what are your thoughts on the HPV vaccine?

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FAtGiRLFItGiRL
FAtGiRLFItGiRL Posts: 156
in Chit-Chat
My dr asked me yesterday if i wanted to get it but i know there are alot of mixed feelings about it. if you have had it did you havae any side effects?

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  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
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    There are three and you have to get them at the correct time intervals (I think its 6 months?). The only thing that happened to me was my arm hurting for about a day, but I'd say thats worth it.
  • NikkieLite
    NikkieLite Posts: 126 Member
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    I got all three doses of it. I had no side effects but it did hurt a lot initially. More than a usual shot. It felt kind of like I'd been punched in the arm. But it's worth it, in my opinion, to lessen your risk of getting cancer. The worst side effect I ever heard of someone I personally know getting was a little nausea. No big deal. :)
  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
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    Hey, ive had the HPV vaccine, I've had all 3 doses of them. I had it done about 2 years ago. I didnt get any side effects, my arm was just a little tender for a few days :)
  • kiely13
    kiely13 Posts: 185 Member
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    I got all 3. No side effects experienced. My sister has gotten all 3 as well and she didn't experience any side effects either.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 795 Member
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    Haven't had it, and I won't be getting it for my kids, either. Without even getting into the reports of scary side effects, I don't personally see the point to it. (Plus I just get turned off when things are pushed as hard as this one was. It makes me feel like someone is too invested in its profits.)


    But mostly I'm responding because I just LOVE your profile picture... that must be a huge pick-me-up every time you log in on here. :smile:
  • FAtGiRLFItGiRL
    FAtGiRLFItGiRL Posts: 156
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    thanks ladies you all have been very helpful. i actually had hpv but my body fought it off so im scared of it coming back and causing cancer.
  • Halcyon3608
    Halcyon3608 Posts: 28 Member
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    The HPV vaccine is most effective if you are not yet sexually active, because otherwise you may already have been exposed to the strains of HPV it protects against. However, my doctor still recommended that I get vaccinated, and I've been gettin' busy with my partner for four years. I've had the first two shots, and didn't experience any side effects. No dizziness, no light-headedness, no faintness, nothing. The injection site wasn't even sore the next day, althought the vaccine burns ever so slightly as the nurse injects it.

    I think most of the negative hype surrounding the vaccine stems from the idea that it will somehow increase sexual promiscuity in the recipients - i.e., if it's "safer" for young girls (and boys! the vaccine is approved for boys as well!) to have sex, they'll have more of it. I give this idea about as much credence as I do to abstinence-only sex ed. In this case, ignorance is NOT bliss - the more you know, the better, so if young people are going to have sex no matter what their elders say, why not make sure they're smart about it? *end rant*

    The bottom line is that this vaccine is effective in preventing the strains of human papillomavirus responsible for 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts, and if I had a daughter, I wouldn't hesitate to have our doctor vaccinate her. I certainly don't regret getting vaccinated myself. Go ahead and schedule an appointment :)
  • rukobaby
    rukobaby Posts: 33
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    GET IT! I was always careful with sex and I still got HPV. Not only that, I got a strand that causes cancer. Its no fun. Please, protect yourself. And why in the world wouldnt you want to protect your children against something potentially life threatening? If you have boys, how would you feel knowing they gave another woman cancer? If you have girls, could you look them in the face when they call you up and tell they were diagnosed with HPV bc you didnt want them to get the vaccine?
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
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    if i had a child myself, that child would get the vaccine.

    here's the Gardasil VIS : http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hpv-gardasil.pdf

    vaccine vs genital warts / cervical cancer? vaccine wins hands down.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I sure wish it was around when I was in high school...and if I had kids, I'd insist that they get the vaccine. Would've saved me a lot of embarrassment and stress! Thankfully the strain I contracted was treatable but I still wouldn't want to go through all of that again. Found out later that many women I knew had dealt with HPV as well so I felt a lot less of a tramp (never was but catching an STD can sure you make you think bad things about yourself).
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I would get it if I were you. Not sure what strain you had of HPV, but the vaccine protects against the three (I believe it's three) most common strains that are shown to cause cervical cancer.
  • Hopelessbird
    Hopelessbird Posts: 133
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    I got it when I was 25, eventhough I have been monogamous for 7 years at that time. I had no side effects. Why not just get it?
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
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    Get it! I got it a year ago. It protects against the worst strains of HPV that can cause warts and cervical cancer. It probably even more effective if you get it before becoming sexually active since just about EVERYONE will contract HPV sometime in their lifetime.
  • lulu9663
    lulu9663 Posts: 57 Member
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    Please get this shot. I got it while in the military because it was free, but I already wanted it anyway. I was a little sick to my stomach after getting it, and the injection site burned for a few hours. Other than that, I didn't notice any side effects.

    I wish my cousin had made the decision to get it when it first came out. She died from cervical cancer at the age of 35. She left behind 4 kids and a husband. It may not have prevented by getting the shot, but if she had gotten it, we may not have had to bury her last February. It's not going to kill you if you do get the shot, but it could if you don't. Cervical cancer is one of the hardest to treat. Not because they can't get rid of the actual cancer, but because the chemo used to treat it destroys your organs.

    I seriously urge everyone to get the shot, even if you've already had sex. It may just stop that one strain of HPV that could end up killing you.
  • FAtGiRLFItGiRL
    FAtGiRLFItGiRL Posts: 156
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    I AM GETTING THE VAC. WENT IN TODAY TO GET IT BUT THEY DIDNT HAVE IT SO I WILL GO BACK IN A FEW WEEKS WHEN I GO IN FOR MY PAP. THANKS EVERYONE FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND NOT JUDGING ANYONE WHO POSTED ON THIS :)
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,864 Member
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    :happy:

    Good for you!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    my daughter just got them at school, we feel it is pretty important.
  • _Timmeh_
    _Timmeh_ Posts: 2,096 Member
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    I say yes......My daughters just got the 3rd and final shot yesterday.
  • smsinger75
    smsinger75 Posts: 253 Member
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    I have two kids, a girl and a boy. Both of my kids will be getting it. I ended up with cervical cancer from HPV when my daughter was a baby. I had been with my hubby for 4 years at that time. Luckily for me they caught it very early. So I got surgery and treatment and have been free of it since. My daughter will be getting it next year when she turns 14. I don't want her to go through what I did. I was also blessed with the fact that I was able to have my son 2 years after my last treatment. unfortunately, they had to do a hysterectomy shortly after he was born. I wish they had had the shots when I was young enough to benefit from them.
  • loseweightjames
    loseweightjames Posts: 365
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    thanks ladies you all have been very helpful. i actually had hpv but my body fought it off so im scared of it coming back and causing cancer.

    yeah i read it helps prevent cancer, so why wouldn't everyone get it? The side effects are nothing compared to getting cancer! :noway: My wife got her shots while in nursing school

    http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#hpvcervarix

    What are the risks from HPV--Cervarix vaccine?

    The HPV Cervarix® vaccine has been in use around the world for several years and has been very safe.

    However, any medicine could possibly cause a serious problem, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of any vaccine causing a serious injury, or death, is extremely small.

    Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.

    Several mild to moderate problems are known to occur with this HPV vaccine. These do not last long and go away on their own.

    Reactions where the shot was given
    Pain (about 9 people in 10)
    Redness or swelling (about 1 person in 2)
    Other mild reactions
    Fever of 99.5 or higher degrees Fahrenheit (about 1 person in 8)
    Headache or fatigue (about 1 person in 2)
    Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain (about 1 person in 4)
    Muscle or joint pain (up to 1 person in 2)
    Fainting
    Brief fainting spells and related symptoms (such as jerking movements) can happen after any medical procedure, including vaccination. Sitting or lying down for about 15 minutes after a vaccination can help prevent fainting and injuries caused by falls. Tell your doctor if the patient feels dizzy or light-headed, or has vision changes or ringing in the ears.

    Like all vaccines, HPV vaccines will continue to be monitored for unusual or severe problems.

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