Gardasil - Lewisville,TX

Updated on September 25, 2009
M.S. asks from Lewisville, TX
34 answers

My daughter is at the age where they will recommend this series of shots at her next appointment. I have heard many good things, but have also received the e-mail going around of the girl affected by it. Any thoughts/comments, moms?

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L.C.

answers from Dallas on

M.,
This vaccine has not had long term studies. I have several friends who have daughters that became very ill after they received it. I have some other info on them if you would like you can email me offline and I will send it to you.
Thnaks, L.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

Hi M.,

I work at a OBGYN office. The doctor I work for suggests NOT to have this shot. It ONLY covers 4 types of HPV. HPV has over 23 different strains. And the most common strain of the HPV is NOT covered under this shot. There are lots of risks and slide effects. Even death. Please do a lot of thinking and research before making a appt.

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B.B.

answers from Dallas on

I do not plan on vaccinating my daughter, who is 12 right now. It only protects against 4 out of literally hundreds of strains of HPV, and as you know, viruses have the annoying tendency to mutate. Instead, I have focused my efforts on building up my children's immune systems by natural methods. If the body has the right tools, it can handle everything you through at it, even cancer. After all, studies have shown that nearly everyone has some version of cancer present in their bodies at all times. 99% of the time, our immune system handles it. It's when we are immune-compromised that things go wrong. OK, soap box time is over! Good luck with your decision.

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D.B.

answers from Dallas on

There is NO epidemic of cervical cancer. If a person has annual pap smears, the treatment of cervical cancer is an office procedure. HOWEVER, this shot is very expensiveover $300 for the series. It also has very little research time behind it and has NOT been tested on pre-pubescent girls (no companies do that research because it's too liability-ridden).

There are very definite side effects that you will be putting your daughter at risk for. Please read the list of ingredients for this vaccine. It will surprise you in a very negative way. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/921099/gardasil_...

Please educate yourself thoroughly before giving this to your child.

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D.D.

answers from Dallas on

Personally... I will NOT get the shot for my daughter when she is of age. What they DON'T tell you is that there are certain viruses that live in and on our bodies ALL the time. The only time they become a problem is when things get out of balance. Staff lives on us ALL the time, YEAST all the time, HPV ALL the time. My question is what happens if we start destroying these organisms? Will our bodies loose their ability to build natural defenses to them? My other fear is that there has not been enough testing of the "long term" effects of the drug. How do we know that later on it does not damage the reproductive health of our daughters?

In my opinion it is like selling Meteor Shields. This shield will protect you from 4 of the the 20 types of meteors that fall from the sky but not the other 16 types. Oh yeah and it may also cause termites,mold, and did we mention that it is so heavy that it may cause your house to collapse? Oh yeah and it is only good for 7 years, after that your on your own.

I know it sounds like a silly comparison, but that the way I look at Gardasil too.

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E.C.

answers from Dallas on

It is just my opinion, but I am not going to have my daughter vaccinated.

It doesn't cover all strands of cervical cancer, and if she DOES ever get it, regular paps can catch it and it can be taken care of. (That's what happened to me - I know how it works.)

I saw a pediatric doctor on the news and he wasn't going to give it to his daughter either. That just made me feel better about my decision.

You need to decide what will make YOU feel right in YOUR heart though.

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter is 14, and I've decided not to force it on her but to allow her to make the decision. Remember, this vaccine doesn't prevent all types of cervical cancer, only the one caused through the sexually-transmitted HPV virus. My daughter is not sexually active, and I hope she remains such for several years but we have an open relationship so I'll know if she is thinking otherwise at which time I'll remind her about her options.

I've heard that there are some side effects -- girls who have fainted, etc. but nothing else. Still, I don't see why I should put my daughter through that right now.

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N.W.

answers from Dallas on

I think, don't remember the exact number but there have been about 48 deaths due to Gardisil and recently in the DMN there was an article about a girl paralyzed from the shot. Guiallian Barre is a side effect. These may be extreme reactions but you should know the risks and with any vaccine determine if the risks are worth the possible benefit.

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T.C.

answers from Dallas on

Mayjo,

I have a very open relationship with my teenage daughter. We talked about the shot, what it was for, and whether or not she felt it was necessary for her at this point (the HPV virus is spread through sexual contact). She decided, (as she has for Birthcontrol, that she did not want the shot for now. She is 18, and is not sexually active. However, she knows that if/when she feels that it would be appropriate, she will seek me out and we will have another discussion.

T. Cobbs

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T.A.

answers from Dallas on

My doctors recommend getting the shots but I am not comfortable with the Gardasil testing. So I asked at what age is it no longer effective to get the shot. My doctor's response was the shots are only effective when given between the ages of 12 and 26 years of age. We are going to wait and see. In the meantime I am very open and honest with my daughters regarding sex and even discussed the pros and cons of Gardasil. I realize there are no guarantees but at least my daughters are informed.

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K.M.

answers from Dallas on

M.-
I talked it over with my doctor and she said that she will not give it to her own daughter! There are still too many risks that haven't been tested yet and too many side affects. I decided NOT to have my daughter get the shot (she's 15). Soon after I had made my decision, my mother told me about a young teen girl in their church that was very athletic and active, she got the shot, and within 3 to 4 weeks cannot walk without the help of 2 canes. She is getting worse and will soon be in a wheel chair. She had no prior illnesses, was very healthy, and the trouble started immediately after she got the shot. Several doctors tested her for numerous things and they finally took her to Vanderbuilt and the doctors there knew right away what the problem was. I know everyone is different and the risks will not affect everyone, but I've heard WAY more bad than good.

Keep it in prayer!
K. M. (mother of 5)

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

One friend of mine has the appropriate-age girls and she discussed with the doctor. He recommended waiting unless the girls are about to be sexually active. Wait and let more results come in. The nurse said that she was NOT vacinating her daughters. Another friend forced her daughter to get it, and it IS painful. She cried all 3 times. I, personally, am glad to have time before my daughter is the appropriate age to let more results come in. It is not a clear-cut decision. And everyone will encourage you to do what THEY decided in order to validate their decision. Good luck! Isn't parenting h*** o* all fronts. :0

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M.K.

answers from Dallas on

Do some more research and talk to your doctor. I had heard that they were considering pulling this off the market due to complications the drug caused.

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V.T.

answers from Dallas on

My sister who is an office manager for an OB/GYN strongly suggested that my nieces who are 15-17 not get the shot. I didn't ask why since my daugther is only 6 months and we are not concerned with it yet. But she doesn't think that girls should get it. I know she is not a doctor, but since she works with them I trust her judgment.

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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

Hi M.,
do your own research. There are more cons than pros about this vaccination. does she REALLY need it??
www.nvic.org

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

We are still in this limbo decision ....

My daughter is 14 (15 in Dec) and I STILL have not allowed this vaccine. I have a gut instinct about it because it is so new and the rumors I've heard.

That said, my Ob/Gyn and Pedi still highly recommend it. My Ob has 3 girls and they all have had the vaccine.

Now, among daughter's friends, I do not know of anyone who has not. I was asked by 1 mom and when I said we had not done it her reaction was "WHY NOT". This same mom said that her daughter told her it was quite painful afterwards, all 3 times.

I know there are good arguments on BOTH sides. Something in my gut keeps me from following through on this one. I am not anti vaccine by any means.

I do believe Guardisil would be good if you are the type to NOT have preventative/routine care such as prescreening paps, etc.

We are the type to have regular screenings, checkups etc. My communication lines with daughter are very open and we have discussed this at length. It is HER BODY we are talking about...therefore, I feel she needs to have a say in this as well. I am not naive enough to realize that my daughter may or may not choose to have sex before marriage. That is a part of our communication line which is wide open... I am a very open minded person and do not dismiss my daughter's opinion's.

This is one of those topics that has potential to be very controversial. I look forward to reading the different views you receive from other moms.

It is simply a personal decision that we make that is right for our family. I know what is right for me is not always right for someone else. So, I will agree to disagree with some people.

Good luck

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

M.,

Please do your research. Good blog here with links to more reports: http://www.brockovichblog.com/2009/03/two_girls_and_spain...

Here's another: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/0...

Hope this helps. Please get the facts and not from the CDC, FDA and definitely not from the manufacturer. They are all in bed together. Get the facts from the mom's that have had their child vaccinated already as they have been the guinea pigs in this grand experiment.

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G.G.

answers from Dallas on

This shot is too new. My 16 year-old daughter will not be getting it. She has had all her other vaccinations, so we're not in the habit of refusing. This shot is just too new; it needs to prove itself first.

And those are JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION.

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J.B.

answers from Tyler on

The info I've read on this vaccine is horrible. There have been deaths and other serious side effects. It might be one in a thousand, but I wouldn't put my daughter at risk of being that one!! I think the drug companies are using our girls for lab mice.

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L.I.

answers from Dallas on

I wish the shot had been around when I was younger.

I was not a wild kid. I wasn't sexually active until I was 18, and with my boyfriend of a long time. I had my annual pap smears, sometimes even every 6 months. Yet I got HPV. It is rampant. It is everywhere and if your daughter is having sex, no matter what age it is likely she will get it, and it can lead to cervical cancer.

It did for me. And, no cervical cancer isn't just an easy fix in the doctor's office. I had to have a hysterectomy preventing me from having any more children - we have 1 and were hoping to have more.

Just because they are getting the shot at an early age does not mean they need to be or should be having sex then. It is up to us as parents to talk to them about when the time is right. It is important to get them the shot before they have ANY sexual contact though, or their life could end up like mine.

I thought I played by the rules and ended up with cervical cancer and a hysterectomy - do you want that to be your daughter?

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

I don't see why anyone would NOT want to get their daughter vaccinated. I can understand maybe not doing it right when they are of recommended age. This vaccine was not available until I was 23 or 24. I got it as soon as I could, but it was too late. As far as people saying it's painful, the first shot was painful for me but only because the lady who gave it to me obviously didn't know what she was doing. They're not anymore painful than any other shot in the arm. I, like the other person who posted, was not sexually active until after I graduated high school. For 4-5 years after that, I only had one partner. I can't vouch for his sexual history. Even if it only protects you from 4 out of 23 strands or whatever, why would you not want to be protected from those 4?! We get flu shots every year and they don't protect us from every strain of the flu!

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A.G.

answers from Dallas on

The biggest controversy over gardasil is that it's the first vaccine to prevent a sexually transmitted disease. Gardasil protects against HPV- human papilloma virus- this is only transmitted sexually. So you need to think it through, whether you think that giving her this shot will give her a false sense of safety if she has sex.
You can find all kinds of info and stories on the internet.. about ANY vaccines. If you read them all, it will scare you to death.. and you won't want to get any shots for yourself or your kids. But the other side of the story is, before vaccines became available, people were dying from all sorts of diseases that are now pretty much eradicated from the US, such as polio and measles and tetanus.

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M.S.

answers from Dallas on

I haven't seen the email you're talking about so I can't comment on that. I DID get my daughter the shots though. Her pediatrician strongly recommended it and I too felt that it was important to get it before they are even thinking about becoming sexually active. She didn't have any problems other than a little soreness around the shot area. You should also know that these shots are VERY expensive. So verify with your insurance company ahead of time as to how much they will pay, if anything. We had to pay 100%.

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K.M.

answers from Dallas on

I'm 31, probably younger than most of you who have teenage children and I will absolutely have my child vaccinated. I am upset reading these posts. Even people who had an "open" relationship with their mothers did not tell them everything. Don't be in denial. It does not promote sex. I have a friend who got this disease from sexual contact, not intercourse. She had never had intercourse, but because of hand touch she now suffers with this. I hope many of you will reconsider or get the facts. She has gone through numerous expensive obgyn surgeries that could have been prevented if we had the vaccine when we younger. $300 is nothing compared to the treatment required. Plus this is covered by insurance for girls in the age range. Best of luck.

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A.H.

answers from Dallas on

First and foremost the FDA would not have jobs if they did not have to oversee all drugs coming out on the market and as long as there is a remote chance of it being harmful all they do is recall and no one points at them directly, the at fault party is the "drug manufacturer" so if the FDA approved it, then I am totally not convinced...My daughter (17) went to the Dr. escorted by my husband (who did not know any better, thinking that I would have wanted this since they make it seems like it's going to protect them against all these ailments/diseases) and had the 1st shot of the 3 shot series, It was VERY painful (and she is not shot/needle shy at all)and her arm hurt for 3 solid days. I was totally against her getting Gardasil and will always be against it. Needless to say she did not go back & get the remaining 2 of the series. Preventative or not, we really never know what is really in it.

Our family practices good eating habits and exercise and do whatever we can to stick to the basic all natural foods available or grown and pray that God bless us on health. I am not saying that I do not trust Doctors, I believe that God puts doctors in place to help us, but they are human as we are and what they recommend it not always the best.

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M.S.

answers from Dallas on

Email going around--have you checked it out on snopes.com to see if it's legit? One of my best friends died of cervical cancer, likely caused by genital warts contracted by being raped. My 11 y.o. and 14 y.o. have had the gardasil even though I imagine that they won't be sexually active for years. My 11 y.o.'s best friend's mom also died of cervical cancer.

S.M.

answers from Dallas on

don't have daughters so this is not an issue for me but you can check out "stories" and emails at www.snopes.com they will help you figure out which ones are urban legends. so many are,

good luck

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J.B.

answers from Dallas on

My only advise it to look at it as health issue and not promotes sex issue.... as much as a parent THINKS they know their child and weather or not they will be sexually active, a parent really does NOT know (I know there are exceptions). I always could be very open with my mom but I still didn't discuss it with her until after I was sexually active, with that said... it is a new vaccine... do your research.... don't trust someones word just because.... often people's opinions derive from other issues and not the one at hand.... Again, do your research!!! Go to different sites.... get the opinion of more then 1 doctor etc.... If you have a friend who got their daughter the shots, ask them how it went and their thoughts... Don't let anyone pressure you into a decision... ultimatley it's yours to make on what YOU feel is best for your daughter.

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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

As with any health decision, you need to weigh the risks vs. benefits--in this case, the odds of an adverse reaction (low, but real) versus the odds of contracting cervical cancer later (higher than you'd like to think). I know that a lot of people get very opinionated about this, because it is given to young girls and vaccinates against a sexually transmitted disease. However, I think it's important to remember that the vaccine only works if it is given before any contact with HPV, and none of us can be sure of what the future holds. You may hope and pray that your daughter saves herself for marriage and that her future husband is also a virgin and always faithful, but we all know that life doesn't always happen as we plan. It's also a terrible thing to think about, but too many young girls don't get to choose when they become sexually active--this, unfortunately, happened to my mom, and as a result she's always been very pro-active in making sure that I am protected "just in case." In the end, you have to make the decision yourself, but please do your research thoroughly, and think it through carefully.

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S.L.

answers from Dallas on

both me and my mom are on the same page for my neices. when they are of age, they will be vaccinated for this. cancer that can be avoided? sign me up now! let me know when they make it available for boys and i'll vaccinate my boys too.

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L.F.

answers from Dallas on

Dear M.:

My daughter will be 14 next month and has just completed the last in the series of shots. We had no problems. I've had one round of cancer. ANYTHING that can stop any sort of cancer has my whole-hearted support. Get the shots.

L. F., mom of a soon-to-be 14-year-old.

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M.K.

answers from Dallas on

Anytime you get a chain email, you can look it up on snopes.com and almost always find it. Snopes is a great website that helps you to separate fact from fiction. Here's a link to their entry describing the email that you most likely received - http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/gardasil.asp.

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