have your daughter vaccinated against HPV?

Yes I would, Yes I did. Both of them.

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No I have not had either of them vaccinated. I am not sure yet if we will or not. Too many issues and unknowns with that vaccine.

Lisa

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It's wanting what you've got"

I don't have daughters, but if I did I would not.

Yes I did have my daughter get the shots. Better safe than sorry.

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Same here. Mine's 16 now and I'm extremely uncomfortable with the hard sell on this vaccine and all the unknowns. Far too many drugs have been approved recently, only to be pulled when serious issues arose. Unlike a prescription, my daughter can't just stop taking this vaccine once it's in her. Given the relatively few number of diseases it prevents, I'm not willing at this point to have her vaccinated. If she decides she wants it -- and many of her friends have had it -- we'll do it, but she knows my reasons against it.

In my opinion, not administering the vaccine at this time is the better safe than sorry position.

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Reading is Fundamental.

Have 2 daughters and neither one has gotten it if my oldest one who is 23 wanted it, it would be up to her as she is a adult, however younger one is 17 at this point in time I truly do not feel comfortable and know enough about the injection. Peace. Catherine

No and No.......

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My thoughts exactly.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

This is my feeling as well. My DD is only 8 right now but there hasn't been enough testing for this IMO. I am not anti-immunization but this is one we won't do. We do know one young lady who is having issues because of this shot.

I read in today's local paper that they might start giving shots for Swine Flu in the schools this fall. We will opt out of that one as well. I like the idea of vaccinating BUT not just on a whim. I want more testing to ensure my kids will be better off with it than without

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Well stated. Way too many unknowns with this vaccine, and there have been a number of very serious side effects (including death) reported in small percentages, but that's enough to get my attention.

If a grown woman opts to get one, that's one thing, but not a very young girl. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that years from now that it is suspected that the vaccine sterilizes young girls. I will not be one bit surprised to hear that they one day pull it because of these unknowns it may be causing.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

Not yet....our Dr is not recommending the vaccine yet until further testing is done. He has a teen daughter himself and has not gotten her vaccinated for it, so that clinches it for me.

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I think the risk outweights the benifits. You can still get cervical cancer even if you don't have HPV. Doctors are making it seem as if HPV is the cause of cervical cancer but it's only A cause not THE ONLY cause.

It just seems to me as if they are making HPV out to be this horrible deadly virus when the truth of the matter is that over 70% of sexually active adults have HPV and they will most likely never ever know they have it. Just put it this way...if you've been sexually active...you most likely have an HPV.

I don't have girls but those are my thoughts exactly!

I don't believe it-we agree on something!!! You brought up some great points! As long as you get your yearly Pap tests cervical cancer can probably be caught early also. And they can also tell if you have been exposed to the HPV virus. And there are a lot of unknowns with this vaccine.

Yeah, cuz having cancer is SO much better than anything else.

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Holly, I appreciate that your position is very different from some others', but that comment was rude and unnecessary. No one is saying that they want their daughters to get cancer. What we're saying is that this vaccine only prevents one relatively small cause of a cancer that has a very good survival rate and that, at this time, we're not willing to risk our daughters' health for a vaccine with a very short record which is of very limited use in terms of the number of cancers it *might* prevent.

I'm sorry for your situation, but you do what you think is best for your family and I'll do what I think is best for mine. And comments like this one of yours doesn't help anything. It's just ugly.

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Reading is Fundamental.

It's no secret I have a different position. But I resent comments like yours, that imply I am risking my daughter's health by having her get the vaccine. She and I both discussed it, and decided we'd rather take an ounce of prevention.

Think of it this way, wearing a seat belt MIGHT save your life. It also might break your ribs in the process. Is it worth it? Hell, yes.

PS-- I'll be sure to pass your comment about 'good survival rate' to the girls at the cancer center that are dying from that very cancer. I'm sure they will get a chuckle.

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Fascinating, since YOUR post, which preceded mine, implied that those of us not getting the vaccine for our daughters are risking their lives.

I'm sorry you've decided to be so ugly about this.

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Reading is Fundamental.

Ugly is an interesting word. You know what else is ugly? Being a pompous ass like you are being. I haven't called you any names til now, yet you have now called me rude and ugly. Nice.

You really want to trade barbs with me on this subject? You really want to push this issue with someone who's had FIVE years experience on this?

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I agree. If I had young daughters, they wouldn't be getting the vaccine. There's not enough known about it. It was pushed on the market so quickly. Who knows what will happen to these girls ten years or so down the road?

No, Holly, I have no interest in discussing this with you at all.

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Reading is Fundamental.

It's very important to have yearly pap smears and not assume because you've had the vaccine that you don't need pap smears anymore. HPV is not the only cause of cervical cancer and getting the vaccine does not prevent cervical cancer!

Yes, my 25 year old daughter made her own decision. I had whooping cough as a 4th grader and my husband got viral encephelatis ( a life long health problems) from shingles so I am for vaccines that will prevent these illnesses and the health problems that come from them.

I think DD was about 16 or 17 when the virus was offered...I agreed to let her discuss with the doctor and make the call.

I support anyone's right to get it but also think it's a bit scary that some state health depts offered it to girls as young as 9 or 10 without the parents' knowledge if the girls were on medicaid, rural health program, uninsured etc..essentially, girls living in poverty. Not sure if they still do that.

My daughters are 23 and 13, neither have had the shot. I think many doctors are not recommending it until further studies are done.

Same here.

Found this info. well worth reading. Actually, I think anyone considering this series of shots should research it as much as possible and weigh the risks. All vaccines have risks.

Funny, some say their doctors don't recommend it, and that was enough for them. My doctor recommended it, as did many other doctors I spoke with. However, I didn't go by that alone. It's a very personal choice.

Are there specific types of HPV that are associated with cancer?
Some types of HPV are referred to as “low-risk” viruses because they rarely cause lesions that develop into cancer. HPV types that are more likely to lead to the development of cancer are referred to as “high-risk.” Both high-risk and low-risk types of HPV can cause the growth of abnormal cells, but only the high-risk types of HPV lead to cancer. Sexually transmitted, high-risk HPVs include types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68, and 73 (4). These high-risk types of HPV cause growths on the cervix that are usually flat and nearly invisible, as compared with the external warts caused by low-risk types HPV–6 and HPV–11. HPV types 16 and 18 together cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers (4, 5). It is important to note, however, that the great majority of high-risk HPV infections go away on their own and do not cause cancer (5).


From here: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Cancer: Q & A - National Cancer Institute

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

My daughter has received the vaccine. We reviewed information from her doctor, and also read much other information on our own before making the decision.

You know.....I was thinking the same thing Holly.

And you know what, I don't have any cancer in my family. But we researched it, and discussed it with the pediatrician, and I asked her what she thought as a Dr. and as a Mother, and she said that she would be having her daughter vaccinated as soon as she was old enough. That was good enough for me.

Everything was "new & experimental" at one time. The Polio vaccine....measles...etc.

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Also, I think I read somewhere that you are not supposed to get the vaccine if you've already been sexually active. Maybe they changed that, I'm not sure. If that's true, however, I see problems with mothers taking their girls in not knowing they've already had sex and the girls being too shy, scared, whatever to tell the truth. That could be a bad situation if that is true.

Yes, my DD has had the shot

Will sexually active females benefit from the vaccine?

Ideally females should get the vaccine before they become sexually active, when they may be exposed to HPV. Females who are sexually active may also benefit from the vaccine, but they may get less benefit from it. This is because they may have already gotten an HPV type targeted by the vaccine. Few sexually active young women are infected with all HPV types covered by the vaccine so they would still get protection from those types they have not yet gotten. Currently, there is no test available to tell if a girl/woman has had HPV in the past, or which types.

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This has really brought a lot of thought on this subject for me.
My DD is 10 so I have a several years to watch this drug.
My niece has had the vaccine and I was glad to know that she has this opportunity to prevent a cancer risk. My Mother had breast cancer, no family history, 20 year survivor!
This is definately something to think about!
Thanks!
PJ

My 12 year old daughter has also received the vaccine. She was not happy at all that it was a set of 3 shots and not just one.

This is such a personal, parental decision. I think each of us brings our own experiences & research to the decision, and I doubt it's one anyone makes lightly.
My d/d is 11, and has not had it. I have done a lot of research, just as I did when the chickenpox vaccine came out, and we are waiting. I am not convinced that at 11 SHE needs it. I am not naive' about the fact that kids are sexually active earlier than other generations, but we are not there yet.
I will continue to watch the research, keep an open-mind, and see where we are a year from now, or two or three.

I like what you've said momshops. My DD is also 11 and we have discussed it together. She says we have lots of time to make such a decision...
But I do fear the long term effects. I have a SIL who's mother was given DES back in the 60's and she has had trouble due to that. I would hate to find out that something I did to protect my daughter actually caused her harm. Thanks for all the replys everyone.

Found this:
Because of the serious nature of cervical cancer if not detected early, the HPV vaccination is being promoted by doctors despite the well known Gardasil vaccine risks. The Washington group Judicial Watch has been reporting on the frequency of complications with this vaccine and have noted eighteen deaths and 140 serious complications related to the vaccine. They are working to make people more aware of Gardasil vaccine risks especially young girls for whom some believe it should be mandatory. There are also issues about the vaccine’s effectiveness. It appears that over a four to five year period the protective effect of the vaccine declines. In addition, the HPV vaccination doesn’t protect against all of the types of HPV that are associated with cervical cancer.

Step 4-Interestingly, the Center for Disease Control reports that in ninety percent of cases of infection
with HPV, the infection is completely cleared by the immune system over a two to three year period and will not cause any problems. In addition, the PAP smear serves as an excellent screening test for detecting and following HPV and monitoring for early changes associated with cervical cancer.

Step 5-Should you encourage your daughter to get the HPV vaccination? Because the current Gardasil vaccine doesn’t protect against all strains of HPV, doesn’t necessarily give long lasting protection, and the known Gardasil vaccine risks, it may not be the best choice in its current form. Getting the vaccine may give some women a false sense of security which can reduce the resolve to get regular PAP smears. Whether or not the Gardasil vaccine is given to prevent HPV, keep in mind that regular PAP smears are important for detecting early changes suggestive of cervical cancer. Be sure to discuss the pros and cons of getting this vaccine with your doctor.
from ehow.com

I used to work as a Testing Specialist and Account Executive for Quest Diagnostics. The pap test itself does not test for HPV. That is an additional screening test that needs to be done in addition to pap testing. Your physician might not be automatically asking for that test, so it's definitely something you should question. In regards to this vaccine, I have a son, but if I had a daughter - she would be getting the vaccine.

This is a link you all might find interesting. I've seen Christine speak and she is compelling.

http://www.immunize.org/reports/report091.pdf

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Kim

I do not have daughters, and will not be giving birth again, but I think in 2-5 years there will be more info out there about the possible risks/side effects. On other message boards there has been heated debate about "giving permission" for your child to have sex by having the vaccine - just remember if a young girl/woman is raped the vaccine *may* protect against some strains of HPV. As others have noted, it is an extremely personal and private family decision.

I don't know if this means anything or not. But i took my then 12 yo(shes 13 now) to get the shot. She had 1 and it made her so sick !.. the injection spot became really red and had a huge knot there. I called the ped's office to let them know about this and they acted as if it was nothing to them, however it was so us.. later that night my daughter started having a headache and the spot was very warm to the touch. After a few days she was back to herself, but it was enough for me I will not take her back to get the other 2 shots. We have switched ped since 3 months ago and I'm going to wait to see what her new doctor has to say about what took place after that shot. Like I said might be nothing at all, but I'm not chancing it till someone can tell me other wise.

KTS-
Can you post the source of this info? I'd like to read more.

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I said at the bottom it was from eHow | How To Do Just About Everything!

When my youngest got his DPT shots he had a huge welt that lasted for weeks. The doctor and I decided not to give him another one. I think it was the second shot that reacted that way.

Thanks, I didn't see it.

I went to eHow and I couldn't find the exact article, but I found some others.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't eHow something like Wikipedia? What I mean is, that anyone can write an article? A lot of the articles I saw were opinion based. I mean, it wasn't your typical, "how do I hammer a nail" eHow article. Now, I'm not discounting eHow as a source, but like Wikipedia, I take it with a grain of salt.

If anyone cares, the stuff I quoted came from the CDC.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-H...oung-women.htm

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