Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Why not Gardasil?
In some posts below re: H1N1, some of you mentioned that you didn't intend to give your DDs the Gardasil vaccine. I was just curious, why? It isn't offered until they are teenagers. I wish it had been around when I was a kid.
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Re: Why not Gardasil?
i guess i am biased.
my cousin got it ONLY because it was "all the rage" when it first came out. kinda of like "oh she's getting it, so i have to"
that and it's so new, others may think otherwise, but i kind of feel it unnecessary just as i am beginning to feel re: the chicken pox vacc
If you Google, you will find articles on how many girls after receiving it became faint, started to vomit, became paralyzed, lost their ability to speak, or have even died.
It's just not a vaccine that I see as necessary. Protecting against rubella, polio, etc? Necessary. This, however, I do not see as necessary. The benefits don't outweigh the risks.
My mom has HPV and, thankfully, is now a survivor of cervical cancer. True, there's no way to know if the cancer was caused by the HPV but it's still a possibility. It's a pretty serious illness for a woman that is sexually active with more than one partner. Especially since it's from skin to skin genital contact so a condom doesn't always protect. There also isn't a test for men so even if your partner says he doesn't have STD's, he could pass this to you. I know that I'm safe but I'll fear for my daughters one day... but, again, it will have been on the market and hopefully perfected by then.
Just curious--why don't you think it is necessary if it helps protect you from a virus that causes cancer? I completely understand why women want to wait until it has been tested for a few more years, but I do not get why you think it is unnecessary altogether. How does the benefit of not getting cancer outweigh the risk of vomiting or feeling faint? I am not attacking you--I just really don't get it.
I'm sorry, but this is a pretty sensitive and personal subject to me. I had cervical cancer. I am cancer free now thank God, but I had to sacrifice my fertility to get there. I would not wish that upon anybody.
Congratulations on surviving but I'm also sorry you had to go through it. My mom was forced to get a hysterectomy because of it. It's a terrifying thing to go through and I'd do anything I could to protect anybody I know from going through something similar.
I don't mean to be a post hog. Like I said, this is personal to me. First of all, congrats to your mom. I am happy that she beat the disease!
I just wanted to clarify that it does not matter if a woman has more than one sexual partner. It only takes one encounter to get HPV. If her partner has had more than one partner, then there is a chance he has it and can pass it to her on the first contact. The stats say that around 80% of adults have HPV at one point in their life without knowing it. It is very, very common and easily transmitted.
Thanks. I had a hysterectomy too, and it was horrible. I was actually diagnosed when I was pregnant. My son was born early, so that I could have a hysterectomy. It was the scariest time of my life. Fortunately, we are both perfectly fine now.
The scary thing is that so many people think it can't happen to them, or that it happens to women who sleep around. I've had two partners in my life, one of which is my husband. It only takes one contact. I don't know that my cancer was caused by HPV, but it is still very scary.
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
The funny thing is, who is giving HPV to women? MEN. BOYS. But the maker of this vaccine decided to only market it for girls. If you want to eradicate this disease they should have marketed it for everyone. It's not even completely effective against all strains, and since boys are not vaccinated, your daughter still has a chance to get HPV. Stupid.
Have you ever had HPV? Ever had to get a LEEP? Ever had cervical cancer???
Have you even read an article on what the actual vaccine contains?
I'm guessing NO, because if you have had any of the above, you would not be making that statement in bold.
The vaccine itself contains ONLY a protein shell that mimicks the virus... there IS NO LIVE OR DEAD VIRUS IN THE VACCINE. Thus, I seriously doubt the mentioned side effects had anything to do with Gardasil.
My DD will most certainly be getting this vaccine. I don't want her going through what I had to go through when I was diagnosed with HPV and had to get a LEEP because pre-cancerous cells were found. That was by far one of the scariest experiences of my life.
There is currently research being done to determine if there is any benefit to boys getting the vaccine. It's marketed for girls/young women, because HPV is more dangerous to women... men typically just carry it.
The vaccine covers the 2 strains that cause the most cases of cervical cancer... & I'm willing to take that reduction in risk for my daughter over nothing any day.