It's highly unlikely that you'd be prescribed both birth control pills and prenatal vitamins at the same time, since physicians generally only prescribe prenatals if you're pregnant. However, if you were to take both prenatals and birth control simultaneously, while each causes its own possible side effects, there are no cumulative side effects of taking the two together.
Birth Control
Birth control pills are hormones that "fool" your body by using hormones very similar to those that your body produces during the normal course of your menstrual cycle. The hormones in birth control pills keep you from ovulating, or releasing a ripe egg that--if it meets with sperm--can produce an embryo. Your cervical mucus also thickens when you're on the pill, which makes it more difficult for sperm to make it into the uterus.
Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are simply multivitamin and mineral supplements that help to provide for the increased nutrient needs of pregnant women--they can also benefit women who are breastfeeding. They're very similar to regular women's multivitamins, though they're higher in the key nutrients iron and folic acid, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book "You: Having A Baby." The iron helps increase your red blood cell production, while your embryo needs folic acid for neural development.
Side Effects
Both the pill and prenatal vitamins can cause some minor side effects. According to KidsHealth, side effects of the pill include irregular periods, possible nausea and headaches, and--very rarely--blood clots. Prenatal vitamins don't have many side effects, but they may make you feel nauseated or constipated because the iron slows your digestion. There are no side effects associated with the combined use of the pill and prenatal vitamins.
Considerations
While the combination of birth control pills and prenatals won't hurt you, it's worth considering why you're taking both at the same time, since the combination won't benefit you either. If you're neither pregnant nor trying to conceive--both of which are incompatible with being on birth control--there's no reason to be taking prenatal vitamins. Despite rumors you may have heard that they can help you lose weight, balance your hormones or influence your hair and nail strength, they're really no different from regular vitamins and are much more expensive.
References
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
- KidsHealth: Birth Control Pill
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