HPV Vaccine does work!!

[tuckerphez]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/healt ... times&_r=0

Good news everyone! Despite less-than-optimal vaccination rates, HPV infection rates have dropped by half in the past decade.

Maybe we should send this article to Lori (Alexander is a monster) and her ilk.

[gustava]

I'm sure reason would convict her to............ooppss, her children will never have sex, except with their spouses, none of whom will have ever had sex with anyone else. :lol:

[Minerva]

I'm not sure Lori Alexander is a monster cares about the health of people who have premarital sex. They deserve cancer, and Lori deserves to be indulged in her paranoid delusions of people having sex just because they got the vaccine.

[mlady]

I wish I had the opportunity to get this vaccine. Even though I was 33 years married and monogamous it seem my ex wasn't at the very end (which is why it was the end) and left me with a parting gift. I'm glad my daughter got it.

[JMarie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/health/study-finds-sharp-drop-in-hpv-infections-in-girls.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

Good news everyone! Despite less-than-optimal vaccination rates, HPV infection rates have dropped by half in the past decade.

Maybe we should send this article to Lori (Alexander is a monster) and her ilk.

Also Michelle Bachmann.

[docmom]

Lori will simply make up a few "facts" to counter the data and her world will be right again.

[Arete]

You do realize that Lori Alexander who is a monster and a twat would not find this to be good news? The vaccine's effectiveness is just proof to her that we are allowing all those vaccinated women to slut around at the expense of their immortal souls. Not to mention dodge the punishment of HPV in this life that they so richly deserve.

[Jinger Jar]

It drives me bonkers with people try to sexualize health care and/or those who receive it, particularly care related to reproductive health. I just had an awkward conversation with a woman from my parish about the HPV vaccine. Our daughters are the same age, and I mentioned my stepdaughters had been vaccinated about six months ago and were due to make their inaugural debut with their gyno this summer. She was a bit taken aback, and asked me why unmarried girls would be in need of either. Ummm, I dunno, because anyone can get HPV, because even virginal genitalia and uteri need a professional eye cast upon them from time to time, and because I want the girls comfortable talking with medical professionals about their medical needs? :shrug: I got the vibe, though, that she thought I have planning to drive them to their first orgy right after we left the doctor's office, for pity's sake.

And then there was the guy from the step-parenting forum I sometimes visit who bragged that when his pre-teen daughter was asked if she wanted the HPV vaccine told the health care provider, "No thanks. I'm not one of those sluts who needs it." I'm not one to get inchoate with rage by something an anonymous person posts online, but I let that guy have it with both barrels.

[tuckerphez]

You do realize that Lori Alexander who is a monster and a twat would not find this to be good news? The vaccine's effectiveness is just proof to her that we are allowing all those vaccinated women to slut around at the expense of their immortal souls. Not to mention dodge the punishment of HPV in this life that they so richly deserve.

When I said good news, I meant "good news for everyone that won't get HPV and/or likes that fewer people are getting HPV." Lori is not those people.

[DistantStar]

My mom would have had me in the doc's office at approximately the speed of light if this had been available when I was young enough. I got all the other standard vaccinations of the time; she remembered having some of those diseases and was thrilled that her kids wouldn't have to.

[bananacat]

I'm glad to hear this. I had HPV when I was 17. It was a moderate-risk strain. I was pretty scared but in way it sort of helped me get over my phobia of cancer. I learned that if it's caught early enough, there is over a 95% cure rate. However, to have a chance to catch it early enough, I had to get more frequent pap smears, a colposcopy where they look at the cervix with a camera, and even once a cervical biopsy, which was unpleasant although bearable. Luckily, I had a good doctor and good health care coverage, which very many women lack. And in my case, the virus cleared up in a few years without ever progressing.

I got the HPV vaccine as soon as it was available because I could still be vulnerable to other strains. My insurance didn't cover the vaccine, but I could afford to pay for it myself and I don't regret a single penny of that expense. My wish is that no other person has to go through the scare that I went through (men can rarely get other types of cancer from HPV). And we have the technology to make my wish come true. Anyone who hinders it is a monster.

It's tempting to emphasize the possibility of rape or a cheating spouse, but really, that's a red herring. I had sex before marriage and I don't deserve to get cancer for that. This shouldn't be a controversial statement.

[gravelmonkey]

In case somebody needs/wants to know, Planned Parenthood offers the HPV vaccine at reduced rates, if lack of insurance coverage is an issue. YMMV of course.

[ADoyle90815]

My mom would have had me in the doc's office at approximately the speed of light if this had been available when I was young enough. I got all the other standard vaccinations of the time; she remembered having some of those diseases and was thrilled that her kids wouldn't have to.

Same here, especially when I found out that my ex-husband lied about how he got another STD, so when I filed for divorce, I went to the doctor and got tested for everything, including HPV. Fortunately in my case, I was negative for everything, but it would have been nice if that vaccine was available when I was younger as it would have meant one less thing I had to worry about before the test results came in. Basically, my ex said that the ex-girlfriend he dated before meeting me gave him the STD, but that was a total lie as he cheated on her and gave her the disease. Because of that, I still don't know if he was faithful when we were married, so I got those tests just to be safe.

[miffy]

I thought we knew that already? :lol:

The guy who invented it has been given just about every award possible except for a knighthood.

[burntnorton]

Well, I guess if you work from the assumption that everyone who lets a non-husband's penis breach her vagina is a slut, including rape victims (cause we all know they were asking for it, amirite?), that marrying a non virgin man is poor judgment, and that a wife is to blame for her husband's infidelities, then the vaccine is just removing a disincentive to vice. Fuck those assholes.

[graysmama]

I had the HPV vaccine myself at 26. Due to growing up in a religious Mormon home I was still a virgin at the time until 27 with a now ex boyfriend after I got tired of wasting my life waiting on the whole ideal husband and wedding. After this man, I met my now husband. I have no regrets on getting the HPV vaccine whatsoever I had a positive test for HPV at 31 last year. According to my gynecologist I got one of the rarer strains it doesn't prevent from. I would still get the vaccine in a heartbeat though if I had a daughter. I have a son and if his doctor suggests it for him we will have him vaccinated.

[Stephanie66]

My daughter got it when it first came out. I believe she was 14. No regrets, and no, she didn't go out screwing every guy in site. (Girls, perhaps...)

I did have my son talk to our family practice doctor about getting the shots. He actually advised against it and recommended my son wear condoms. I kinda liked that answer.

[FJismyheadship]

I think I was 16 and my mother said I should get this. It never happened. Don't know why.

What would prevent a person from getting it? I'm 25 now... can I still get it? Are there any health issues that would prevent someone from getting it?

[polabear]

I think the main reason why they don't tend to recommend the vaccine for older adults is because HPV is so prevalent that if you are a certain age and not a virgin, you've probably already been exposed.

I had a pre cancerous finding on my first pap smear 22 years ago. I was 16. I know the test for HPV was negative, but who knows what they could pick up back then. I'd only had one sexual partner who was also a virgin. At that time, they treated even mild cases aggressively, and I had cryosurgery and a zillion pap smears. Oh, and the cervical biopsy hurt like heck, although it supposably doesn't for most women. They've all been negative since then, and I've never tested positive for HPV. But, I must have been exposed at some point. The good news is that I have no anxiety at all over pap smears.

These days, the recommendation is to not even do pap smears you turn 21, because the vast majority of the abnormal pap smears in women that young will clear up on their own.

[FakePigtails]

I think I was 16 and my mother said I should get this. It never happened. Don't know why.

What would prevent a person from getting it? I'm 25 now... can I still get it? Are there any health issues that would prevent someone from getting it?

You should be eligible if you get started on it soon. Your doctor will know about health issues, though none were mentioned when I got it.

[Minerva]

I think the main reason why they don't tend to recommend the vaccine for older adults is because HPV is so prevalent that if you are a certain age and not a virgin, you've probably already been exposed.

I had a pre cancerous finding on my first pap smear 22 years ago. I was 16. I know the test for HPV was negative, but who knows what they could pick up back then. I'd only had one sexual partner who was also a virgin. At that time, they treated even mild cases aggressively, and I had cryosurgery and a zillion pap smears. Oh, and the cervical biopsy hurt like heck, although it supposably doesn't for most women. They've all been negative since then, and I've never tested positive for HPV. But, I must have been exposed at some point. The good news is that I have no anxiety at all over pap smears.

These days, the recommendation is to not even do pap smears you turn 21, because the vast majority of the abnormal pap smears in women that young will clear up on their own.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was possible to get cervical cancer or pre-cancerous cells spontaneously. Like, I thought HPV was responsible for most cancers, but not all. Can you only get cervical cancer if you've had HPV?

[polabear]

At this point, they think virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. There are risk factors that make it more likely you will develop cancer after being exposed.

[Minerva]

At this point, they think virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. There are risk factors that make it more likely you will develop cancer after being exposed.

I see. Thanks for answering.

[bananacat]

I think I was 16 and my mother said I should get this. It never happened. Don't know why.

What would prevent a person from getting it? I'm 25 now... can I still get it? Are there any health issues that would prevent someone from getting it?

You can probably get it at any age if your doctor thinks it's ok for you, and should be as safe as any other vaccine so it would only be contra-indicated if you have reasons to avoid other vaccines. The main thing with the age limits is just for insurance coverage. When I got it a few years ago, many insurance companies didn't cover it at all. I don't know if that's different now with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), but if your insurance does cover it generally, they might not for someone over a certain age (frequently 26). If you want it, you should ask your doctor to start you right away. If your insurance doesn't cover it and you are willing and able to pay the price out of pocket, then you can start at any time.

[LadyBlue]

Be aware if you've ever had HPV, the vaccine increases your risk of cancer, which is one reason they moved it to lower ages.

I thought this article was far more detailed & nuanced www.theonc.org/author.asp?doc_id=265168&section_id=2414 It's from a site for oncology nurses