Is Anyone Considering the Cervical Cancer Vaccine?

CrimsonTide4 · #1 12-11-2006, 09:55 AM

I just went to their website to get more information. I see that the vaccine is targeted to girls and women between the ages of 9 - 26.

http://www.gardasil.com/index.html

from the site:
GARDASIL is for girls and women ages 9 to 26. GARDASIL works when given before you have any contact with HPV Types 6, 11, 16, and 18.

I am outside the age of eligibility it appears.

Drolefille · #2 12-11-2006, 10:23 AM

Yes. I need to talk to my doctor about it, but there's not really a downside for me.

smlwonderdst · #3 12-11-2006, 05:52 PM

I am outside of the age range too. 26 is such an odd number to stop at. I wonder what the effects would be if someone outside of that age range, but very close to it received the vaccine.

CrimsonTide4 · #4 12-11-2006, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlwonderdst

I am outside of the age range too. 26 is such an odd number to stop at. I wonder what the effects would be if someone outside of that age range, but very close to it received the vaccine.

That's something I am curious about as well.

Drolefille · #5 12-11-2006, 06:01 PM

I think, from what I've heard, there are two possibilities. 1. They didn't test above the age of 26 so they can't claim anything. Two, Most 26 year olds are sexually active. If you already have the strains of HPV that are in the vaccine you can increase your chances of getting cancer.

nikki1920 · #6 12-11-2006, 06:11 PM

Nope. I'm over the limit AND I get a checkup every year. My daughter will not be taking it either. I need them to do more research.

Dionysus · #7 12-11-2006, 07:56 PM

No. In order to get the HPV, I have get some ding-a-ling first, and I'm not having that much luck in that department as for now. Plus, I don't like taking vacs period, I don't even take the flu-shots.

squirrely girl · #8 12-11-2006, 08:27 PM

i'm not a big fan of first generation drugs and right now i don't plan on having children - however i think its a GREAT discovery and movement in the right direction - i'd just like a few more studies

AChiOhSnap · #9 12-11-2006, 10:23 PM

It wasn't extensively tested in women over 26, yet, but they're expecting the results for women over 26 soon (at least according to a Gardasil fact sheet I just read).

I will be getting the shot by the end of the year, as will any future daughters of mine (providing that no new evidence calls into question the safety of the drug).

Now for my soapbox: In deciding whether or not to get the vaccine, I did a lot of reading on Gardasil. Now I totally understand being wary of new vaccines, that's a given for me. But there's also a LOT of dissent on whether or not young girls should get the vaccine, based on the idea of talking with a young girl about HPV/STDs or that it will encourage premarital sex and it all really irritates me. All these articles have these moms running their mouths about how their daughters won't be getting it because their "daughter shouldn't be hearing about sexually transmitted diseases yet" or that it "won't be a problem" since their daughter "will remain a virgin until she's married" but APPARENTLY none of these mothers have ever heard of rape or molestation. I think it should be given to young girls from the earliest possible age, as I have known wayyyy too many women that have been sexually assaulted as young girls. You all should check out these articles, some of these people are so ignorant it will make your jaw drop.

That's the end of my soapbox today.

nikki1920 · #10 02-22-2008, 11:57 AM

That's my issue with it. Too many unknowns and just not enough reasearch. I'm glad someone pointed out the flu shot thing because every year there's an epidemic, the vaccine never matches it and I just don't see the point of getting a flu shot. I don't want my daughter to get Guardasil yet. That's it.

ladygreek · #11 02-22-2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikki1920

That's my issue with it. Too many unknowns and just not enough reasearch. I'm glad someone pointed out the flu shot thing because every year there's an epidemic, the vaccine never matches it and I just don't see the point of getting a flu shot. I don't want my daughter to get Guardasil yet. That's it.

Kinda reminds me of the highly touted med for pregnant woment to treat morning sickness and it caused deformities in the babies.

Who knows if Gardisil really works. If you don't get cervical cancer is it because of it? There are millions of women who never had access to this drug and they don't have that cancer. Also, what will it do the the reproductive system? Has that been addressed?

It all seems like a scare tactic by the drug industry to me.

Drolefille · #12 02-22-2008, 12:55 PM

Honestly I think the vaccine is a good thing overall. The downside is that they don't yet know the long-term effects. But HPV doesn't just effect the reproductive system. My dad's throat cancer was caused by HPV, it's the most-common cause for non-drinkers and non-smokers. (Although radon's up there too.)

As for comparison's to the flu vaccine, HPV doesn't mutate as fast as the flu does. And every year they're only guessing at which strain of the flu will be the most common as compared to HPV where they've isolated the major strains that cause cancer.

nikki1920 · #13 02-22-2008, 01:03 PM

And the minor strains won't ever cause cancer? There are just too many questions for me.

Ladygreek: exactly.

Yes, its a great advance, but I just need more information.

Drolefille · #14 02-22-2008, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikki1920

And the minor strains won't ever cause cancer? There are just too many questions for me.

Ladygreek: exactly.

Yes, its a great advance, but I just need more information.

No, you misunderstand. They said that they captured the 4 strands that cause 70% of all HPV cervical cancers. The other strands have such low chances of causing cancer that vaccinating against them would be more like vaccinating against the flu. That last 30% is made up of many many strands of HPV.

I called them major as they are the ones that are most likely to cause cancer (and at least two of them cause genital warts as well). No vaccine prevents you catching a strain that isn't included in the vaccine though it can improve your resistance to another strain. But since you don't know what strain you catch ahead of time, the vaccine drops the risk that you'll get cancer.

nikki1920 · #15 02-22-2008, 04:29 PM

OH, OK!! Thanks, Drolefille. That stat always confused me. Thanks for clearing that up.