The perinatal nurse is giving discharge instructions to a woman, status post suction curettage secondary to a hydatidiform mole. The woman asks why the doctor is recommending that she take oral contraceptives for at least 6 months. The best response from the nurse would be:

If you can avoid a pregnancy for the next year, the chance of developing a second molar pregnancy is rare. Therefore, to improve your chance of a successful pregnancy, it is better not to get pregnant at this time.

Oral contraceptives are the only form of birth control that will prevent a recurrence of a molar pregnancy.

The major risk to you after a molar pregnancy is a type of cancer that can be diagnosed only by measuring the same hormone that your body produces during pregnancy. If you were to get pregnant, it would make the diagnosis of this cancer more difficult.

If you get pregnant within 1 year, the chance of a successful pregnancy is very small. Therefore, if you desire a future pregnancy, it would be better for you to use the most reliable method of contraception available.