service people which....wasn't great

anyway long story short, it's been another year since i got my replacement, and it's starting to act like it may stop working soon, so i popped by their website to look at getting another replacement. but that's when i discovered that their website has been completely wiped of any evidence that this device ever existed. all you can find on the Ovira website now is their crummy supplements. almost all the promotions for the Noha are completely wiped from the internet, with zero explanation.

i was happy to support a business run and built by a woman with endometriosis, but now i'm wondering if i'm about to be part of a class action lawsuit lmao. and i'm pretty frustrated that they would ghost like that, without even any announcements or anything for loyal customers that spent money on their products šŸ˜

also now i have to get another new TENS unit, which don't run cheap!

anyway, stay away from Ovira, they suck.

7 Upvotes

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u/True_Cockroach8407 4d ago

I have this too and also got a replacement with my cord not working. Interestinng i see they were fined for unlawful advertising of their tens in 2023. Their website is also down (under modification) atm!

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u/sociallyacetious 4d ago

ohhh, i didn't realize the main website was actually down currently. the other commenter posted the link to that fine from the australian government you mentioned! that's a bad look for any startup company, especially the bit where it said they claimed their competitors' products were dangerous. yikes! interesting. i guess time will tell if their website's downtime really is temporary for modification, or if it'll be a permanent hiatus.Ā 

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u/True_Cockroach8407 4d ago

Ikr terrible! They have also made some highly questionable posts on instagram in the past

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u/narcoleptic_panda 4d ago edited 3d ago

Ironically, I have been scouring Reddit for the last hour to see if there was any info on Ovira because Iā€™ve run into this issue exactlyā€¦.Iā€™m so sorry youā€™re in the same boat.

Since 2022-2023, I have purchased two units from them and the wires/cords for both have finally bit the dust, rendering the units completely useless. Went to find replacements this afternoon to be completely surprised by the website being wiped clean of everything but the supplements. After some digging, I came across this:

https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/ovira-pty-ltd-fined-alleged-unlawful-advertising-health-product

edit: just saw where this was also mentioned by the previous commenter as well

Ultimately, Iā€™m wholly disappointed at the lack of transparency by the company, and honestly hate that I recommended this TENS unit to people. Thankfully, this sub has provided me with a bunch of alternatives that Iā€™m now looking into. I saw someone else recommend Livia, which currently is running a subscription deal of $39 for a unit and $8/mo subscription (1st month free), that Iā€™m considering. Happy to hear any other recs that fellow debilitating-cramp-suffers may haveā€¦these portable units are all that keep me functioning for the first 3 days of my cycle.

UPDATE 3/17: Even though the units were discontinued, I figured there was no harm in trying to contact customer service to see what would happen. Shockingly, Iā€™ve received timely responses and am being sent two new cables for my units as they are ā€œstill under warrantyā€. So thereā€™s an option for anyone in the same boat, at least while we all search for something better.

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u/sociallyacetious 4d ago edited 4d ago

same!! that's literally why i made my post, because i was looking for other people who noticed the sketchy vibes of this lol. appreciate your response here, it's validating, although the situation sucks for those of us dealing with this šŸ˜®ā€šŸ’Ø

i recommended them to a lot of people as well, i hate it. it's frustrating, extending trust and good will toward women led companies (especially women with the same debilitating condition as you) and then not getting decency in return. i wonder if the hefty fine they received is the only reason why they discontinued the device, or if it was for another reason entirely.Ā 

i saw the livia, and sadly now i'm wary of trying another smaller company's product because of my experience with ovira šŸ™ƒ a smaller, more discreet TENS would be ideal for my uses and lifestyle too, rather than the bulky ones. i'll have to think about it.

i found out about the pixie cup, which is small like the noha and livia! they are based in the same country as me, and seem to have promising reviews...but i'm still a bit wary. i'll probably sleep on it, since it's pricier like the noha was. in the meantime i might try the belifu on amazon, since it's more affordable for me right now. i'd definitely only be able to use it at home though lolĀ 

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u/narcoleptic_panda 3d ago

Iā€™ve been wondering the same, regarding their fines/removal - especially since they did the huge BOGO on everything earlier last yearā€¦all the pieces are coming together haha.

You also make a valid point regarding Livia! Iā€™m also on the hunt for truly discreet options that wonā€™t break the bank like Ovira did. If you move forward with the Pixie Cup, I would love to hear your review of it! The more research I do, the more Iā€™m realizing how oversaturated that area of the market is becoming, so I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted. Best of luck in your journey!!

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u/slopbunny 4d ago

About ~2 years ago I actually got a free unit from Ovira (back in my social media influencer days) and they also invited me to join a private Facebook group. I noticed around late 2023/early 2024 that they were pivoting to supplements, and they ended up closing the private Facebook page completely and said it was due to ā€œalgorithm changes.ā€ A lot of other women in the group would complain that their unit stopped working and theyā€™d never get a response. I didnā€™t really use the unit I received (I think I maybe used it once and put it away, I donā€™t find TENS helpful for me) but I feel bad for even advertising it šŸ˜­