Scarleteen

Hi!

I was wondering if it is safe to use the pill and the copper IUD together? I ask because I am on the pill, but I never want to have kids, and I no doctor will perform a Tubal ligation being that I am only in college. I understand that both methods separately are very effective and that there really is no need to have both- but it would make me feel so much better.

Is having both methods something that is 1) safe and 2) something a doctor would do?

Thanks!

Hi Isabelle,

Yes, it is safe to use both the pill and the copper IUD. But as you mentioned, both methods are on their own very effective. This is particularly true for the IUD, which is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

That being said, at Scarleteen we encourage users to use two forms of birth control if not becoming pregnant is a high priority. This piece explains the effectiveness rates for different pairs of birth control options: The Buddy System: Effectiveness Rates for Backing Up Your Birth Control With a Second Method. IUDs and the pill are not listed, but you will see that IUDs combined with condoms is 99.88% effective at preventing pregnancy. If lowering your STI risk is something you are interested in with your partner(s), this is maybe an option to consider instead of combining the IUD with the pill, since condoms also protect against STIs which neither the IUD nor the pill does.

As always, make sure to communicate all the medications you take/use with your doctor. So if your doctor is prescribing you birth control pills, it is important to share that you also have an IUD, as well as share any other medications you utilize.