Hana pill vs Cerelle pill
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Overview
Rated 2.9
17 reviews
Daily
Frequency
91% - 99+%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
Rated 2.8
314 reviews
Daily
Frequency
91% - 99+%
Effectiveness
None
Blood clot risk
None
Effect on fertility
What Lowdown reviewers say
Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with
Period pain
Period pain
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Check out our latest reviews
Real life reviews from people like you
Hana pill reviews
17 reviews
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 11th Aug 24
Hana has worked like a charm for me. I was a bit worried about starting it, as I had a horrendous experience with the combined pill, but my periods are heavy and painful, and I just couldn't stand it anymore. Not getting pregnant was a reason to start Hana, but I was mostly looking for period relief, and it really has delivered. At the beginning I had a few unusual periods - some shorter, some longer, and a bit irregular, but they were immediately lighter and less painful. After about 3 months, things had evened out, and now 2.5 years later, I can't even remember the last time I had a period, only that it lasted about a day or so and was so light I barely even needed a pad. My partner and I have had no pregnancy scares, and it works wonderfully for me. I think my mood is absolutely fine - it felt maybe a tiny bit flat at the beginning, but more because it was no longer fluctuating so much during my cycle. Now it's like I get to be at the end of the first week after my period, all the time. My main negative with starting Hana is that it really increased my appetite at the beginning - about 6 hours after taking it, I *had to* eat snacks. It felt impossible not to. This contributed to some weight gain, and while I've gotten used to the snack-attacks now and can manage them, I haven't been able to shift the weight, despite using methods of weight loss that have worked for me in the past. I can't say for sure if this is because Hana is making it harder for me to lose weight, or if it's just because I'm getting older. I am currently contemplating taking a break from Hana to see if I can lose the weight off it, but I'm reluctant to as it has had such a positive impact on my quality life. If you're also experiencing an increase in appetite, and want some advice, it really helped me to change the time I take Hana - I moved it to later, so that my craving hits much closer to dinner time, which is perfect. All in all, Hana has worked much better for me than I could've even hoped, and I would recommend trying it to see if it works for you.
Decreased sex drive
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 29th Mar 24
I have PCOS, so I don't have periods normally as is and hormonal birth control effects me differently. My review is for the other PCOS girlies who have amenorrhea (lack of/no menses). I started cramping almost immediately. I take the pill at noon everyday, and the cramping sets in 30 minutes later. It is worse at night before bed. As far as emotional side effects, I've noticed I am more apathetic than usual, but otherwise fine.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 14th Mar 24
Hana was my first experience of taking a contraceptive at the age of 33. It was generally a positive experience. It really reduced the PMDD symptoms I was experiencing and made the week before my period more manageable. My period was lighter and less painful overall. There were some negatives,my sex drive completely disappeared and I experienced vaginal dryness. My periods were less regular and sometimes I would have two back to back with just a few days in between. Because they were so light it wasn't a huge problem. The biggest issue was I realised that in balancing out my hormonal mood swings it felt like it had gone too far and I was overall emotionally flat. I realised that I wasn't really myself, it was subtle and it took me a while to realise.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 11th Aug 24
Hana has worked like a charm for me. I was a bit worried about starting it, as I had a horrendous experience with the combined pill, but my periods are heavy and painful, and I just couldn't stand it anymore. Not getting pregnant was a reason to start Hana, but I was mostly looking for period relief, and it really has delivered. At the beginning I had a few unusual periods - some shorter, some longer, and a bit irregular, but they were immediately lighter and less painful. After about 3 months, things had evened out, and now 2.5 years later, I can't even remember the last time I had a period, only that it lasted about a day or so and was so light I barely even needed a pad. My partner and I have had no pregnancy scares, and it works wonderfully for me. I think my mood is absolutely fine - it felt maybe a tiny bit flat at the beginning, but more because it was no longer fluctuating so much during my cycle. Now it's like I get to be at the end of the first week after my period, all the time. My main negative with starting Hana is that it really increased my appetite at the beginning - about 6 hours after taking it, I *had to* eat snacks. It felt impossible not to. This contributed to some weight gain, and while I've gotten used to the snack-attacks now and can manage them, I haven't been able to shift the weight, despite using methods of weight loss that have worked for me in the past. I can't say for sure if this is because Hana is making it harder for me to lose weight, or if it's just because I'm getting older. I am currently contemplating taking a break from Hana to see if I can lose the weight off it, but I'm reluctant to as it has had such a positive impact on my quality life. If you're also experiencing an increase in appetite, and want some advice, it really helped me to change the time I take Hana - I moved it to later, so that my craving hits much closer to dinner time, which is perfect. All in all, Hana has worked much better for me than I could've even hoped, and I would recommend trying it to see if it works for you.
Decreased sex drive
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 29th Mar 24
I have PCOS, so I don't have periods normally as is and hormonal birth control effects me differently. My review is for the other PCOS girlies who have amenorrhea (lack of/no menses). I started cramping almost immediately. I take the pill at noon everyday, and the cramping sets in 30 minutes later. It is worse at night before bed. As far as emotional side effects, I've noticed I am more apathetic than usual, but otherwise fine.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 14th Mar 24
Hana was my first experience of taking a contraceptive at the age of 33. It was generally a positive experience. It really reduced the PMDD symptoms I was experiencing and made the week before my period more manageable. My period was lighter and less painful overall. There were some negatives,my sex drive completely disappeared and I experienced vaginal dryness. My periods were less regular and sometimes I would have two back to back with just a few days in between. Because they were so light it wasn't a huge problem. The biggest issue was I realised that in balancing out my hormonal mood swings it felt like it had gone too far and I was overall emotionally flat. I realised that I wasn't really myself, it was subtle and it took me a while to realise.
Decreased sex drive
0 helpful
0 comments
Cerelle pill reviews
314 reviews
Used for 12 - 18 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 5 days ago
honestly haven’t experience any negative side effects, it was a bit rough for the first couple of months but after about 8-12 weeks it settled and it’s been great, i gained a little weight but no more than about 7lbs so overall it’s been brilliant
Somewhat positive mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 week ago
Been on this pill for about 15years its great i have no periods at all, i have no symptoms of periods etc and i have gained weight but i dont think i can put that down to taking cerelle haha all in all i love this pill and most importantly i havent gotten pregnant while taking it so its main job is done
Very positive mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 10th Feb 25
I had an unpleasant experience using Cerelle. It was the first birth control I tried and wasn't given any other options or choice by the GP at the time. I had a 2month long heavy and painful period, worsened skin, hair loss, severe backne to name a few side effects. Really bad experience for me sadly. Having now tried over 10 other birth control pills- mini and combined, I learned that I am very sensitive to progesterone so the mini pill just isn't for me sadly. I'm now on the Patch and loving it.
Worse skin
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 12 - 18 mo
19 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 5 days ago
honestly haven’t experience any negative side effects, it was a bit rough for the first couple of months but after about 8-12 weeks it settled and it’s been great, i gained a little weight but no more than about 7lbs so overall it’s been brilliant
Somewhat positive mood
2 more effects
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 1 week ago
Been on this pill for about 15years its great i have no periods at all, i have no symptoms of periods etc and i have gained weight but i dont think i can put that down to taking cerelle haha all in all i love this pill and most importantly i havent gotten pregnant while taking it so its main job is done
Very positive mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
28 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 10th Feb 25
I had an unpleasant experience using Cerelle. It was the first birth control I tried and wasn't given any other options or choice by the GP at the time. I had a 2month long heavy and painful period, worsened skin, hair loss, severe backne to name a few side effects. Really bad experience for me sadly. Having now tried over 10 other birth control pills- mini and combined, I learned that I am very sensitive to progesterone so the mini pill just isn't for me sadly. I'm now on the Patch and loving it.
Worse skin
1 more effect
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 5 yr
35 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4th Feb 25
I took this for endometriosis, but not worth it because of facial hair growth. I had breakthrough bleeding every 4-6 months for about 4-5 days, fairly light and not too painful. My sex drive and weight were unaffected, however I got thick dark hair on my stomach, inner thighs, chest and face. This destroyed my self esteem so my mood was obviously low. After stopping the hair did not revert back which is common so I had electrolysis which took care of it. Then 2 years later I went back on this pill stupidly to try and help the endometriosis, the hair came back within 2 months. I have since stopped this pill, spent even more money on electrolysis and have had no issues after regarding that. It took about 3-5 months for my cycle to regulate after coming off birth control. I’m thinking about trying slynd as it is supposed to be anti androgenise, we’ll see.
Somewhat negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
42 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 4th Feb 25
I used this for 6 months hoping my body would adjust but had to stop. My periods became really irregular, and super heavy. The first month, I had 2 periods (both lasted around 10-12 days), second month I got one period, 3rd month I got nothing, and then months 4 - 6 I had 3 periods in 7 weeks, all lasting around 12 days and far heavier than my normal periods. I felt like I had backache most of those last couple of months as that's something that happens whenever I'm menstruating. I've tried other pills and never had side effects like this, so I've stopped these now and will go back to another type of pill.
Top side effects not reported
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 23rd Jan 25
Had some mood issues during the first 3 months such a depression, low moods, emotional but put that down to my body adjusting. But after 5/6 months all the side effects of depression, low mood, constant crying can back much worse. Had 6 week period cycles with irregular bleeding and spotting and heavy cramping. Had to come off the pills as they were affecting my life so greatly.
Very negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 3 - 6 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
• 15th Dec 24
Started taking in April 2024 finished the last pack September 2024. Had spotting for the first couple months in the place of period which was frustrating (spotting for 14days instead of normal 5-7day period flow). Once settled, periods just completely stopped which made me feel slightly uneasy as there’s no indicator of “missed period” for pregnancy sirens to ring. Mood was a strange one, felt slightly mentally exhausted but difficult to tell whether that was life or the pill, but I do remember having PMS type symptoms (emotional, cramps) once a month, almost mimicking a period without the bleeds.
Worse skin
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 7th Aug 24
I've only been on this pill for two months so there's a chance this may calm down after the full adjustment period, but the side effects have been interesting. Most notably, my cycle has gone from around 35 days to 13 days, and I have been having a period every other week. The first two periods gave me hope because they were significantly lighter - to the point where I was questioning whether or not I should even log it as a period - and painless. However, the next three periods I've had so far have been gradually getting heavier and I'm getting more cramping. It's weird though because, for most of my period it's still quite light, but on around the second or third day, I do have a few hours where it's quite heavy and crampy, then it subsides again and the rest is light. I had spotting between the first three periods but that's stopped now. Other than the annoying cycle changes, I had a constant lingering headache for the first two weeks, I'm getting more acne than usual, and some vaginal dryness before my period. I don't know if this is worth staying on as I'm only on the pill to manage my painful and heavy periods. Current plan is to finish my three months' supply and take it from there.
Somewhat negative mood
1 more effect
1 helpful
0 comments
Used for 8+ yr
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 24th Jun 24
Overall it’s excellent and all positive, no periods at all and steady mood
Very positive mood
0 helpful
0 comments
Used for 1 - 3 mo
Lowdown user
🇬🇧 UK
• 14th Jun 24
I'm giving this pill more time because maybe it's just an adjustment. But I've been a bit weepy with sore breasts and spotting every week. Also a really tender feeling in my lower abdomen-especially during sex. Which I hate obviously. So I'm definitely not getting pregnant because I no longer enjoy sex.. so in that respect it is effective. It's getting one more month and then I'm done.
Somewhat negative mood
0 helpful
0 comments

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