Is Anyone Considering the Cervical Cancer Vaccine?

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by ufdale

It's not horribly expensive, but I just don't understand why insurance companies aren't covering it!
At women's centers it's $150 for all three shots and I'm pretty sure it's 200 at UF. I've even heard that there is some push to make it a requirement for freshmen entering college.

I work in this field. When new drugs/medical treatments/vaccines are first FDA approved, they do not immediately get added to insurance formularies. If you call your insurance company and they say no we will not cover Gardasil (or any medication), push back and ask if there is an appeals process to get it approved. Some require prior authorizations that need to be completed by your doctor.

So while they might be saying no at the time, that answer can change. After time goes by and there is more information and the insurance company meets with its pharmacists and medical experts, it will be added to more insurance formularies.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by AChiOhSnap

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.

Everyone's mom is sure their daughter will be a virgin until their wedding night, but those moms who are using that as their reason should wake up and see the real world. Wouldn't you rather have your daughter protected "just in case" instead of convincing yourself she's not going to have sex, and then having her die of cancer because you couldn't see the reality of the world?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ufdale

I've even heard that there is some push to make it a requirement for freshmen entering college.

The problem with this is, if you've been exposed to those strains of HPV, the vaccine can increase your chances of getting cancer. Even if every girl gets it at the age of 9, I don't see this being a good "requirement."

What about vaccinating men as well? While HPV can cause penile cancer, wouldn't the vaccine help prevent transmission?

[AChiOhSnap]

HPV Vaccine (Gardasil) Fact Sheet

Here's a factsheet on the vaccine from the CDC in case anyone wants it!

The vaccine is still being tested on boys/men according to the website.

[NappyBison]

I've already been given the vaccine (soon to be receiving my 3rd and final shot) and I didn't know much about it when my doctor informed me of it last year. I was just going in for a routine check-up and to start my "college shots" up so I'd have them out of the way. As far as I know, the particular strains of HPV it is supposed to help prevent, will soon be replaced my new strains I guess technically my generation is the guinea pig for this vaccine and who knows what will happen to "us" after we've been introduced to it. I heard a few states were going to try and force parents into making their children get the vaccine. I'm not that worried about the vaccine itself though. I just see it as another form of protecting myself from any other disease: measles, mumps, chicken pox etc.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by Dionysus

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.

While this was said in a way that only Dionysus can so I can't claim the exact wording, I'll ditto it anyway. While I know that sex isn't the only way to contract the virus, it's a big part of it and that's not an issue for me. Plus, I've been a little anti-vaccine lately. I've never had a flu shot and do not intend to get one--every time my parents get a flu shot, they end up with the flu. Not the mini-flu that comes with being injected with the virus but the full-blown-knock-down-drag-out-this-is-what-was-trying-to-avoid flu. Vaccines don't always work, not even with decades of research and trials behind them. I'd rather take every other precaution and just leave the weird injections to someone else until there's more proof in the pudding.

[ladygreek]

My daughter is outside of the age range, but even if she wasn't I wouldn't want her to get the vac. There are too many disclaimers and qualifiers.

[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.

[ladygreek]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[5Knowledge1913]

It is very expensive if you don't have insurance.

I definitely will get it though.

[9dstpm]

If I had a daughter, I would not get the shot for her simply and only because at this point, the long-term effects have not been seen. There just isn't enough info out there to reassure me. I think the vaccine is a good thing, but I'm always wary when new drugs, vaccines, etc hit the scene, especially ones targeted towards women. Remember Depo-Provera and Norplant? These drugs were pushed so heavily and so many women (me included with Depo) jumped on the bandwagon. It wasn't until years later that people learned what the long term effects were and there were some really bad ones.