Would you want your daughter to have the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer?
ByI’ve read about several girls and young women who’ve experienced complications and horrible side affects from the vaccine, so I’ve held off on getting it. My mom thinks I should have gotten it like a year ago already, but I am concerned about it and have procrastinated. What are your thoughts? Would you want your daughter to get the vaccine?
I thought cervical cancer was somewhat rare anyway and often caused by a virus from unprotected sex, so if you always only had protected sex, wouldn’t your chances of getting it even without the vaccine be pretty slim?
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13 Comments
April 6th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Yes I want my girls to be vaccinated against it I am a HPV cervical cancer survivor and it caused many complications with me conceiving a child and carrying one to term I had to be on bed rest my whole pregnancy with my first born.It only takes one slip up with a condom breaking or spur of the moment thing to be exposed to the virus.
April 6th, 2010 at 6:29 am
no, they can just avoid doing it anyway. its their choice
April 6th, 2010 at 6:40 am
I am going to stress to my daughter the importance of waiting until she’s at least 18 and an adult to have sex and let her decide when she comes of age.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:20 am
ive had all 3 of the shots and the only side effects i got were a little sore where they injected me. and i did feel a little ill. i do react badly to needles so i thought that was pretty good. of all the vaccines ive had that one is probably the easiest ive dealt with. that just my experience. it is highly recommended u get it as cervical cancer is quite common, it is caused by a disease from sex but it only takes one time with one person to contract it. u can say ur goin to use protection all the time but in all seriousness u might forget just once and boom there u have it.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:21 am
I have all boys, thank goodness!
But I have thought about it and there are reasons to and not to get it. Yes, it is rare and the most common forms are from a virus contracted during sex.
Here are my thought if I have a girl. No, I don’t want my daughter to have it for fear she may think it is now ok to not only have sex but have unsafe sex. I wouldn’t want my daughter to think that.
But what if she is raped and she ends up with HPV? I would blame myself because there was away to prevent it and I didn’t give it to her.
I am torn and maybe that is why I ended up with boys! haha
If you are worried about the complications, do more research. Find out what the complications are and if there is a link to why they happen. Like do girls with low iron get a bad side effect or is it those under 100pounds or whatever. If you are in one of the groups that had a reaction you wouldn’t be ok with then don’t get it.
Also don’t think it is an out for having unsafe sex or sex period! And if you insist on having sex make sure you and your partner have an STD test before and and even after that use protection. And don’t put yourself in positions were you could be raped, out late alone, at a party, drinking, ect. This goes for if you don’t get the shot also.
You seem like a smart girl, you will figure it out what is right for you and do it.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:31 am
Yes I want them to get it. I have HPV and unlike what one poster said its not avoidable. You can be with a man that has only been with one other person and you yourself a virgin and still get it. Men have no symptoms of HPV unless they have the rare 1 in 1000 case type that causes genital warts. My son’s father had no clue he had it now I have it, and I get cervical cyst every time I’m pregnant. I cannot be on birth control because of the fear of getting cyst and every time a cyst forms its a risk for cancer. I don’t want my girls having to worry about that.
1 in 4 people have HPV, most of which have no clue. Talk to your OBY/GYN and get your facts and ask them how avoidable it is, or isn’t. Condoms don’t stop most STD’s especially when HPV can be spread even with condom use.
Edit: I am in shock about all the miss information. HPV is only detectable if you have a symptom. A blood test does not detect it. You have to have biopsy of a cyst or wart in order to detect whether or not you have HPV. Like i said above only 1 in 1000 cases will have warts, and men don’t get cervical cyst, therefore a man can carry HPV and never know. You can end up with HPV from your life partner.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I had my daughter vaccinated. The risks of HPV far outweigh the risks of adverse reactions to the vaccine. Check to make sure you’re not allergic to other ingredients in the vaccine, like yeast.
Cervical cancer is not rare, nor is HPV. Its estimated that 80% of the population is infected with some type of HPV. I myself have known too many good women that developed cervical cancer when they felt that their lives as mothers and women were just beginning.
You don’t even have to have sex to get HPV, it can be transmitted orally, or by skin to skin contact. “Safe” sex is not an effective means of protection, because there are other pieces of your body that are open to getting/giving the virus; not just the pieces covered by latex.
One of the biggest causes of adverse vaccine reactions is a skyrocketing fever, take some tylenol before you go to the doc. Good luck with your research. Some other sites to check out are http://www.HPVInfo.com and the National Institue of Health.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:28 am
I would definatley want my daughter to be protected as best as possible. Any kind of cancer is not rare anymore…nobody is exempt.
April 6th, 2010 at 9:06 am
I don’t know how old you are but it is recommended for 11-12 yo’s. I got both my girls (14 & 17) vaccinated even though neither is sexually active. I don’t know what you’ve read but it’s always the exception that gets the publicity. CDC data shows it to be a very safe vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/hpv_faqs.htm While you should always use a condom it can only reduce not eliminate the risk. Only complete abstinence can do that. http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#howget
April 6th, 2010 at 9:56 am
My daughter had it over the summer. Are you sure that you are never going to have unprotected sex? Most people stop with the condoms when they are in long term relationships and marriages. Even then you have to assume that your partner is faithful and that is not always the case.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:21 am
I would and will. I have had 2 LEEP procedures to remove cancer cells and have a somewhat incompetent cervix b/c of it.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:48 am
My daughter, age 12, has already had her HPV shots.
First, HPV is not a “true” sexually transmitted disease. It is transmittable through sex the same way you can get the flu from having sex with an infected person. HPV is one of the few viruses tough enough to survive on surfaces such as a toilet seat. A simple kiss can transfer the HPV virus.
Second, the incidence of severe side effects to the vaccine is far,far less than the incidence of cervical cancer.
Third, even if it is an STD, waiting until marriage won’t help. Men can’t get cervical cancer, but they can and do carry the disease. And they can get in many ways, not just sex. Even if SHE waits until marriage to have sex, there is no guarantee he isn’t a carrier and she will end up HPV infected despite her chastity.
Fourth, 18 and older is too late. Many women and girls (including virgins!) are infected by the time they are 16. That’s why they want all girls vaccinated by the time they are 12.
April 6th, 2010 at 11:42 am
No my daughters nor I will be getting the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer. My aunt has not been married in forever and she had to get part of her cervix taken out because she had pre cancerous cervical cancer. So no it is NOT related just to unprotected sex. My aunt has not dated since she divorced back in the early ’90s.