Clinical Preventive Services -
Counseling -

There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine counseling of women about measures for the primary prevention of gynecologic cancers. Clinicians counseling women about contraceptive practices should include information on the potential benefits of oral contraceptives, barrier contraceptives, and tubal sterilization with respect to specific gynecologic cancers (see Counseling to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy). Clinicians should also promote other practices (maintaining desirable body weight, smoking cessation, and safe sex practices) that may reduce the incidence of certain gynecologic cancers and have other proven health benefits (see Screening for Obesity, Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use, and Counseling to Prevent HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases).

• To refer to the Clinical Interventions or view the complete entry for this topic, see the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Second Edition (1996).