Welcome Hana: the first over-the-counter progestogen-only oral contraceptive pill (POP) that you can buy without a prescription. This pill contains a progestogen ingredient called desogestrel, which helps to prevent pregnancy.

Benefits:

• Contraceptive pill, up to 99% effective when you take it as recommended
• Suitable for most women
• Can be taken while you’re breastfeeding
• Great alternative if you don’t want to use oestrogen based pills
• Can be bought without a prescription
• 3 months supply

Hana is a contraceptive pill that can be taken by many women and people with uteruses. It’s a great alternative for people who don’t want to (or can’t) take estrogen-based pills. Some of the reasons for this could include having high blood pressure, being overweight or if you’re a smoker over the age of 35.

When you take Hana at the same time every day, without taking any breaks between packs, it inhibits ovulation, which means your egg won’t be released. This helps prevent pregnancy because there won’t be an egg for sperm to fertilise. Hana also increases the viscosity of the mucus in your cervix (making it thicker), which helps to create another barrier to stop sperm from reaching your uterus.

Another great benefit of Hana is that you can use it when you’re breastfeeding, starting in the first 21 days after you’ve given birth. But the biggest benefit? You won’t need a prescription to take Hana.

This is 3 months supply of Hana.

• Over The Counter (OTC)

Each tablet contains 75 microgram desogestrel.

Other ingredients: Tablet core, Alpha-tocopherol, Lactose monohydrate, Maize starch, Povidone K25, Stearic acid, Film coating, Hypromellose, Macrogol 400, Titanium dioxide (E 171),

Hana will be most effective when you take it at the same time every day with a glass of water, and you don’t leave any breaks between packs. Each pack has days of the week written on it, so it’s easy to know if you’ve taken or missed a dose.

Here are some tips to help you remember to take your daily pill:

• Put your pack somewhere you’re likely to see it every day, for example, next to your toothbrush or kettle or between your toner and moisturiser. No matter where you put it, make sure to keep it below 30℃ and away from children.
• Set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to take it.

When should I start taking Hana?

If you haven’t been using hormonal contraception: If you haven’t taken any hormonal contraception for the past month, start Hana on Day 1 of your period. If you do this, you’ll be protected straight away. If you start taking Hana on Days-2-5 of your period (or any other time in your menstrual cycle), you’ll need to use extra precautions (such as condoms) for at least seven days.

If you’re changing hormonal contraception:

Changing from the combined pill: Start taking Hana the day after the last active tablet. You won’t need to take any extra precautions. If you start Hana on the day after an inactive tablet, you’ll need extra precautions for seven days.

Changing from the mini-pill (progestogen-only pill): Start taking Hana the day after the last tablet. You won’t need to take any extra precautions. If you start Hana later than that, you’ll need extra precautions for seven days.

Changing from the vaginal ring or skin patch: Start taking Hana on the day of removal. You won’t need to take any extra precautions. If you’re starting Hana after a ring-free or patch-free break, you’ll need extra precautions for seven days.

Changing from injections: Start taking Hana the day your next injection is due. You won’t need to take any extra precautions. If you start Hana later than that, you’ll need extra precautions for seven days.

Changing from the implant or intrauterine system: Start taking Hana on the day of removal. You won’t need any extra precautions. If you start Hana later than that, you’ll need extra precautions for seven days.

If your period is late, or you’ve had a miscarriage or abortion:

If your period is late or has come when you didn’t expect it, take a pregnancy test first. If the test is negative, start Hana on Day 1 of your next period (no need for extra precautions) or on Days 2-5 of your period (and use condoms for seven days). If the test is positive, do not start Hana – visit your GP. If you’ve just had a miscarriage or abortion, you can start taking Hana immediately or within 5 days afterwards. You won’t need to use any extra precautions.

After childbirth:

If you’ve just given birth, you can start taking Hana anytime from the first day to 21 days afterwards. If you start taking Hana after 21 days from childbirth, you’ll need to take extra precautions (such as condoms) for 7 days. If you had unprotected sex after 21 days post-childbirth, take a pregnancy test first (take it three weeks after your last episode of unprotected sex) or visit your GP.

What happens if I forget to take 1 or more pills?

If you remember to take your pill within 12 hours:

It’s very important to take your pill at the same time every day. But we all forget things from time to time. If you realise you’ve missed your pill within 12 hours of when you would usually take it, take one right away, then carry on taking your pills as normal - even if it means taking two pills in one day. Your protection should still be effective if you take it within the 12-hour window.

If you remember to take your pill more than 12 hours after the usual time:

If you’ve missed a pill by more than 12 hours, take the most recently missed pill as soon as you remember, then take the next pill as normal – even if this means taking two pills in one day. You should use extra precautions and contraception, like condoms, if you have sex during the next 7 days because your pill won’t be as effective.

If you’ve missed multiple days:

If you’ve missed multiple days of your pill, don’t take them all at once. Just take your most recent missed pill, then carry on taking them as usual, leaving the missed ones in the pack. Use a condom or other contraception if you have sex for the first 7 days after you start taking your pills again, as they’ll take time to become fully effective again.

If your period is late after you’ve missed any pills in the last month, or you think you might be pregnant, you should take a pregnancy test. If the test is positive, stop taking Hana immediately and see your doctor as soon as possible.

How should I take Hana if I vomit or have diarrhoea?

If you’ve been sick (vomiting) between 3 - 4 hours of taking the pill, you should take another one - even if it means taking two pills in one day. If you carry on being sick, or have continuous diarrhoea, you should continue taking your pill as normal, but use extra contraception e.g. a condom, while you’re still sick and for 7 days afterwards.

How should I take Hana if I’ve used emergency contraception?

If you’ve been in a situation where you’ve not used any contraception and have taken emergency contraception after having sex, we would advise you to take Hana on the first day of your period. If you decide to start taking it sooner you’ll need to follow this important advice:

Emergency contraception that contains levonorgestrel: You can start taking Hana at the same time as the emergency contraception, but you should use additional contraception, like a condom, for the first 7 days.

Emergency contraception that contains ulipristal acetate, such as EllaOne: Wait 5 days, or 120 hours, before you start taking Hana again and use other contraception, like condoms, during this time. After the 5 days, when you start taking Hana again, you’ll need to use extra contraception e.g. condoms for another 7 days. Altogether, you’ll need to use the additional contraception for 12 days after taking emergency contraception that contains ulipristal acetate.

When you shouldn’t use Hana:

Hana is not compatible with all medications or suitable if you have a certain medical condition. Ask our pharmacist, Giulia, who’ll be able to advise you on an alternative method of contraception, if you can’t use Hana.

Hana is not suitable if:

• You’re allergic to desogestrel or any of the other ingredients in this pill
• You have cancer that’s affected by sex-steroid hormones, such as certain types of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial (uterine) cancer.
• You have, or have had, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) or severe liver diseases and blood tests show your liver has not returned to normal
• If you have a blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism). If this happened in the past, but is now resolved, it’s safe to take Hana
• You have unexplained bleeding between periods or after sex. If this happens, you should have this looked at by a doctor before starting Hana, as it can be a symptom of more serious problems
• If you’re pregnant or think you may be pregnant

Consult your doctor before using Hana if:

• You’ve had cancer that’s affected by progesterone hormones, such as certain types of breast cancer, ovarian cancer or endometrial (uterine) cancer
• You have had a blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• You have liver cancer or other liver disorders
• You have diabetes
• You have epilepsy
• You have tuberculosis
• You have high blood pressure
• You have or have had chloasma (yellowish brown pigmentation patches on the skin)
• It’s important that you’re not pregnant when you start taking Hana. If you’re unsure, take a pregnancy test 3 weeks after the last time you had sex. Alternatively, you can wait until the first day of your period

Medications that interact with Hana:

If you’re currently using certain medications or have stopped taking them within 28 days of starting Hana, you should take extra contraceptive precautions. If you use these medicines for a chronic condition or long term, Hana may not be right for you and you should consult your doctor. These medicines include treatment for:

• Epilepsy (e.g. primidone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, felbamate, topiramate, phenobarbital)
• Tuberculosis (e.g. rifampicin, rifabutin)
• HIV infections (e.g. efavirenz, ritonavir, nelfinavir, nevirapine)
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension (e.g. bosentan)
• Depression (the herbal remedy St. John’s Wort)
• Fungal infections (e.g. griseofulvin)
• Hepatitis C virus infection (e.g. boceprevir, telaprevir)

If you’re taking any of the following medicines for a chronic condition or long term you also need to speak to your doctor before taking Hana. If you only use them for a short period of time, no extra protection is needed. These medicines include treatments for:

• Fungal infections (e.g. itraconazole, fluconazole)
• Bacterial infections (e.g. clarithromycin)
• High blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm or angina (e.g diltiazem)

All medicines come with certain side effects. Thankfully, Hana is usually well-tolerated, which means not many people experience side effects or, if they do, the side effects aren’t too serious. One of the side effects is changes to your period, but this generally settles after a few months.

Other side effects include:

• Irregular menstruation or amenorrhoea (no periods)
• Altered mood
• Depressed mood
• Decreased libido (sex drive)
• Headache
• Nausea
• Acne
• Breast tenderness
• Weight gain

Serious side effects are rare, but if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately.

• Severe allergic reactions
• You may experience signs of a severe allergic reaction (hypersensitivity) including swollen face, lips, tongue and/or throat, difficulty swallowing or breathing