Cancer of the Cervix in Pregnancy

Women who have had many sexual partners, been on birth control for a long time, suffer from human papillomaviruses, or have had irregular pap smears are more likely to get cancer in the cervix. The condition can occur in women before, during or after pregnancy.

Effects

• According to Dr. William Rich, a cervical problem will not affect a pregnancy. It is still best to check it out, though, and determine if it's cancer.

Types

• When dealing with cervical problems, you should do testing to exclude or diagnose invasive cervical cancer. This can be done with a colposcopic examination.

Considerations

• If you have a premalignant cervical condition, Dr. William Rich says you can wait until the baby is six weeks old to evaluate and treat it.

Testing

• To diagnose cancer of the cervix, your doctor must do a biopsy or cone biopsy. This can still be done on pregnant woman.

Time Frame

• It's best to do biopsies in the beginning of the second trimester, because there isn't as much of a risk for a miscarriage. The risk of a spontaneous miscarriage in the first trimester is about 20 percent. If you wait until the third trimester, you risk causing labor with cervical manipulation.

Treatment

• If cancer of the cervix is diagnosed during your pregnancy, you will undergo the same course of treatment as women who are not pregnant. However, the treatment will likely be delayed until after the 24th week of pregnancy. That time period is set to make sure the baby is mature enough to be delivered if necessary.