What does "watch and wait" or "watchful waiting" mean?

Watchful waiting is an approach your doctor might suggest if your blood counts are not too low and your symptoms are not too bad. Your doctor will want to closely monitor your condition without giving any treatment, unless symptoms appear or change. This approach may be recommended in early stages of aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).