Seeking Opinions About the Gardasil Vaccine

K.,

There is NO WAY I would give it to my daughters (if I had any), nor would I take it myself, and I am a cancer survivor.

Although I have been researching this issue, I cannot put things any better than Kristi did. Read her contribution carefully.

Major issues that you should be aware of are (a) you are injecting your daughter with LIVE cancer viruses from an EXPERIMENTAL vaccine. That, right there, should give you some serious concern. Are you introducing cancer to a previously healthy child? And, what are the long-term consequences of this - we don't know. b) the vaccine only allegedly protects against four out of 100 viruses, not including subsequent mutations, for an STD. You are statistically better off teaching your daughters to abstain from illicit sexual relationhips than giving them this vaccine. (c) there are a number of documented, severe, and in some cases, deadly, reactions to the vaccine.

Dont' do it.

2 moms found this helpful

My doctor recommended it for my daughter. She said her she had her own daughter vaccinated, and I really do trust her judgement. The vaccine is NOT experimental, it is FDA approved which means that it has gone through rigorous testing. It doesn't mean that it is 100% guaranteed safe (but then no vaccines are).
I didn't get it for my daughter yet as she is only 9, but I plan on getting her started in the next year or two. I don't expect her to be sexually active - our family and religion teaches complete abstinance until marriage and complete fidelity in marriage - but kids sometimes make choices we don't expect. And I really don't think getting her vaccinated gives her any idea that it is okay to be sexually active (for nothin else, then because it doesn't protect against other STDs). HPV and genital warts are diseases that don't go away, aren't treatable by antibiotics, and can have serious consequences, including cancer. I definitely plan on getting my daughter vaccinated.

1 mom found this helpful

My daughter has gone thru two of the three shot series, Her side effects are minimal with redness and swelling around the shot area, but to me it is worth it, she has one more in October and then beginning of next year I will have my younger daughter start the series, I have had cervical cancer in the past the same type this protects against, therefore I am all for protecting my daughters, no one knows for sure how one will react to shots until one is done, for me it is worth it, and yes it is worth the money as well but check the local health clinics they may offer is cheaper. To me if people actually researched all the required vaccines for our children they would see they all have high and low risk to them including death, It is just one of those decisions you make as a parent. Good Luck

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i just wanted to say kristi y's response is awesome and i think we all should consider the information and evidence she presents. just because your doc or the gov says something is good and "tested" doesn't mean it is so. thanks for the great info kristi! you are in my "favorites" now
Sincerely, N.

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My mother's doctor told her he would have his daughter have it and encouraged my mom and my little sister to get it. My doctor told me that since I have been in a stable/married relationship and have not had multiple sexual partners that I was not at high risk for the virus and that she wouldn't recommend it for me. I guess it just depends on your situation and doctor and risk factor I suppose.

1 mom found this helpful

My personal opinion is the rewards way outway any risks. Cervical cancer is a silent deadly killer, and even though this vaccine doesn't cure protect against all types, it's protects against the most common types and thus is saving hundreds of thousands of lives every year.

1 mom found this helpful

Okay, it seems ridiculous to me that anyone would hesitate one moment to get a vaccine that prevents cancer! A VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER! CANCER! Why would you intentionally avoid protecting your daughter? It would be just as negligent as saying that you're sure she's not going to be in an accident and then not having her buckled into the car. I know my daughter is not sexually active at 9 years old. But you have to get the vaccine before they are sexually active for it to be effective. And most kids have sex around 16. My sister was having sex at 13. I waited until I was 18, but my point is that if you wait, you may lose the chance to protect her for her entire life from a preventable form of cancer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006... The fact of the matter is that no matter HOW you raise your children, statistics are against them being virgins by the time they are married. And even if your daughter is a virgin, there's no guarantee that their husbands have not had multiple partners. I am going to see if I can't have my son vaccinated as well. Not because I'm afraid he'll get cervical cancer, but because I'm afraid he may pass it on to the woman he loves most someday unintentionally.

http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec1181/005.htm
The more people protected by vaccination, the less the spread of disease even in people who can't be protected due to medical concerns. This is called herd immunity and without it, many people who are susceptible are at risk. So, when you don't immunize your child, you put other people's children at risk as well.

This vaccine, while only covering 4 types of the virus, actually protects from 70% of the infections that lead to cervical cancer. It's 91% effective at preventing first infection and 100% effective at preventing the long term persistent infections that lead to cervical cancer.

True, there are risks of side effects for all vaccines, including this one, but the risk is much smaller than the benefit, not only to your daughter, but the public health as well. Quite literally thousands of lives can be saved with this vaccine each year, and I think that it's worth it to have our next generation's mothers around to raise their own daughters.

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I say almost 18 million women have had the vaccine from what the news said last night, in those only a few percentage has had adverse reaction to the vaccine. Of course I would be aprehensive on anything new in the market, but if it truly does what it says it does, I would definitely consider giving it to my daughter (who is only seven right now).
I think anything to prevent cervical cancer for a woman is a blessing and if studies are going to start proving it is working and does the right thing then I am all for it.
The cost, the agony, the suffering that goes with getting any cancer is so much greater then $360 for keeping your child safe!! Not even anything to think about there.
I am hoping Insurance companies start covering it realizing that it is saving them a ton too in the long run.
I am still waiting to see more studies on it, but it is something I would indeed consider. I disagree with that it gives girls a false sense of security, kids will experiment any ways and totally don't think of the consequences, so anything to add to the protect and education to young girls is big in my book.
Vaccines to date have save THOUSANDS of children's lives, go to any third world country where children are dying of the diseases we eliminated with vaccine and that is proof enough.

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Hi!

I have three daughters ages 16, 14, 12 (almost). I'm not going near the vaccine. The cervical cancers and warts it is supposed to protect against are ALL sexually transmitted, not genetic, so if cervical cancer is a concern in your family this will not help. Also, if you read the fine print, this vaccine has only a 15% efficacy rate ... why bother.

L.

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K.,

I have chosen not to vaccinate my daughters with this vaccine. Merck's slogan of "One Less," implying that every girl who receives this vaccine is one less who will get cervical cancer is EXTREMELY misleading. I would really encourage you to do some research about this vaccine. It is very new, and there is a huge push to vaccinate our daughters, despite the fact that there is very little known about it. Mother Magazine had an article in the May/June 2007 issue, which you can order from their archives. Here is a little of the disturbing info I have discovered:

1. "One Less" - There are over 100 strains of HPV. Gardasil immunizes against only 4 of the 13 strains know to be associated with cervical cancer.

2. Girls who have been immunized may (understandably, based on the advertising) feel protected from cervical cancer. They may be less likely to get annual pap smears and cervical exams, which will reduce the number of cervical cancer cases that are caught early, THE BIGGEST INDICATOR FOR SURVIVABILITY.

3. There are some questions about the FDA trail. Merk used a product that can make it appear like the vaccine is safer and more effective that it really would be in public use.

4. Merck's product insert indicates that Gardasil recipients experienced more serious adverse events such as gastroenteritis, appendicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, asthma, bronchospasm, and arthritis than placebo recipients.

5. The vaccine is recommended for 11-12 year olds; however, the vaccine was tested on an older group of girls. There is no data for how it might affect preadolescent girls; no girls younger than 15 were part of clinical trials. You might remember when Prozac was recalled for teenages because it caused an increased suicide rate. Because the clinical trials did not include younger patients, they had no idea that it would react differently. Young girls who receive this vaccine are becoming part of an experiment.

6. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) has issued a new report on risks associated with the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Analyzing adverse events reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), an association between Gardasil and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) was found. A statistically significant increased risk of GBS (and other serious adverse events) were noted when Gardasil is co-administered with other vaccines, especially the meningococcal vaccine Menactra.

7. Gardasil has not been tested for long-term safety.

8. The two published studies of Gardasil were funded entirely by the manufacturer, Merck & Co. Merck & Co. hopes to generate as much as $3 billion in annual sales from Gardasil. Merck & Co. has made financial contributions to some politicians to encourage the mandating of the administration of Gardasil. (As of May 2007, 31 states had legislation in place MANDATING that girls entering 6th grade receive this vaccine.)

9. If this vaccine performs as claims, vaccinating girls is estimated to reduce the rate of cervical cancer by 75%, while vaccinating both boys and girls is estimated to reduce it by 90%. Why are legislatures attempting to mandate this vaccine for girls, but not boys. For that fact, why should the health care that ANYONE chooses be mandated by law?

http://www.mothering.com/newsletter/pressrelease-may07.html
http://www.nvic.org/PressReleases/pr62706gardasil.htm
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/vaccines/...
http://www.mothering.com/sections/news_bulletins/august20...
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/20270

I know there are several articles there, but I would really encourage every mom to read them through. It's worth it to do our homework before we make our decisions, rather than relying on the "experts" to tell us what to do.

Best of luck,
S.

Here's another article to read:
http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_HPV_Vaccine_0.html
Unless you think your 9 year old daughter is going to be doing a lot of sleeping around at that age, I would wait until age 21 and let her decide : ). In my opinion, everytime some company makes a new vaccine, the government decides everyone should get it without waiting long enough to see if it is really safe for children. I don't want my grandkids to be the guinea pigs for every latest thing out there so I am advising my family to wait until a lot more information is available.

I have three girls, ages 18, 14, and 11. So far we have had the first of the three vaccinations for the two older ones. I do not expect then to use the shots as an excuse to have sex because our beliefs and family upbringing already lead them to abstinence. However I have had several friends and family members who suffered and some who have died from cancer and would do just about anything to keep that from my children.

In their first series they have suffered no ill effects, not really even tenderness at the sight. This is much like any other shot. It depends upon the skill of the giver. Something that influenced my decision was that my sister suffered from a common sexually transmitted disease in her marriage, from her husband, that caused her to be infertil.

I read almost all of the articles and though there is good and bad, I am now not sure whether I will have them complete the series. Our trusted doctor did suggest them, just as he did the meningitis shot for my daughter entering college. I am NOT on the line about that one. My oldest daughter will have to finish her series at school and I will let her make the choice. As for the younger daughter, at this point I have a "wait and see" attitude.

This vaccine, though only guarding against four types of HPV, it is the four MOST COMMON types. I am generally for anything that will help my kids and if there are no further reactions I will complete the series. I did have them vaccinated for measles and mumps which I suffered from as a child. Chicken pox were bad enough for them to have. So far all other vaccines have worked and been worth it. The benefits have outweighed the risks.

I asked a similar question not very long ago. All I can say is that is makes me ill to know so many mothers are against the vaccine. There have been lots of articles posted, none of which were written by doctors.
Yes the vaccine only protects against 4 types of the virus... but those 4 types cause 70% of cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts.
The side effects are minimal. A very small number of females have experienced some dizziness and fainting (many faint at the site of a needle anyhow) There is a chance (as with any medication) of an allericic reaction. However I would like to point out there are NO cases of death or perminent injury from the vaccine. However women die every single day from cervical cancer!! Not my daughter, she'll be getting the vaccine the minute she is old enough.

Someone else inquired about this vaccine months ago-here is the link to that request:
http://www.mamasource.com/request/13920311332189503489 It's amazing to me-the replies here are much more positive; last time it came up it was quite a different response!

I am also pasting my reply from that discussion-with some links to comprehensive info about some of the risks. Also-keep in mind that it is *still* classified as an "invesitgational vaccine"..... My mother, as well as her sister are both cervical cancer survivors, I STILL would never risk this vaccine. I will of course keep vigilant about paps (which yes, I know aren't preventative), but will not get this, nor suggest that my daughters do so.

'Please, if you are considering doing this, do as much research as you can!! You mentioned that you "hope they never find anything negative about it", there has already been a ton found on it that definitely falls into negative! Of my seven children, 3 are girls, and there is no way I would ever even consider getting them this shot. There is a ton of information out there on this shot, many new reports were issued en masse in Oct of 2007. The testing on this shot was minimal at best (most reports list less than 2000 people being tested before a release). As of last year,"There have been 3461 reports of adverse events, including a maximum of 11 deaths, in patients receiving Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine". Over one quarter of all reported "adverse events" were neurological problems. Paralysis (though sometimes only temporary), seizures, blood clots, arthritis and numerous other issues have been reported. And even though the risk of death is rare, a rate of roughly 10/3000 is a pretty darn huge death risk for someone who is young and healthy! It is much higher than the risk of her even getting in a car accident, which is a relatively common thing.

Not only are those immediate issues being reported, but in a six month period, 33 of 77 women who were pregnant when they received the vaccine experienced side effects, including spontaneous abortion and fetal abnormalities. Who knows how this might affect future fertility/fetal development in the future for the girls who are getting it now.

For a quick synopsis on some of the recent reports, check out fdanews.com. www.NVIC.org (National Vaccine Information Center) has a much more comprehensive report from earlier after the release of the vaccine, and the initial reporting of side effects.'

I have been reading responses that you just need to educate your daughter more and that is so 1950's thinking.
Anyone can get HPV!
My OB/GYN said that by the time my generation (I am in my 30's) is in it's 70's, 80-90% of us women will have the virus and most will never know.
It is one of the most common STD's on the planet and you can't just look at a person to know if they are "clean" or not.
So asking our daughters to be GOOD isn't enough. She can be a virgin on her wedding day and still marry a man who has it without knowing. AND that in no way means he was dirty or slept around a lot. It can take only one time.
So as soon as my daughter is old enough I will for sure make sure she gets this vaccine. I do all I can now to protect her, why wouldn't I do this as well???
Hoping and praying our daughters won't have sex isn't enough...

I am very skeptical about this vaccine, and I do not like the age group they are targeting. I'd suggest you read what Christiane Northrup has to say about it.

I think that it is important to educate young girls about the dangers of HPV because so many people have and for the most part there are no signs, which can be scary. But I have heard some real horror stories about the vaccine. I believe there are several documented cases of girls who have died from it, so do the research!! I don't recommend it, but education is so important.

From what I've read, about 20% of the vaccination reaction complaints filed in the US are from the Gardasil vaccination. One of my employees, who is 24, was essentially coerced into it by her doctor. I also find it very scary to see how much Merck has spent to lobby to make it a law that girls get the vaccine. I have a strange theory that whenever you get conservative and liberal people agreeing on an issue, you have a problem. Both sides are against this vaccine--the right due to the idea that this vaccine assumes young teenagers will have sex and ultimately encourages sex and the left--that this vaccine is too untested and that the law is trying to force parents to do something a pharmaceutical company initiated. Here are a couple of news links from a variety of sides and sources:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/07/08/primarysource/ent...

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07092004.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248781,00.html

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/vaccines/...

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114810.php

I am the billing clerk in a doctors office in Rock Springs, Wyoming. I am 38 and wish that they had this out when I was younger as 3 years ago, I had HPV. Thank God everything turned out ok. I highly recommend the shot and wish that my step-daughter would get the shot, but her mother will not take her to get it and she lives with her mother and visits her father and I very rarely as she is a very active teenager. As far as the cost, for girls 18 and under it is considered a state vaccine so it should not cost anything but the administation fee for the shot. You may want to check on this as it may differ from state to state. I know that all the providers and nurses in the office where I work highly recommend it also. I hope this helps, as this of couse is only my opinion. I know it can a tough decision to make on whether or not you should get it or not.

Hi K.,

Personally, I think Gardasil is unecessary and a money making scam. Here are some websites you might want to checkout to read more.

www.vaclib.org/index.htm
www.thinktwice.com

My daughter will definately NOT be getting the Gardasil vaccine. God bless your search for answers.

I think it's wonderful that they've finally developed a vaccine that can guard against a type of cancer. My daughter is only 3 now, so by the time she's old enough to get the vaccine, they'll have many years of study on it, but even so, if she was old enough now then I'd have her get it without a doubt.

I have a friend who was diagnosed with HPV at 21 and is high risk for cervical cancer now - she has to go in every 3 months for a pap smear for YEARS. Had this shot been around, maybe she wouldn't be in this situation.

As for the post that you should let her decide when she's older if you don't suspect she'll be sleeping around when she's younger, remember, all she needs to do is sleep with one person one time and that person could give her HPV. Or a cheating husband could bring it home. It's not worth the risk in my opinion.

As for your daughter, it's still a few years away until she can receive the vaccine, so you'll have years of information to help make a better informed decision at the time.

Hi K.,

When I first heard about this faccine I was wary, very wary. I'm not a fan of vaccines in the first place, but this one takes the cake. You are correct in that it only guards against 4 typs of HPV when there are many many more out there. And in my mind it gives teanage girls a false sense of security and "allows" them to feel they can start having sex as early as they choose, which is also an unhealthy choice. Here is a list of articles from a favorite web site of mine. I hope it helps you with your decision.

http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?q=gardasil%20vacci...

Good Luck!
M.E.

I have heard about the vaccine. What they don't advertise in the commercials for it is that HPV is a sexual transmitted disease. I do not like that it is just assumed that my daughter will have sex at an early age and that she won't have sex with just one person in her life. I will not give my daughter this vaccine.
Another example of a possibly unneccesary vaccine is the eye drops they give to infants at birth to protect from blindness. But the blindness is only caused by the mother having a std, and you are checked for that std when you are pregnant.
I think it is important to research what causes the diseases we are trying to prevent by giving vaccines. Sometimes the vaccines are not relevant to my child. I hope this helps.

I have two daughters ages 12 and 14 that have just recently started the series of shots. The main reason i started getting them the shots is that cancer including cervical and uterine cancers are common in our family. My mom, an aunt, my grandma and two of her sisters all had one form or another. I feel that was reason enough. I have another daughter who is 9 when shes' older, she too is getting these shots. Hopefully they are a good investment. For their safety and health.

>>>>>>>DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DON'T EVEN CONSIDER IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am the mother of 7 girls and I would never consider such a dangerous drug be injected into their bodies - I don't care if it was free - they couldn't pay us enough!

If you really had researched this you wouldn't be considering it either - so go back to your "research" and get the truth!

From what I understand and according my doctor the types of things this vaccine gaurds against are mainly from being sexually active with multiple partners and they typically begin with STD's, etc. I hope my information is correct. Either way, though, I don't think it's a good idea to expose our daughters to an experimental vaccine. Good job for doing your research!

If my daughters want to get it, they can go get it. I'm not sure it's necessary except for those who refuse to go by the one partner after marriage rule.

I think it's a fine thing in theory. I just don't think it should be mandated. I'm not in the right age range for that approval but I doubt I'd get that vaccine anyway.

I can see it being a nice thing (to think about having done)in the event that a partner cheats and brings home an added bonus to you're next experience together. (dirty rat!) lol

I think the price is huge and a deterrent. It also has a dubious reputation of being extremely painful; so that, too, is a deterrent. I haven't seen that the risks are out weighed by the "benefit". But, to each her own.

I prefer safer responsible sexual practices.

A friend of my sister got her daughter this vaccine and she was paralyzed for a short time... way too scary to risk it, I would think. I think at this time the vaccine is too experimental to be using on our young girls... maybe in the future it will be perfected.

After first hearing about the vaccine I had considered giving it to my daughter once she was old enough. I was diagnosed with the HPV virus 10 years ago. I had many paps with pre cancerous cells and had to have lots of procedures to keep ahead of it. I didn't want my daughter to possibly go through the same thing if it could be prevented. The other day my sister sent me a website with lots of info that has since changed my mind on the subject. Attached is the site. Hope it helps you.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...

I have just gotten my 16 y.o. daughter vaccinated because her gyno recommended it, as cancer runs on both sides of our family. Her paternal grandmother died of a brain tumor 5 years after she fought and won her battle against Breast cancer. My grandmother has had a double mastectomy. I think it is no different than all of the other vaccines we give our children to keep them safe. Any chance we can give them of having a healthier future should be taken.

My doctor actually recommended against this vaccine. He said that we should wait until they is more research out because he felt that it was released too soon. My mother has Cervical Cancer due to HPV. True the vaccine might have prevented it, but it only fights 4 types and there over 100 different strains of HPV.

I think that teaching abstinance is a much safer method. If you need some help Google STDs and you will find that in American 2 out of every 5 high school girls have an STD and the shot will not prevent that!

My daughter just turned 20 in july, she said no way for the shot of course i didn't insist she is old enough to make that decision. I wasn't for her getting the imunizations when she was little. As far as I know she wasn't sexually active before marriage,she's married to a young man she had been with for 3 1/2 years anyway. Her broinlaw's gf mom took her down and forced her get one and she was 19 at the time, not living at home. My daughter was not happy about it because her friend said she was not comfortable getting it. My daughter still not getting it she said something feels wrong about it.
Good luck on all the info you will get. I still think going with your gut instinct is the best most of the time.

I am the mother of 4 daughters. My youngest is only 15, but when the vaccine was introduced a few years ago, I found out all I could about it, & asked my doctor ( a woman) if she would give this vaccine to her daughter. My oldest girls were already in their 20s & living on their own, so they were beyond the age/conditions of receiving the shots. But my youngest daughter DID receive the vaccinations. The shots are expensive & our insurance did not cover any of the expenses--which were about $150 per shot. But when it comes to your child's health, there is no price tags. Your daughter is so young, that I'm sure that more info will be available by the time she is eligible for the shots. But if there is a vaccination available that may prevent future illness for your child, why would someone not take the opportunity??

As a teacher of teenagers and a mom of young adults, I say, why wouldn't you have your daughters immunized? If it would lower her risk for breast cancer wouldn't you do it? HPV contrary to the opinion of some is not an STD. Papillomavirus, like herpes viruses are endemic to the environment. They live and are transmitted across a variety of ways. If I had daughters (My children were all boys) I would get it in a heartbeat. Any medical advance that lowers cancer risk is worth a few dollars and a couple of hours worth of my time.

I don't have a daughter, but I am a cervical cancer survivor. I would review all the info, talk to the doctor, and get the vaccine. The cancer nearly cost me my life, and the ability to have kids. It was a stage 4 and luckily had not spread. They think it had been in my body for 5-7 years before it was found. I know you don't want to think about your daughter being sexually active, but facts are that many are active in their teens. I would do anything possible to protect her.

I have to agree with Kathi and Catey. I would never encourage my kids to get the shots, or to give them to my granddaughters. There is so much that isn't known, and the side effects are too big. Why put chemicals into a healthy body for an unknown MAYBE? It is NOT worth it. $360 to put an experimental poison in me is nuts in my book. Teach the girls (and ourselves) to be healthy and abstain from sexual activity outside of mariage. That goes for our sons. I've done my due diligence, and K., I vote no. I hope you do yours.