Disease in the pregnant woman is generally managed as in the non-pregnant woman. If no suspicious target lesion is present on the cervix and Pap smears are positive, colposcopy should be performed. In the rare cases where colposcopy is unsatisfactory and the cytology positive, wedge or cone biopsy should be done, preferably in the middle trimester to minimize the risk to mother and fetus. Should invasive carcinoma be discovered in early pregnancy and thought to be unsuitable for primary surgical therapy, termination of the pregnancy is usually carried out with the method depending on the gestational age and is followed by radiotherapy. Certain patients with early stages of disease may be treated primarily with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. If the carcinoma is discovered in the later weeks of pregnancy, a delay in treatment is considered permissible to allow for viability of the fetus. For those patients diagnosed in the latter stage of pregnancy with a viable fetus, delivery by caesarean section is usually recommended although studies have not shown that vaginal delivery has produced a higher morbidity or decreased survival in patients delivered this way.

These treatment policies must be individualized as to the stage and extent of disease, gestational age and, in particular, the wishes of the patient.