The Gardasil vaccine: do my girls need it?

First a little background.  The Gardasil vaccine was made to reduce cervical cancer.   It was approved by the FDA in June 8, 2006 for use in girls and women through 26 years of age (probably because it was tested in this age group).  There is another competing vaccine called Cervarix.

How common is cervical cancer in America?  The CDC says that about 12,000 women a year will be diagnosed with cervical cancer.  The American Cancer Society estimated that 4,070 women would die from cervical cancer in the United States in 2009.

How do you get it?  Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus. The virus is the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV.  Three types 16, 18, 31 can cause cervical cancer.  HPV is spread skin to skin mainly from sexual contact and is the number one sexually transmitted infection.

How do  you know if  you have it?  "Pap tests" done during annual exams look at cells from the cervix.  That is the reason for the Pap test.

So back to the question.  Is the vaccine safe? Yes.  Do my girls need it?  I usually respond by saying if they had a vaccine for prostate cancer I would be first in line.  Most girls will be sexually active sometime in their life.  You may think, "But, my daughter will only have one partner".  That may be true, but what if they remarry?  Life never turns out the way you expect.

What would I recommend?  Get informed, read the information, and then decide.  The protection only comes before sexual activity.  If you want, you can wait until the girls are older and then let them decide.

CDC - HPV

CDC - Gardasil Safety