janestinson

Aniball or Epino? Based on my own experience with both, I talk about their pros & cons and also about a health risk issue that is the reason Epi no is not allowed in the USA.

Disclaimer: I originally posted this review on the Medium. Soon I was harassed by Epi no employees in the comments but I ignored it. They attacked my review, Aniball product and personally Aniball founders. Soon after that my review was abusively reported and deleted.

I'm posting it here in the belief that Write.as is a fair platform. I'd like to explicitly state that I have no connection whatsoever to neither of these products besides the fact I've used them both. However, I do believe in fairness and manners.

I was deeply disappointed by the reaction of Epino team, especially when I have not attacked them in any way and just stated my own experience. I even took a side with them regarding their US incident.

I feel obligated to post my review again. Behaviour like this is NOT OK and shouldn't be tolerated.

But first – my name is Angi Jane and I'm a happy mum of two beautiful girls :) I love discussions at mums webs and social media. Each time I mention I've used both Epi-no and Aniball it starts a flow of questions. So I've decided to put it on paper... em, internet.

1. Aniball vs Epi no

Both are very similar and have the same purpose – to prevent birth injuries and prepare for the labour. Both are manufactured within the EU and tested as medical devices.

Both are available in the UK: Epino Website Aniball Website

2. Price

For some reason, Epino is much more expensive than Aniball. Epi no is available for £100 + shipping and Aniball for £59 with free shipping. Epino is on the market longer so maybe they charge more as an older brand, who knows.

Also, isn't it known that pregnant women are prone to spend more?

3. Shape

In my opinion, Aniball has much better and convenient shape. It's been few years since I've used Epino but according to pictures it still looks the same.

And that's the problem.

Epino's blue balloon has quite a clumsy shape and I still remember how tricky it was to actually keep it inside. It tends to slip out because it just inflates really weird.

On the other hand, Aniball's shape is more sophisticated. The balloon has two parts and only the bigger one (which is inside) is being inflated whilst the smaller one (on the outside) prevents it from falling out during the exercise.

Aniball was much more comfortable and easy to use.

4. Overal Looks

This is highly subjective, but Aniball looks much more “feminine” to me.

It's not only about the shape but also colour and visuals. Epi no looks plain and the with the redundant pressure gauge it resembles some garage tool.

During my research I've actually realised that Aniball was invented by a woman while Epi no by a man – so I guess that clears it lol.

5. Health Safety Issue

This was the initial reason I've decided to switch from Epino to Aniball. My cousin got married and lives in the US and during her visit we talked about these devices and how she was unable to order one in California. She contacted an official Epino seller in Canada and they refused to ship it to her.

She works as a biochemist and has an access to PUBMED, the largest database of science articles. She found a medical publication about Epino saying it caused a venous air embolism and near cardiovascular collapse. A woman almost died because of it. The article mentions Epi no manufacturing quality as possible cause.

So she went and subsequently searched the Food & Drug Administration database and realised Epino was indeeed no longer allowed on the US market.

I'm not an expert. She said article wasn't clear about the cause but it looked like it was a malfunction or manufacturing error. I think it could be a user error as well.

The article is not conclusive and Epi no team slamming my previous review said it was user's fault.

6. Conclusion

Generally speaking, both Epi-no and Aniball did their job and I had two wonderful childbirths.

I only decided to look for an alternative because of my cousin but I've ended up finding more affordable, comfortable and maybe even safer product.

Also, because of my negative experience with aggressive and dishonest practices of Epino, I now only recommend Aniball.

To be fair, whether you choose Aniball or Epino, they both work. But Aniball is my personal preference (easier to use) and the company is actually trying to help women, not only take their money.