Clinical CasePregnant Women and Cervical Cancer: Balancing Best Interests of Mother and Fetus Commentary by Watson A. Bowes Jr., MD Mrs. Smith arrived at the clinic nearly 30 minutes late. Patty, the nurse at the front desk, watched her enter. Mrs. Smith's 10-year-old daughter was whining and grasping at her mother's sides while her adolescent son ineffectually instructed the little girl to "stop it or else." When Mrs. Smith came into full view, it was obvious that she was pregnant.Dr. Daniels quickly glanced over Mrs. Smith's chart before entering the exam room and saw that her last recorded visit was a routine postpartum care appointment nearly one decade prior.Dr. Daniels greeted Mrs. Smith with a warm smile that had come to be one of her trademarks. "What brings you to clinic today?" she began."Well, now, isn't that pretty clear?" Mrs. Smith said jovially while patting her belly. A large smile spread across her face. "I'm probably almost five months along!" Throughout the course of the interview, it became clear to Dr. Daniels that this pregnancy meant a great deal to Mrs. Smith. She had recently remarried and was carrying the child of her new husband, who was also extremely excited about the recent developments. When Dr. Daniels probed to find if Mrs. Smith had been receiving any form of health care since her last clinic visit, Mrs. Smith disclosed sheepishly that she had been battling unemployment intermittently and had only recently regained her health insurance.Dr. Daniels then finished the interview. "Today we'll draw blood, do a urinalysis, and perform a Pap smear along with your exam. Then we'll schedule an ultrasound to confirm your dates and ensure that the pregnancy is proceeding normally. Do you have any questions or concerns for me?" Mrs. Smith did not.They proceeded with the physical exam. Dr. Daniels was alarmed to find several suspicious lesions involving the cervix, so she told Mrs. Smith that in addition to the Pap smear she would likely need to biopsy these sites.