Gardasil

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I wanted your opinions on Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. My doctor wants me to get it since I only have two years of eligibility left, but I'm torn on the issue.

I'm not normally anti-vaccine, but this vaccine has not been around all that long. I also don't necessarily see the point of getting a vaccine for an STD. My boyfriend and I are very committed to a Christian relationship, one in which sex takes place within a monogamous marriage. I mentioned this to my doctor, and she told me of a minister she knew who got it from his wife who had been widowed. She's telling me that I never know what future will bring, but I'm still really on the fence about it. Perhaps this is naive, but if you knew that you had an STD, wouldn't you inform your future spouse of that? Besides, it only guards against four of the strains which are only responsible for 80% of cervical cancers.

I'm just not seeing the point of it. If it were more established, or if it were something more communicable than something that requires genital to genital contact, I'd be probably follow her advice. But with this I'm just not sure.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

My dr. wants to both my DD's (14 and 15) to get it this summer. I happened to mention this to a friend in passing, who works with a woman whose daughter got the shot last summer. She has had severe medical problems since receiving the shot. She has missed most of the school year, it took forever for specialists to even link her illness to the shot. I wish I still had the email that listed everything she went through. I think at one point, she was close to death. Since I don't have any real facts to present to you, I would just do some research online. I think there may be a class action lawsuit in the future. Now maybe this girl was allergic and no one knew it. But I think I'm going to hold off a few years on the Gardisil shot. You don't have that luxury, just see what you can find online. I will see if I still have the email at work and post the info tomorrow. I don't want to scare anyone, just look into it and see what results you get. Like I said, this may be a one in a million thing, but it's worth researching. Before I heard this, I had no qualms with my DD's getting the shot. Now I'm going to wait.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I personally will not ever give my children this shot. It has not been tested enough. They do not know the long term effects of it. They have pulled it from the market at least once. They simply do not know much about this vaccine at all. I am not willing to risk my children so they can use them as guinea pigs. I know others feel differently but this is my opinion on it.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Ok, I just did a quick google search on Gardasil and I am concerned. Granted, the incidents of fatalities in comparison with the millions of girls who have received the vaccination is low. But still...I just don't feel good about it yet. I know every vaccine has risks, but I'm thinking this is just too new to put my daughters at risk. They still have several years of eligibility. I'm going to tell my dr no, for now. For those who have received the shots or had their daughters receive the shots, please post good and bad. We need to be informed. Thanks!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If you are having sex and have been to the OBGYN you can have a test to see if you have had HPV already. You may have no need for the shot to begin with.

I did get my 18yodd the shot. We weighed things and she decided to go ahead and do it.

I have a 12yodd and will skip it for her for now.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I personally will not ever give my children this shot. It has not been tested enough. They do not know the long term effects of it. They have pulled it from the market at least once. They simply do not know much about this vaccine at all. I am not willing to risk my children so they can use them as guinea pigs. I know others feel differently but this is my opinion on it.

It's interesting that you say that about not having enough testing done. My one friend works for a company that is currently testing Gardasil and she even told me that she wouldn't get it yet because there hasn't been enough research done on it.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I have about a year left before I'm out of the window, and I was wondering the same thing. To get it, or not?

 

[LadyZolt]

My DD19 also elected not to get this shot because (1) it's too new to know the long term effects of it; (2) it only protects against some types of the HPV; (3) she is healthy and isn't at any increased risk for HPV; (4) the deaths related to it haven't really been addressed adequately for us. My DD thinks that she'd want at least ten or fifteen years to pass so long term effects are known. Perhaps if she has a daughter, some day that daughter might get this shot.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[shortbun]

Men don't usually know they have this STD and women could overlook it.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

That's true, but if both partners are virgins who have not engaged in any behavior that could spread this illness, then isn't it safe to assume that the vaccine would be unnecessary?

 

[EMom]

I don't mean to sound like a moron, but WTH is this business about a "window"? How can you ever be too OLD for this shot? If you're 30, a virgin and don't have HPV, wouldn't you be a candidate? Because in theory, wouldn't the shot still protect you and therefore, still be useful?

I don't have it, always test clear, so let's say DH passed away and I wanted to date again. If this vaccine protects you, wouldn't someone like me find value in it, according to what they say it does?

I'm not a confirmed believer in the vaccine yet. I just don't get the logic that there is some magic cutoff age at which the vaccine is no longer useful. Seems to me if you don't have HPV, the "window" is still open.

Can someone explain?

 

[bluesaturn]

I'm within the "window", but I don't plan on getting the shot. I never even considered it. I'm in a committed relationship and STDs are not a concern, so I see no need. Also, I agree that there hasn't been enough research regarding it yet. Perhaps if it had been around longer I would consider it.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

The vaccine has only been approved by the FDA for women up to age 26. The effects of hte vaccine on older women are still being studied. I don't know why age would make a difference, but apparently it does.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

Your gyno's story is a bit odd. There is no way for the minister to know he has HPV because there is no test for males. And HPV does not affect males - they are only carriers.

Anyways, I am 24 and have so far opted not to get the vaccine. My gyno is totally gung ho about it, but I worry there hasn't been enough testing. As for your question about people telling their partners about their STD history, people are not always truthful. Or they don't even know if they have anything. Like I said, there is absolutely no idea how to tell if a guy has HPV unless a girl contracts it with him being her only partner. I have known quite a few girls (friends, friends of friends, etc) who have had HPV, and it cleared up.

I also think the age window might be because younger females are more likely to be promiscuous and older women are more likely to be in monogamous marriages. Or the HPV numbers are higher in the under 30 crowd. Or both. I might be making that up, but I believe that's why my doctor said.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm curious why there is no test to determine if the male is a carrier? Can somebody familiar with medicine explain that?

 

[Diva of Dragons]

I have heard Drs. speak out against it on various talk shows. According to them, the small number of HPV strains that it guards against doesn't justify the vaccine at all. Supposedly, the research connecting those particular strains to an increased chance of cervical cancer is inconclusive. They also say that if if you are getting screened, that chances of catching it early are huge, and "curing" it, with minimal treatment, are typical.

So, to sum up......Not enough research to justify injecting young women to maybe protect them from something that is relatively to easy detect and treat.

 

[AnnaS]

My 16 yrld old daughter recently went for a yearly physical. The doctor mentioned the shot and my daughter who hates shot's said no. I did not push it either since it is fairly new. I was just not sure. The doctor did not push it either - he said we could go home read on it and think about it.

I asked three of my friends (all three are nurses) and have daughters same age. Only one had her daughter take the shots. The other two said no, no. Another parent told me her daughter got sick from it but I honestly don't know all the details (my sister heard this woman/friend complaining about it and my sister wondered if I knew anything about it or if my daughter had the shots so one day she put her on the phone for me just to tell me not to let my daugher take the shots).

It looks like we are going to skip on this one.

 

[Disney Ella]

I don't like the number of complications that some people have had with this vaccine. Obviously some people will have complications with anything, but the complications reported were just too many and were too serious to make me feel comfortable. My daughters and I both read as much as we could about the vaccine and we all decided it would be best to wait at this point.

 

[amid chaos]

We have opted out of this one for now.

But what i want to know is that if it is the male that doesnt know he has it and is spreading it....where the heck is the male vaccine?? Wouldnt it seem better to vaccinate the males?

 

[Christine]

I was totally against it until my friend's daughter contracted HPV this year from her year-long boyfriend even after protected "actions". It came from a skin-to-skin contact. It has not been pleasant for her. It was one of the strains the vaccine guards against. She is having to undergo the treatments for ridding herself of atypical cells and is spending a LOT of time at the GYN. She has just been devastated by this. The HPV is also causing growths that will take time to disappear. She is now having the Gardasil vaccine and is having no issues with it.

My dd is going off to college this year and the risks are going to out there for her. It really just takes one stupid move.

I am still nervous about the vaccine itself though.