Women's Health

Cervix Treatment May Endanger Pregnancy Later

'Wait and Watch' Often the Best Option

With the "wait-and-watch" option, Pap smears every six months are necessary, Horowitz says.

But if treatment is needed -- if the lesion has advanced all the way up the cervix -- he does laser ablation because he can limit the width and depth of tissue damage.

LEEP is the most common procedure performed, mainly because the equipment is less expensive so doctors can perform it in their offices, explains Horowitz. "But too many doctors take too much extra tissue when they do LEEP." They don't want pathology reports that leave doubts about whether all abnormal cells have been removed, he explains.

"I've had young patients come to me with hardly any cervix left because they've had so many LEEP procedures," he says. "You can do many laser ablations, too, but you're taking a lot less tissue."