HPV Preventative Vaccine in Pre Teens

hm. spotty protection against a few strains (out of hundreds), with a chance of developing serious issues from the vaccine itself that is about the same chance of developing HPV.
which is totally preventable with sensible precautions.
no way.
khairete
S.

My daughters have both gotten the shots with no problems. I trust my doctor, and science in general, a lot more than uneducated strangers on the internet and celebrities (Jenny McCarthy anyone?) and their so called "research."

My daughter was a teen when it came out. I explained to her what it was, and gave her the choice to get it or not. She opted not to be a guinea pig, since it was a new vaccine and STD's can be avoided in other ways. After having heard some of the horror stories of adverse reactions, I'm glad she opted not to get it.

No way in he$$ my daughter will get the vaccine. She is 18 now and vows she'll never get it.

My opinion based on my Ob/gyn who refused it for his 3 daughters..... If someone has regular preventative care it's not that necessary, however, if someone never gets routine preventative care... Then yes, get the vaccine.

When this vaccine came out, it was way too new for me to allow my daughter to get it. Since daughters age is in concern here I also believe it's her body and her choice as well..., as long as a well informed decision is made.

I've read too many horror stories due to reactions, I've witnessed some moms I know stop the series due to health issues their daughters suddenly developed.

The vaccine does not prevent ALL strains of the virus. I feel routine preventative care and open communication trumps the what ifs and unknown of this new vaccine.

That said.... It is a very personal decision and only you can decide what's best for your children and family.

I GUESS...for me...I would rather teach 'safe' sex to my kiddos.

I 'get' that this vaccine protects with respect to 'some' things...there remain a SLEW of other sexually transmitted things that can manifest.

Not worth the risk to my girls...

a condom...well...works wonders.

just my opinion

***ETA***

My SONs have been educated in condom use as well...just wanted to clarify!!

best!

When my own OB/GYN said "NO" to the vaccine for me or herself? I knew I didn't want it.

When it came out for boys? I knew there was no way in hell I would allow them to have it. Even if I had a daughter? I would NOT get her that vaccine.

I asked my OB/GYN if she would be getting her kids vaccinated with Gardasil and her response was NO. That spoke volumes to me and I have decided against the vaccine.

No way...girls are dying from this vaccine and/or being severely handicapped. There is a documentary called??? One More Girl? I think that's what it's called.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1995527181/one-more-g...

I got my son the shot. Does that count?

It was my gift to him and his future wife. I cannot control who my son sleeps with, but I can prevent him from catching HPV and passing it on to his future wife. Unless two people who marry are virgins, they can catch it and later in life it can become cervical cancer. That is actually a cancer we can prevent, and I'm grateful for it.

There is a lot of hype about this vaccine... There is some great information on the drmercola website... which doesn't think the vaccine is what it's cracked up to be. I think people are being poorly advised by doctors, whom in my opinion, many get kickbacks for pushing that vaccine.. The doctor said my son should get it, I said.. No way..... because there is no proof that because of it, a person avoided having cancer......... I would definitely read up more on the topic...
don't be bullied into getting the vaccine... when I told my doctor no, I got a lot of attitude... but I didn't let it bother me..

good luck

My daughter (16) had it at 13. No side effects. When my boys were that age they weren't giving it to boys yet. I understand it's important they have it before they're sexually active. So, oops, too late for my boys, now 19 and 21.

:)

I have boys, and they are young, 6 and 2, but they will be getting the shots when the time comes.

It is a remarkably safe vaccine, as reported by two recent large-scale studies, one published in the British Medical Journal and the other in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Here are the links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23027469 and http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5906

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet. I hope you are limiting your research to peer-reviewed medical journals or articles by immunologists and infectious disease specialists. If not, you are likely to be mislead by people who have some sort of bias.

My 15 yo daughter has not gotten the shot. HPV is 100% preventable although even the shot does not protect from all strands of HPV. What a false sense of security it provides!!! My daughter knows I will take her to get the vaccine if she wants it but I do not want to take responsibility for giving her the vaccine. I don't think it has been out long enough to know the long term effects.

Be aware that anything on VAERS is self-reported reactions that can range from "I got the HPV shot and it gave me a cold" to "I got the flu from a flu shot." The reports are not analyzed, investigated, or verified. They are simply reports from folks. Some are probably real reactions, but most aren't.

Dr. Mercola is a quack. Please don't believe anything from him. He sells tanning beds with his name on them, for goodness sake!

Hopefully your doctor will provide you with both the positive and potentially negative effects of the vaccine. Having a medical professional give you all of the information is what you need to make informed choices. Unfortunately, most internet "research" is done using hack websites that don't know science or medicine, so beware.

When my girls are of age, I expect to get them the shot. I will first talk to my doctor about the potential rare side effects, though, and make my ultimate decision based on that conversation. But, as I said, I tend to think that if it is possible to prevent my girls (and boys, if I had any) from getting the most dangerous versions of HPV, I would do so.

... I have a daughter, 11, who is at that age.
I am on the fence.
Glad you asked this question, I was gonna too.
;)

And condoms do not protect from everything/every STD either.
As the previous poster said, there were men she knows who got throat cancer from the virus.
Any sexual activity/foreplay involves the mouth/throat, too. And there are no condoms on at those, times.

My daughter received it when she was 11 1/2. She is now 13. No side effects.

If I had a son they would get it as well.

I would not do it! I have researched for my DIL and after reading so,e of the info, she absolutely said no. Some of the stories are horrifying. However, it is a personal decision. You have to weigh the facts. For my granddaughter, it was a pass.

A definite pass. For my teenage granddaughter. Horrible stories on this! Thoroughly research the good and bad and make a well informed decision.

I'm leaning towards NO.

Sorry to show my ignorance and misconceptions but are you saying there are actually people out there that "you" ( my mamapedia friends) know that have gotten cancer from having sex?? enough people with this cancer that it would make sense to shoot my kid up with this vaccine that would possibly have bad side effects and maybe not totally protect them??

Unless you are positive your child is never going to have sex.. I would err on the side of vaccinating. If you think your child will remain a virgin indefinitely there's a good chance you may want to get your head out of the sand. Why would you not vaccinate against something that is known to possibly cause cancer? Even if your child saves their self for marriage who's to say their partner did? My son and daughter will be offered the vaccine and strongly encouraged to get it when they're older

I have sons but I am on the fence. There really are relatively few with the ultimate result of Cancer from the virus. But I have known 2 cases of men my age, 50s, with throat cancer that was caused by the virus.

Talk to your doctor about cancer rates in your state linked to the virus before you make up your mind.

My kids will not be getting this one (or any shots).

My son will receive the vaccine as soon as his pediatrician recommends it. I think he was thinking 9-10 years old. Why would I not protect my son's future partners when I could. One of them may one day be the mother of my grandchild.

Preventing cervical cancer is so so so much better than screening for it by PAP smear and having surgery hopefully at the carcinoma in situ stage.

Our son's had the shot.

Haven't heard any horror stories either. I have a son and he will be getting the vaccine when old enough. I trust my pediatrician.
And I had suffered with HPV in my 20's. No fun. I would not recommend it to anyone.

My boys just got their second dose of the shot. They need to go back once more for the final installment.

I think an ounce of prevention is worth it and if the CDC is recommending it, I will take the option of preventing disease.

Love Gamma G's point-why bother with any of the research to develop new things in medicine if we aren't going to take advantage.

My daughter got the shot at about 16.

Updated

My daughter got the shot at about 16.

I know I'm answering late. I have 2 friends who had HPV. One just died from ovarian cancer. I don't know if HPV was the cause of the cancer but if there is a vaccine for young kids to prevent this I'm all for it. My 11 year old son is getting the HPV shots. Boys can get it from girls who have it.

So I'm for it.

my teenage son just finished his 3 shots. Almost everyone I know is having their teens get the series of shots.