Gardasil Question Now That It Has Been Out

Here's what I know...take it FWIW.

The HPV vaccine is supposed to prevent 4 types of HPV that are correlated with certain cancers, including cervical, penile, anal and throat cancers, as well genital warts. There are hundreds of strains of HPV that the vaccine does not cover. Many, many people (estimates are as high as 80%) contract some strain of HPV in their lifetime and most people don't know they have the virus, have no symptoms, and recover completely on their own via the power of their own immune systems in 2 years or less. For the vast majority of people who get HPV, it's a non-issue.

There is no guarantee that someone with HPV will develop cancer, and no guarantee that someone who develops cervical, throat or anal cancer had one of the strains of HPV that the vaccine covers. The strains of HPV that the vaccine covers account for around 70% of cases of cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts - so 30% of cervical cancer cases are NOT from the strains of HPV that the vaccine covers, as well as 10% of genital warts cases. Therefore, it is critically important for even those who have been vaccinated to practice safer sex and get regular examinations (especially PAP smears). Getting the vaccine is not a substitute for good preventative habits and medical care.

For my kids, the answer has been and will continue to be NO to this vaccine. I don't believe that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh the risks. My two oldest are 17 and we have been declining this vaccine for 5 years. I will do the same for my younger boys. They are free to opt to have this when they are 18 and in charge of their own medical decisions but for me, based on the information I have, it's a no.

the prevailing wisdom is becoming louder and louder for 'vaccinate for everything, all the time, regardless.'
i am pro some vaccines. i think it's dangerously credulous to assume that everything that the drug companies come out with is both perfectly safe and really useful.
my boys are old enough to make their own choices, but i would not give gardasil or the flu vaccines to my kids.
khairete
S.

Actually, I think in the last few years, this vaccine has been shown to be even more dangerous and worthless, and has been withdrawn from the market in other countries. No way in H would I give it my son, or daughter.

HPV does not prevent herpes. It 'may' prevent genital warts.

I saw a billboard the other day saying 'prevent cancer with the HPV Vaccine'. How extremely misleading! Prevent cancer? You mean 10 strains of the 200 for cervical cancer (that actually can be found pretty early with consistent pa smears) and will not do anything else for all the other cancers out there?

I have given a number of educational presentation on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. There are 2 vaccines available - Gardasil & Cervarix. Cervarix was the first vaccine on the market, Gardasil is what is commonly administered now, & has recenty been updated to include additional strains of HPV.

HPV has many different strains, just like the Flu. Only about 40 of them are transmitted sexually. Once you have contracted HPV, it cannot be cured. Only the symptoms can be treated. The reason for giving the vaccine to young adolescents is to immunize them against HPV before they contract it through sexual contact. The most common symptoms from HPV include genital warts, but it can also lead to various types of cancers.

In 90% of cases, people don't even know they have HPV - the body's immune system clears the infection out of the body. The other 10% will develop symptoms. Some of those 10% will further progress to developing cancer, due to the conversion of normal cells during the virus' manipulation of their replication.

Cervical cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer caused by HPV. Not all strains of HPV cause cervical cancer, but in almost all cases of cervical cancer, it was determined that HPV was the cause. http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk...

Not all strains of HPV are associated with cancer - it was determined through studies that 70% of all cervical cancer was caused by only 2 strains (16 & 18). As a result, it is the most damaging strains that have been targeted for developing vaccines. The first vaccine (Cervarix) covered the 2 cervical cancer strains. Gardasil has been further developed to target other strains.

Herpes is NOT caused by HPV, instead it is caused by HSV (herpes simplex virus). The sores that herpes causes do NOT progress to cancer. There is not a vaccine to prevent herpes. http://www.genitalherpestreatment.co/difference-between-g...

Regarding side effects, any time we get vaccinated, it causes our immune system to activate, in order to make antibodies against the virus we are introducing. Gardasil uses dead virus, so you cannot actually contract the virus from the vaccine. But it can make people feel sick for a few days, and sometimes there can be a serious reaction due to the immune system hyper responding. http://www.gardasil.com/about-gardasil/side-effects-of-ga...

I hope this information helps clear up some of the differences between HPV & herpes, & help you make a decision in vaccinating your child. T.

NO way in HE$$ would I do this to my daughter.

My daughter is 20 now and capable of making her own decisions and since her pedi was pushing it, she kept saying no as well.

My gyno has 3 daughters and he did not allow his own children to be vaccinated.. that speaks volumes to me because he is one of the highest rated and most respected Dr's in my area.

All that aside.... My personal thoughts are.. IF someone maintains regular preventative care there should be no reason for this unknown vaccine to be in their system. Now, if there is someone who does not get routine preventative care then maybe it is right for them. Still, I would not recommend it to anyone.

When this came out, it was only recommended for girls. Now they are giving it to boys. I hate pharma companies because they have 1 concern..... $$$$$$$$$

We always did the routine vaccines with exception of flu and Guardisil is a definite NO WAY. It has no guarantees and many risks. The value of the vaccine does not outweigh the potential health risk caused by the vaccine to my child.

I know there are people who are as adamant for the vaccine as I am against the vaccine. That is ok... it is important to do what YOU feel is right for YOUR family.

BTW.... Our decision WAS NOT based on findings from the internet. We make NO decisions based on what is on the internet. How ignorant to assume people make general decisions in that manner.

Of course I vaccinated my daughter for it. Why in the world wouldn't I? She had no side effects whatsoever from the series of shots, and now there are ten kinds of HPV she will never have.

Our 12-year-old son has received two of the three Gardasil treatments. We're having him do his part to help prevent the spread of the forms of cancer it covers.

He's not getting his third dosage until September. The pediatrician said there's an even better version of Gardasil coming out then and to hold off to get it.

We made our decision based on advice from the pediatrician. We did not make it based on the Internet. We have a child with special needs and know already so much of what's out there online is garbage when it comes to medical advice. Best source is always your own doctors. I would take all of your questions and concerns to the pediatrician. OB/GYN doesn't sound very useful, so I'd get more input from the doctors actually caring for your child.

BTW, our son has had zero side effects, other than soreness from the injection (sounds like Tetanus level).

Well if children practiced safe sex and used condoms we wouldn't have any unplanned pregnancies either. How's that working out? My son is absolutely having the vaccines. It is a gift to him and his future partners.

My oldest is 12 and we asked her doctor about it when she had her physical around her birthday in June. She was told it would be beneficial if she had a family history of cervical cancer, if not, she didn't need it. We don't have that history. Both of my sisters have HPV, but it's from not being smart when they were younger....totally preventable by smart choices. My daughter also had fever related seizures from vaccines when she was younger. For that reason, we are more cautious. And by that I mean the only two we don't get/plan on getting are this one and the flu shot.

Added: I just realized my statement may have made it seem vaccines gave her seizures. Not the case, they were all fever related. However, fevers are a definite side effect of vaccines, so we are more cautious now.

Skipped it at the 12 year appointment.
No flu vaccines either.

My daughter is 13 and got the vaccine last year. I trust her pediatrician and when she emphatically said that yes she would give it to her own daughter that was good enough for me.

I'm answering late on this, Lilly, and though I don't have an answer for your question about new info or improvements, I will tell you that the vast majority of cervical cancers are caused by FOUR strains of HPV. Coverage for these four strains is so much better than coverage for nothing. Lake of coverage for 196 strains which cause so little problems vs coverage for those 4 that account for most of the cancers is a good deal in my book, and you get the added bonus of covering 10 strains to boot. Included in this is most penile cancers and genital warts. Thankfully that is less common for our sons, but like Dana says, expecting abstinence just doesn't work. Even if our children wait for marriage, you cannot bank on the person they marry to have waited.

I have read from women here who have very political views regarding vaccines, who will tell you that all these people have died from this and that vaccine, yada yada. They frequent all kinds of alarmist websites, political sites, etc for their edification. They LOOK for reasons to be against something. That justifies what they actually wanted to do in the first place. It's up to you if you don't want to get the vaccine. But, 20 years from now, if your daughter tells you that she has to get a colposcopy and her ability to have children is threatened, you'll wish so much that you had not looked at the attitude of your doctor's office (who sound like they have zero personality, by the way) and instead, thoroughly researched with an open mind on websites that give actual medical information that is not biased by religious and political leanings.

When they actually come up with a vaccine for Alzheimers, which I believe they will in my children's lifetime, there will be people who don't believe in it either. But because Alzheimer's isn't caused by having sex, people will get on the bandwagon much faster. And because it isn't a matter of "herd immunity" with Alzheimers, it won't be about people thinking they can skate by from using others to protect themselves.

Don't Do It.

Your choice, obviously, but just say no. I think you're mommy instincts are telling you what to do loud and clear. Don't ignore them.

My son has many year to go before he is old enough for this vaccine, but he will receive Gardasil when he is old enough. There are 3 HPV vaccines, Cervarix, which covers 2 strains and is for females only. Gardasil4 which covers 4 strains and is for males and females. And Gardasil 9 was just released which covers 9 strains (not 10) and is for females 9-26 and males only up to age 15. If you are not sure about this vaccine, you should take time to do additional research on it. But keep in mind that they will probably discontinue the Gardasil4 eventually, which means your son can only get this series up until 15 (and it takes 6 months to complete, so he would need to initiate by 14.5). My aunt had cervical cancer, which used to be the most common female cancer, BTW. I also know several people who have HPV. Yes, HPV can clear up most of the time. However, when it doesn't, it can have long lasting consequences. Meningitis can clear up too, and not everyone who gets it will become deaf. I know someone who had it as a baby with no long lasting effects. They are anti-vaccine now. Funny, because I also know 2 people who DID lose their hearing from childhood meningitis. So I wonder, do you forego other vaccines because your child might be OK, or do you choose to do them because of the horrible effects they also might have, and to avoid spreading that illness to others while they are infectious?

I suspect your doctor's office didn't push the vaccine because so many people are adamantly against it, and they spend enough time convincing people to protect their kids from whooping cough and polio, that they are worn down on this. Doesn't necessarily mean that they don't believe in it, but rather that since it is not aquired through casual contact the way many other vaccine preventable diseases are, and it's not required for school, it's not worth fighting a losing battle.

I have an older family friend who contracted HPV in her 20s from being raped. She developed genital warts, which she said were awful. She was able to have them frozen off and has improved quality of life now. I don't know if it stopped all new wart outbreaks or not, but she has said that if the vaccine was available back when her son was young, she would have definately given it to him. And she's not a big vaccine person, she's really into holistic medicine and herbs. Let's also not forget that Michael Douglas's oral cancer was from HPV.

Also, the VAERS reporting system can be used by anyone. I can report that my neighbor's third cousin's teacher's daughter had an adverse vaccine event. Not very realiable. We really need to overhaul the reporting system bcause it's really important to have, but is just nonsense now, IMO.

I would not give this to my daughter (or a son if I had one).

I really cant stand the way this was marketed when it first came out. This vaccine DOES NOT PREVENT ANY CANCERS!!!

It only helps prevent HPV which can be easily prevented without a vaccine and most people get it and it goes away without them ever knowing they had it. There are thousands of strains of HPV, it causes warts like the ones people get on their hands, feet, or anywhere else on their body.

Go with your instincts. You already know the answer. Just because everyone is jumping off the cliff, would you? This is a NO for me.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gardasil-linked-to-deat...

http://occupycorporatism.com/longer-lasting-hpv-vaccine-a...

We are not anti-vaccine in our house - in fact, we are quite pro. But this is one we haven't really explored - the pediatrician isn't offering it either. So we haven't done it yet, even though I have a 13 year old girl. I don't know that we ever will. I don't feel I have enough info on it.

Not in this lifetime. Have had this discussion with DIL. She agrees. Never.

Gardisil is a vaccine for human papilloma virus. The lay term for that is genital warts. There are lots of strains of HPV. The strains that Gardasil covers are those determined most likely to cause cancer.

(Herpes is a different virus and there is no vaccine. The herpes simplex type 1 causes cold sores, the herpes simplex type 2 causes genital herpes.)

Condoms reduce risk, but HPV also infects the areas not covered by the condom. You can also contract HPV by doing things that you might suppose don't require a condom.

Men can be asymptomatic - meaning they carry the virus but show no signs. They can infect women, and women can develop cervical cancer from HPV.

For more information on HPV:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publication...

Yes, new info is out. It's more dangerous than claimed. Google, "HPV vaccine has done this to my daughter" and behold the array of horror stories. I saw an ad for a new HPV vaccine that starts with a C at docs office yesterday that supposedly covers more of the right strains. I don't trust it yet though.

Gardisil has had lots and lots of terrible issues, and covers very few strains of HPV anyway. I'm sorry but, young bodies can fight off HPV fairly easily, HPV rarely leads to cancer, and it's easy to catch problems early on with proper check-ups. It's just not worth the risk imo.

My grandmother on my fathers side died of uterine cancer before I was born.
She was 39.
My Mom says it was a horribly painful death so yeah, I'm for anything that might help cut down on that.
We're all fully vaccinated and we get our flu shots every year.

http://time.com/3995062/vaccine-injury-court-truth/

I had the doctor explain the shot and HPV etc. Then I left it to them. My oldest are 16. They have 10 years to decide. Plenty of time to decide if they want it or not---and anything to come back regarding safety as far as I am concerned. One of my girls says not now, the other says maybe, but not yet.

This interview with a specialist involved in the studies may help with explanations. There are two vaccines. One is Gardasil, which prevents a few types of HPV infections (the type associated with genital warts), and one is Cervarix (which prevents a few types of HPV associated with cervical cancer). They both have limited duration of benefits and boosters would be required.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/an-intervie...

Ditto JB's post!

EDIT - when my mom was a child she lived down the street from a shoe store. The shoe store had an X-ray machine so customers could check the fit of their shoes. My mom used to X-ray her feet for fun!!! Today we know better and no one would dream of exposing themselves to needless radiation. We don't know what we don't know... This vaccine is still to new IMHO. My girls will not get it on my watch. If they choose to when they are 18 then that will be there choice.

we will wait on gardasil until at least kids are 15. the vaccine is not old enough for me to be comfortable with it. even our pediatrician said she agrees with waiting.

Good job for doing your research. I have not, on this particular subject - but I will tell you that in my early 20's I was diagnosed with HPV and had to have a colposcopy. HPV, from what I understand, is what the medication is supposed to vaccinate against, right? Well anyone saying it "Doesn't" stop cancer is mistaken then- at least partially - my HPV cells were precancerous. So if there was a vaccine that could have kept me from getting HPV, then yea, it could have kept me from getting cancer. I didn't thank goodness - It cleared up on its own and I've been given a clean bill of health- but what I was told at the time was, there is 1/3 chance of them turning into cancer, 1/3 chance of them staying the same, and 1/3 chance of them going away. So keep researching (online too, not just asking us) to get the full story. I also do agree that pharma is all about the $$$$ so I'm not saying take it - just keep researching until YOU are satisfied, not just taking what we say and doing that.