Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Long Island, NY
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Gardasil , the Hpv Vaccine Posted: 06-14-07 10:56am
I had my annual pap this morning, and my
mom suggested before my appointment that I
get .Gardasil, the vaccine that protects
against 4 of the most common strains of
.H.P.V. I wrote an article about the
vaccine for my college paper, and it
seemed like something beneficial to have,
so I got my first injection today (you
need 3 overall). My 12-year-old sister
also has the vaccine. I was wondering if
anyone else has gotten it. Thoughts?
|
mc4ever02
Supporter
Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 3636 Location: Orlando, FL Usa
Thanks: 5
Thanked:2
Posted: 06-14-07 11:02am
Both my sister and my youngest sil have
gotten it. I have mixed emotions about it.
I was very dissapointed with the lack of
education that is given with the shot.
Neither of them had a clue what it
actually protected and were thinking it
would prevent much more, I just hope those
were the only two that feel through the
cracks or else, I fear, our std rates will
go through the roof in the coming years.
I personally, will not be getting the
shot.
|
amethyst eyes
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 1339
Posted: 06-14-07 11:03am
.i am not eligible, but would have if .i
was! .i think it is a great idea to get
it considering how common hpv is.
|
sillyakchick
Supporter
Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 2688
Thanks: 5
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-14-07 11:13am
Here's my 2 cents:
I think the public has been very misled by
the company marketing this vaccine about
its effectiveness, and what it actually
protects against. It does not protect
women against the most common strains of
HPV-the ones that don't cause cancer.
Very few strains of HPV infection have
actually been shown to cause cervical
cancer, and not everyone infected with
these strains will develop cancer as a
result. However, the drug company has
gone forward pursing public policy to have
their snake oil become a required vaccine
for all girls age 12 ond over. I find
this incomprehensively irresponsible, but
I am not surprised that many politicians
and physicians have jumped on the
bandwagon. I thinki t's great that the
vaccine can prevent what it does, but I do
not believe it is the miracle drug which
it has been heralded to be inthe media.
Furthermore, I would hate to see this type
of thing replacing the funding that should
be going toward sex education for children
instead.
|
rasuyoung
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Long Island, NY
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 06-14-07 11:17am
It's too bad they weren't properly
educated before getting the vaccine. My
doctor gave me an informational handout
beforehand to read, but .I think it would
be great if doctors made sure patients
understand by verbalizing what the vaccine
protects against and what it does not. For
anyone who's interested, the handout says
there are more than 100 types of Hpv, and
.Gardasil helps protect against 4 types
that "cause approximately 70% of cervical
cancers and 90% of genital warts."
|
rasuyoung
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Long Island, NY
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 06-14-07 11:32am
Thanks for your replies!
sillyakchick
wrote:
It does not protect women against the most
common strains of HPV-the ones that don't
cause cancer. Very few strains of HPV
infection have actually been shown to
cause cervical cancer, and not everyone
infected with these strains will develop
cancer as a result.
Furthermore, I would don't like to see
this type of thing replacing the funding
that should be going toward sex education
for children
instead.
As I stated before, .Gardasil helps
protect against 4 of the most common
strains of HPV that cause the highest
percentage of cervical cancer and genital
warts. You're right that many types of HPV
do not cause cancer, and some don't cause
any harm. For most people, HPV goes away
on its own. However, the vaccine is a good
preventative measure for the most common
strains that can lead to problems.
When any vaccine is introduced, there is
media scrutiny, both positive and
negative. Above all, the media's job is to
inform the public, not sensationalize.
What articles have you seen that made you
feel this way?
Anyone thinking about getting the vaccine
should be informed about it. There is no
excuse for ignorance with the abundance of
information available.
|
sillyakchick
Supporter
Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 2688
Thanks: 5
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-14-07 11:45am
The articles I have been reading about it
are from a few of the publications that we
receive here in the office. I work for a
board certified family practice physician
and osteopath. I think it was called AAFP
(american academy of family practice
physicians) Update or something like that.
I read them cover to cover.
|
kaerbear
Most Diplomatic Poster
Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Posts: 1557 Location: ,
Posted: 06-14-07 12:01pm
so hpv is sexually transmitted? I've had
pap smears on a regular basis and they've
always come out fine. if i'm in a
monogamous relationship now and don't plan
on being with anyone else, i guess this
isn't anything i should worry about for
myself? like, if i was gonna get it
before i met my fiancee i would have it
already?
|
rasuyoung
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 464 Location: Long Island, NY
Thanks: 0
Thanked:1
Posted: 06-14-07 12:09pm
Anyone who engages in genital contact with
another person is at risk. With men
especially, HPV can be symptom-less. My
doctor said the pap usually picks it up if
HPV is present. If your pap is always
normal, I wouldn't worry about it. Mine
are always normal but up until recently, I
was single and not monogamous.
|
amethyst eyes
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 1339
Posted: 06-14-07 12:19pm
.i have only been with one person and he
has not been with a lot of people and .i
have high risk hpv. .anyone can get it
and since men never show signs of high
risk it is even easier for them to pass it
to their partners. .even if a man is
tested and clean he can have it because
their is no test for hpv in men.
|
Ingi
Supporter
Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 8783 Location: Grinning like a Cheshire Cat,
Thanks: 161
Thanked:194
Posted: 06-14-07 12:28pm
Wow! I can't believe, even with the most
recent media campaigns about cervical
cancer and hpv, that people still aren't
aware.
Anyone who has had sex can have hpv.
Anyone! And, don't be fooled, a pap smear
does not detect hpv. O.N.L.Y an hpv
test detects hpv.
You can have hpv in your system and it can
cause no problems. Or, if you have a high
risk strain, you may get cervical
abnormalilties that can lead to cervical
cancer if untreated.
Pap smears were invented to protect women
from dying from cervical cancer. Pap
smears do not detect sexually
transmitted diseases. They only test for
cervical abnormalites. You have to tell
your doctor if you think you may have a
sexually transmitted disease before he
tests you for that specifically. Most (not
all) doctors don't routinely test for
them.
It is true, there are over 100 strains of
hpv. The 'lesser' strains cause genital
warts. The high risk strains cause
cervical abnormalities that can
lead to cervical cancer if not treated.
This is why it is important to get pap
smears.
Hpv can stay in your system and go
virtually undetected for 10+ years. There
is no hpv test for men and they are
obviously the carriers, taking it from
woman to woman without knowing they are
doing it since they have no symptoms.
|
kaerbear
Most Diplomatic Poster
Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Posts: 1557 Location: ,
Posted: 06-14-07 12:35pm
I'm sorry i don't know more about it. i
have seen a couple of commercials on it
and a couple of news reports but they
don't exactly go into detail. most of
what i've heard has been targeted at
giving the vaccine to young girls before
they become sexually active. what i'm
wondering is, if my partner has it,
wouldn't i already have gotten it from
him? i have had a battery of std tests
done before and after i became pregnant,
not because i was high risk, but because i
was trying to be a responsible person. I
haven't ever had any std's and, like i
said, all of my pap smears have been
normal. i assume the vaccine wouldn't be
something i should get while i'm pregnant
anyway (?). I'm not trying to offend
anyone with my ignorance, i just hadn't
considered this for myself before and now
i am questioning that. i guess i can ask
my doctor about it next time i go.
|
*star*
Supporter
Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 1801 Location: ,
Thanks: 22
Thanked:24
Posted: 06-14-07 12:42pm
HPV is a virus.....just like the flu
virus... If you have it, you will always
have it and it will never "go away" just
lay dormant. I don't think that the shot
shoud be required to be taken. That is a
violation of one's rights. (****Edit****
I was only making a blank statement due to
the fact that there had been talk of
making the shot manditory. Sorry, I
should have stated that in the original
post. ***Edit***)Should we start making
everyone get a flu vacination just because
it can prevent only a few of the flu
viruses that are out there, not even
looking at the worst kind...the bird flu!
I would be curious as to how many people
that have had the gardasil shot that would
also get the flu vacination yearly?
Also, HPV is not always picked up by a
routine pap. It is only when it is active
that your pap will come back with abnormal
cells. Ususally when this happens the
doctor will do a colposcomy to find out
why they came back abnormal.
I had an abnormal pap when I was 19 and
again at 21. The doctor did a colposcomy
on me both times. This was 10 years ago,
so they didn't know about the HPV virus,
or at least they didn't know enough about
it at the time. After the colpo, I went
to get another pap 3 months later and
everything was fine. So after that, I
have had normal paps ever since until this
past February when it came back abnormal.
They did the colposcomy and it came back
positive for HPV. Now that they know much
more about the virus, they can treat it
better than they used to. My doctor told
me that if my husband and I used
protection for a certain period of time,
that the HPV would go back to being
dormant and we shouldn't have a problem
with it. Just like if you and your
husband have the flu and if you keep
kissing each other, obviously you are
going to continue to pass it back and
forth. But if you don't, then you will
eventually get better and not continue to
spread it.
Sorry for the long rant... I have never
taken the flu shot, and I don't plan on
it. I feel the same way with the gardisil
shot. If you teach young girls how to
properly protect themselves, they will
have a better understanding and be less
likely to contract the virus.
*** Just wanted to add that I remember my
doctor telling me that no there isn't a
test for hpv for men, and no they usually
don't have any symptoms (except I think
they can show some with warts...not sure
though) and they are the carrier, but she
said that one characteristic of the virus
in men is a tendency to male baldness...
No I am not saying that all bald men have
HPV... It may be a coincidence... It's
just what my doc said***
Last edited by *star* on 06-15-07 07:51am; edited 4 times in total
|
amethyst eyes
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 1339
Posted: 06-14-07 12:46pm
.actually the hpv virus is unique in the
fact that your body can get rid of it
completely. .many doctors do not know why
this is but it can and has happened in
many people
|
sillyakchick
Supporter
Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 2688
Thanks: 5
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-14-07 12:46pm
*star*
wrote:
HPV is a virus.....just like
the flu virus... If you have it, you will
always have it and it will never "go away"
just lay dormant. I don't think that the
shot shoud be required to be taken. That
is a violation of one's rights.
Should we start making everyone get a flu
vacination just because it can prevent
only a few of the flu viruses that are out
there, not even looking at the worst
kind...the bird flu!
I would be curious as to how many people
that have gotten the gardasil shot that
would also get the flu vacination yearly?
Also, HPV is not always picked up by a
routine pap. It is only when it is active
that your pap will come back with abnormal
cells. Ususally when this happens the
doctor will do a colposcomy to find out
why they came back abnormal.
I had an abnormal pap when I was 19 and
again at 21. The doctor did a colposcomy
on me both times. This was 10 years ago,
so they didn't know about the HPV virus,
or at least they didn't know enough about
it at the time. After the colpo, I went
to get another pap 3 months later and
everything was fine. So after that, I
have had normal paps ever since until this
past February when it came back abnormal.
They did the colposcomy and it came back
positive for HPV. Now that they know much
more about the virus, they can treat it
better than they used to. My doctor told
me that if my husband and I used
protection for a certain period of time,
that the HPV would go back to being
dormant and we shouldn't have a problem
with it. Just like if you and your
husband have the flu and if you keep
kissing each other, obviously you are
going to continue to pass it back and
forth. But if you don't, then you will
eventually get better and not continue to
spread it.
Sorry for the long rant... I have never
taken the flu shot, and I don't plan on
it. I feel the same way with the gardisil
shot. If you teach young girls how to
properly protect themselves, they will
have a better understanding and be less
likely to contract the
virus.
Just a quick question for you-
Let's say you had an active case and had
the warts associated with hpv treated. If
it is dormant, can you still infect
another person? Just curious because I
don't know the answer.
Last edited by sillyakchick on 06-14-07 12:56pm; edited 1 time in total
|
ebarnhard33
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Nov 2006 Posts: 541 Location: Denver, CO
Thanks: 2
Thanked:7
Posted: 06-14-07 12:53pm
kaerbear
wrote:
I'm sorry i don't know more
about it. i have seen a couple of
commercials on it and a couple of news
reports but they don't exactly go into
detail. most of what i've heard has been
targeted at giving the vaccine to young
girls before they become sexually active.
what i'm wondering is, if my partner has
it, wouldn't i already have gotten it from
him? i have had a battery of std tests
done before and after i became pregnant,
not because i was high risk, but because i
was trying to be a responsible person. I
haven't ever had any std's and, like i
said, all of my pap smears have been
normal. i assume the vaccine wouldn't be
something i should get while i'm pregnant
anyway (?). I'm not trying to offend
anyone with my ignorance, i just hadn't
considered this for myself before and now
i am questioning that. i guess i can ask
my doctor about it next time i
go.
.h.p.v can lie dormant in your system for
years before you get an abnormal pap smear
(not saying it *will* lie dormant for
years, just that it can). they won't give
the vaccine to women who are pregnant or
trying to get pregnant. also, i believe
it's a series of 3 vaccines that need to
be given over a 6 month period. they also
will only do it up to a certain age -
don't quote me, but i think up to age 26
or somewhere close to that.
|
*star*
Supporter
Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 1801 Location: ,
Thanks: 22
Thanked:24
Posted: 06-14-07 13:06pm
sillyakchick
wrote:
Just a quick question for you-
Let's say you had an active case and had
the warts associated with hpv treated. If
it is dormant, can you still infect
another person? Just curious because I
don't know the
answer.
Ya know, I really don't know without going
and looking it up. This is just my theory
based on how my doctor has explained it to
me. I would think that if you are treated
for HPV weather you have the warts or not
and you get a clean pap then I wouldn't
think that you would be able to transmit
it. But I could be wrong, because the way
people have talked about anyone who has
had sex could have it. That to me says
that you could be transmitting it without
knowing that you have done so. On the
other hand, I keep going back to the flu
virus only b/c my doctor did. If you do
not have the active flu virus and have no
symptoms, are you transmitting the virus
when you kiss someone who has had the flu
at one point in their life?
Does that make sence? It seems to make
sence in my head, because of the way it
has been explained to me, so now I just
think of the flu virus because they are
both viruses!!!
|
*star*
Supporter
Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 1801 Location: ,
Thanks: 22
Thanked:24
Posted: 06-14-07 13:08pm
iridescent_opal
wrote:
.actually the hpv virus is
unique in the fact that your body can get
rid of it completely. .many doctors do
not know why this is but it can and has
happened in many
people
I don't understand how your body can get
rid of a virus. They are not able to cure
any other viruses, they just treat them
until the symptoms go away. Just like if
you have the flu for a week, then the next
week you have absolutely no symptoms. You
are not cured, you have recovered from the
symptoms and the virus then lays dormant
in your body.
|
lil_blaze2004
Supporter
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 6492 Location: ,
Thanks: 1
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-14-07 13:09pm
I'm moving this to women's sexual health
cause I think it will be informative
there.
|
sillyakchick
Supporter
Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 2688
Thanks: 5
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-14-07 13:14pm
*star*
wrote:
sillyakchick
wrote:
Just a quick question for you-
Let's say you had an active case and had
the warts associated with hpv treated. If
it is dormant, can you still infect
another person? Just curious because I
don't know the
answer.
Ya know, I really don't know without going
and looking it up. This is just my theory
based on how my doctor has explained it to
me. I would think that if you are treated
for HPV weather you have the warts or not
and you get a clean pap then I wouldn't
think that you would be able to transmit
it. But I could be wrong, because the way
people have talked about anyone who has
had sex could have it. That to me says
that you could be transmitting it without
knowing that you have done so. On the
other hand, I keep going back to the flu
virus only b/c my doctor did. If you do
not have the active flu virus and have no
symptoms, are you transmitting the virus
when you kiss someone who has had the flu
at one point in their life?
Does that make sence? It seems to make
sence in my head, because of the way it
has been explained to me, so now I just
think of the flu virus because they are
both
viruses!!!
That's what i thought too, but then i
started thinking about HIV which you can
infect others with even if you don't have
signs or an active case.
