Teen Caccine for Cervical Cancer

W., the HPV viruses this vaccine protects from cause over 90% of the cervical cancers in women. (You can look that specific number up.) By vaccinating a lot of people, HPV becomes much less likely to cause the deaths of so many women to cervical cancer.

Your daughter may feel that she can trust the boy she ends up being with, whether it's a significant other or her husband. But she cannot prevent him from having sex with someone before she meets him. Unless she and her spouse only have sex with each other, she risks contracting HPV and it possibly giving her cancer many years, maybe decades later.

This vaccine is the only one so far that prevents cancer. There are those who act like our kids are going to run out and have sex as soon as they get these shots. What an awful attitude to have about a terrible disease like cancer. I am grateful that it is on the market, and glad that they are now giving it to boys as well. It can not only help lessen the spread of HPV, it can also prevent certain penile cancers and genital warts for males. I paid (our insurance doesn't cover it yet) for my older son to have the series of shots - it's a gift to him and his future wife. (By the way, he had no side effects.) Hopefully by the time I get them for my younger son, insurance will help us out.

Even if my son never has sex with anyone but his wife, how do I know that his wife had never had sex with anyone else? She could have HPV and pass it on to him. So no matter what we think in terms of whether our children have sex or not before they are married, there are no guarantees that their spouse did not.

I think that we should make this decision for our children rather than letting them make the choice. I can only imagine how awful I would feel if my husband came home with an STD. But I cannot imagine how HORRENDOUS it would be to realize that I not only have an STD that was caused by years ago sex, but one that has left me with a cancer. Since I can't do this for myself, I'm using this thought process as my reasoning to get the shots for my son - it would be even worse if his wife one day got cancer, when I had the ability now while he's young to vaccinate him for it.

All my best,
D.

8 moms found this helpful

My daughter is only 6 now, but will most certainly be getting this vaccine. I only wish they had it when I was younger.

Do you all realize how common HPV is? My doctor told me most people who are sexually active mostly likely are carriers of at least one type of HPV! Probably most of you that are so against this vaccine have HPV and don't even know it - often it presents no signs until it is too late.

I know this because 2 years ago I went for my regular pap exam, just as I always had, and they found abnormalities, which with furthur testing turned out to be Cervical Cancer that had been caused by HPV that I didn't even know I had. I wasn't someone that was running around with lots of men being a floosey - I was a woman that had been married for 6 years and had a daughter. I was stunned.

You want to talk about a side effect? How about being ready to start planning for your second child and finding out instead that you have to have a Hysterectomy immediately so Cancer doesn't spread. No Uterus - THAT is a side effect. Having your daughter constantly ask why she can't have a brother or sister - that's just heartbreaking.

Get the vaccine.

8 moms found this helpful

My almost 19 yo daughter had this shot a few years back and my 17 yo has had 2 of the 3 doses required. HPV is a VERY common and easily transmitted virus that is one cause of cervical cancer. To me, it's a no-brainer.

One word of caution: my girls have had no side effects from the vaccine but several of their friends had soreness and aches at the injection site. We asked the nurse about it and she said the best place to deliver the injection is in the upper thigh muscle, not the arm. The larger muscle in the thigh makes it much less uncomfortable for the recipient.

This is one I did some research on, since it's not mandatory (at least, not in MA yet). I thought it was well worth it. My pediatrician is an older, more conservative guy and doesn't rush to adopt any non-mandatory vaccine that comes down the pike. He, too, strongly supports young women receiving the HPV vaccine.

5 moms found this helpful

Both my daughter and my son have had the vaccine.
In my world, if I can protect them from one form of cancer, I'll do it.
LBC

5 moms found this helpful

I have a daughter that is 21 now and another that is 7. We opted NOT to get the vaccine because there has not been enough long-term research done. No one know what may or may not result from this vaccine 10 to 20 years down the road. I have a dear friend that is a OBGYN and he said his daughter would NOT bet getting the vaccine either.

Do you research and base your decision on that. "that prevents futur cervical cancer that's caused by HPV." WRONG! It MAY prevent certain types of cervical cancer that MAY be caused by HPV. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Most are harmless, but about 30 types put you at risk for cancer. - U.S. National Library of Medicine.

4 moms found this helpful

Protect your child. Many of the so called studies on vaccines have either proven to be outright false or misleading at best. I am a cancer survivor. If you can do anything to protect your daughter, give her this gift. People can have an adverse reaction to anything from food to you name it. It is the rare exception rather than the rule. I repeat, if you love your daughter, protect her!!!!!!!!

4 moms found this helpful

This is a vaccine I will probably pass on for my daughter. It is NOT mandatory in any state and should not be. HPV is an STD and though fairly commonly contracted rarely causes cancer:

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogen...

I am completely against this vaccine and the hype behind it! I think they are just looking for guinea pigs. It can be a dangerous vaccine for some children:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html

*** the sites I have listened are NOT opinion sites! These are factual sites about HPV and Gardasil.

4 moms found this helpful

It is not mandatory in the state of Texas. Your doctor is feeding you a load of BS. I have three daughters all in Texas and none of them will be getting this vaccine. There has been very little research done on it, it has caused a ton of problems and it was forced through the FDA for approval because it is a cash cow for big pharma. It also does not prevent cancer, it prevents around 70% of strains of genital warts which can lead to cancer. I urge you to do more research on this vaccine.

4 moms found this helpful

I don't see any reason not to get the vaccine - it's just one more disease that you can protect your child from. I know it's weird to think of your 12 year old as a grown woman, but she will be soon. Even if she only has one sexual partner in her whole life, she could get this from him, and it could cause cervical cancer. Every medication has some risks, and a chance of adverse effects, but the chances of something like that happening are far less than the chances of contracting HPV, which is one of the most common STDs.

4 moms found this helpful

Thank you Dawn for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and accurrate response to this. It saddens me to see all the knee jerk reactions to the HPV vaccine and to think this is a bad thing. I educate doctors and other health care professionals on HPV testing and genotyping for the high risk strains. I would love to write what I see everyday but you wouldn't believe me.

3 moms found this helpful

I did extensive research on the vaccine and decided to vaccinate my daughter when she was 12 yrs old. She had no side effects. HPV is incredibly common; I know several women who have had atypical or pre-cancerous cells found on routine cervical exams and had to undergo a procedure to have them removed.
Here are some links to information I found when I was doing my research:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa061760
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa061741
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe078060
http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/57/1/7
http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/...

HTH

3 moms found this helpful

My daughter has the vaccine and had no side effects or reactions to it.

3 moms found this helpful

Just google Guardasil and the adverse reactions and you'll get your answer. It's NOT mandatory in Texas, or anywhere else that I know of, but the drug companies would LOVE it if it were. I would not choose to do it.

2 moms found this helpful

I have a 14 year old daughter and I have opted out on getting this for her. I also have had HPV and I still believe that it is not worth the risk to my daughter. I have done quite a bit of research. All the studies have only been conducted over a 5 year span. They do not know what the long term affect is. Plus you take a risk of your daughter enduring some of the horrible side affects. The BEST protection against any STD is a condom. Yes, we would all like to think that our daughter would not be active but the reaility is at some point they will. If we educate our daughters to take the necessary precautions and have them be prepared then that is the best we can do. I do not believe that we all should jump on the band wagon of a "miracle" drug that has not been proven or has not shown to have a long track record. The doctors are influenced by the drug reps. Even our not so wonderful Perry tried to make it madatory and he was shot down. He too was "romanced" by the drug makers........... Sorry but as a survivor of HPV I am very passionate about this subject. There are too many other options available to protect your child without subjecting them to a "drug of the day" that they have no idea what the long term affect is. They have even stated that you might have to go thru another series of shots 5-10 years later as they do not even know how long the drug work...............

2 moms found this helpful

The vaccine is NOT mandatory in Texas. I don't have time now, because we are leaving...but I will send you a PM later to a link about the vaccine. (I have to dig for it, and we're out the door!)

2 moms found this helpful

It is not mandatory, but as a RN who has taken care of multiple women dying of cervical cancer in Emergency Departments, I will do everything I can to prevent this fate for my daughters. Just google HPV vaccines or ask your doctor for more information. Vaccines have to go through RIGOROUS testing before they can be approved.

2 moms found this helpful

It's not mandatory in Texas. I did not give it to my daughter simply because it is too new and not enough is known about side effects and long term issues.

2 moms found this helpful

If you decide not to get the shot, you can request a letter of exemption from the State of Texas to go into her school file with her vaccine records. They make it a real hassle to get the letter - - you must request the form IN WRITING. You must sign the form in front of a notary public. And you have to repeat the process every 2 years. But if you do it once, you can do it again. No big deal. As to the vaccine, I've heard that there are about 299 different kinds of HPV viruses linked to cancer and that the vaccine protects against the main 4. I've also heard that a young girl died in San Antonio as a result of the vaccine. I've not looked up this information, so consider it rumor until you do your own investigation. I told my daughter - - when her college was PUSHING her to get this vaccine a few years back - - don't have sex with multiple, RANDOM partners - - that's the best way to avoid viruses.

2 moms found this helpful

To my knowledge the vaccine isn't mandatory. The pediatrician that my girls go to has explained that it is an optional vaccine. I have 3 girls and the oldest did get the Guardasil vaccine, however, at this time I have opted not to get the other two vaccinated. My oldest daughter had mild reaction (thankfully) to the shot and it has made me hesitant on getting the other 2 vaccinated. There isn't any rush! Take your time! It is an important decision and you shouldn't feel rushed! Talk with you daughter too and see how she feels about it.

1 mom found this helpful

I was told it was mandatory too but reading into it it is not. They cannot force this shot on anyone. My daughter had an allergic reaction to it and couldnt take it after they the first shot, (it is a serious of 3 shots).. Do your research if its not something that runs in your generations than I would seriously think of not doing the vaccination.

1 mom found this helpful

PLEASE do not get this vaccine for your children!!!
There have been huge numbers of people w/ serious side effects.
There is so much information on the web about it.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html

http://drtenpenny.com/gardasil.aspx

http://iinformedparenting.blogspot.com/2010/04/india-give...

http://portlandmidwifery.com/2011/03/20/688/

These are just a couple articles, there are tons.

They would have to hold a gun to my child's head before I allowed this injected into them.
I think it is really sad that so many trust Big Pharma on this new drug that has not been researched well enough, the evidence of harm is very clear on this vaccine.

1 mom found this helpful

NO NO NO!! There are vaccine exemption forms you can find online. The HPV shot has been hurting teen girls very, very badly. A large number have also died... Here are multiple articles about it:
http://www.naturalnews.com/HPV_vaccine.html

No vaccine is mandatory in Texas as long as you have the exemption.

1 mom found this helpful

In Texas you don't have to get any vaccines. You just have to get a waver. I almost did not get my sons last vaccines. Every time they have gotten vaccines they have had a really bad reaction. Thank the Lord this time he did not but hes much older this time. Yes there are side effects to that vaccine that you are asking about. I dont know what all they are. I know one of my cousins ended up in the ER after getting it she was an adult but I am sure for kids they can have bad reactions to them too. You will have to pray about what is best for your daughter. Good luck with your desition and God Bless!

1 mom found this helpful

I think I will let my daughter make her own decision on this one. If she wants to get it before she starts having sex, I would not object, but I would not just go ahead with it before she is old enough to make her own decision on it.
Good luck!

From the CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/
Human papillomavirus (pap-ah-LO-mah-VYE-rus) (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. At least 50% of sexually active people will have genital HPV at some time in their lives.

My son's pediatrician listed it as one of the immunizations that he was due for a few months ago. After doing some reading on it, and talking to my then 14 year old son, I decided against it. He is not sexually active, and does plan on being so, as he says, until he gets married...I figure 2 - 3 more years ;)

Check out the CDC site - it has lots of information about HPV. I am just at the point where I don't just take the pediatrician's word about everything anymore.