Getting a Second Opinion

If you have cervical cell changes, your health care provider may want to do a series of tests or treatments, or may refer you to another provider.

• Tests help your health care provider learn more about the changes in your cervix (see Table 2 ¹).
• Treatments remove or destroy cells with changes so that healthy cells can grow back (see Table 4 ²).

You should always feel at ease asking your health care provider about the reason for a test or treatment and what you should expect during and after it.

"When I learned that my Pap test results were abnormal, I wondered just what the doctor meant by 'abnormal.'" NANCY, AGE 42

Here are some questions you may want to ask:

• What do my test results mean?
• What care is best for me?
• Is this a test designed to help you learn more about the changes in my cervix? Or is it a treatment to cure the changes?
• What are the possible results? Will I need more care afterward?
• Are there any risks or side effects? How can I manage them?
• Do I need to do anything special to prepare for this test or treatment?
• Do I need to do anything special to care for myself afterward?
• Will this affect my ability to get or stay pregnant?
• Will my health insurance pay for the treatment you suggested?

Getting a Second Opinion

If you are concerned about your Pap test results and don't feel right about your health care provider's recommendations, you may want to get a second opinion. Changes in the cervix happen very slowly. Most of the time, they take several years to become cancer. Waiting a few months before follow-up care usually does not affect the success of the care you choose. You may want to use this time to:

• Ask your health care provider to have another pathologist review your test results.
• Ask another specialist or gynecologist to review your care plan. (A gynecologic oncologist, a doctor who specializes in female cancers, is someone you might want to see.)

Many women feel uncomfortable asking for a second opinion. They may feel that they are being a bother or that they will offend their health care provider, but it is very common for women to seek one. And doctors often expect patients to ask for one. A second opinion may help you feel more sure that you have made the best choices about your health.

If you have health insurance, many insurance companies will pay for a second opinion if you ask for one.

Most of the time, your health care provider will suggest the name of another specialist if you want a second opinion. You may choose to visit this second health care provider. Or you may get names of specialists from your local medical society, a nearby hospital or medical school, or your friends or family members.

The NCI Cancer Information Service (see Resources ³) can help you find qualified doctors and programs through cancer centers and other cancer programs.

Glossary Terms

A doctor who specializes in treating cancers of the female reproductive organs.

A doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissues under a microscope.