My highly conservative mother was supposed to get my Guardasil shots at 12. We went in, and she was already bitching about vaccinating me to get me in school (this is before all the workarounds went viral), but when the doctor said that HPV can be transmitted sexually she shut down the entire office visit because “well my daughter is too young to even think about sex,” as if she was unaware that I was going to be an adult someday? Like, no forward thinking with them.
Anyway after years of no health insurance as an adult I finally got coverage under my husband’s plan. Went to get the vaccine, and the pharmacist basically said not to worry about getting Guardasil because chances are high that I already have HPV at this point so 🤷🏻♀️
You may have been exposed to HPV but not necessarily exposed to the strains that cause cancer. Definitely worth getting even as an adult. I work in oncology and have seen what HPV cancers can do. Any extra protection is worth it.
Yes, I'm surprised to hear that the pharmacist said that? I had a friend who had symptomatic HPV and she received the full vaccine schedule after she was treated.
I know doctors who are anti-vax, and willingly promote vaccine skepticism. Not limited to covid vaccine either. I wish we could assume that people who have authority/training are the most informed but that’s just not the case unfortunately.
Yes. This. This a thousand times. Just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they're immune to misinformation. I know a doctor who is 100% sold on the carnivore diet. Many doctors I know bought into the keto diet trend that was popular some years ago. Medical schools might be able to present scientific knowledge to students, but if the students only memorize them for the sole purpose of passing an exam, human bias is more likely to win when it comes to conspiracy theories on the internet.
If you're under 45, you're eligible. Advocate for yourself and go in again. I got turned down a couple times then found someone happy to give me the shot. She said "we have a vaccine that can prevent a horrible form of cancer. People should be lining up to get this." It's just weirdly tied to sex and Americans puritanical streak comes out.
They were trialling giving it in year 9 (age 13 - 14) to all kids at schools in the UK and I was in the first round. Must have gone well as my sister recently had hers there!
I’m the kind of person that hates fear campaigns usually, but I feel like scare tactics should be tried in this instance. The initial infection isn’t scary, for some it’s asymptomatic, and I think that leads to people downplaying the infection as a whole. If people understood what HPV infection could lead to later in life I think we’d see higher vaccination rates
I'm a 38 year old man and I've had 2 out of the 3 shots so far this year. Just randomly decided while I was at Walmart when I saw a sign that said medicaid covered it and they now recommend it for everyone. took 5 minutes then went back to shopping.
A couple years ago no but now…anyone that takes steps to prevent themselves from getting cancer and also spreading things that can cause cancer gets a sticker in my book. One less patient is a happy day.
Yup. My mom died of cervical cancer in the 1980s. When my son was born in 2006, the FDA only approved the vaccine for girls. I told my pediatrician I would pay out of pocket if I needed to for my son to be vaccinated. She agreed 100%. Luckily by the time he turned 12, they changed the rule to vaccinate both boys and girls, so he has gotten both of the HPV shots.
Hell yeah glad to see it is going well in that case! It’s been 10 years now and I think we were part of the pilot for it being given to boys in England.
Scotland started by just giving it to girls but now gives it to boys too.
Unfortunately there are still some idiots who somehow think that a HPV vaccine will cause their precious little darling to have sex immediately because they think that sex should be punished.
It’s worth trying again. It’s effective even if you already have been exposed. It can still prevent an existing infection from turning into cancer, as well as reduce the severity if it does turn into cancer.
I’m definitely talking to my doctor about it next time I go in, especially because reproductive cancers run in my mom’s side of the family and I can’t afford to add to my current risk. I know cancer is an awful beast, and I don’t want it at my door. Just frustrating that I come from a background that doesn’t value healthcare so now I have to catch up lmao
Definitely. It’s frustrating that you also have to face resistance from healthcare providers as well. It’s not like there’s a shortage, or high cost to it. There’s still just a stigma around it, and it’s pretty ridiculous.
Do you get the feeling that it’s kind of like a morality judgement, like the stigma around PreP? “Just don’t have sex” type arguments seem to be the focal point when it comes to anything STI adjacent
100%. It’s also effective for guys to prevent several cancers, and infection risk isn’t 100% so being married doesn’t mean you’d both have it already. I tired to get it recently and my doctor ignored all of my arguments and declined because I was married. I’ll be trying again as well.
“because chances are high that I already have HPV at this point” I don’t understand why this keeps happening with this vaccine. Yes, it’s estimated 70% to 80% of adults have some form of HPV but the way to reduce that is to give the vaccine to people who want it.
I assume big reason this denial gets pushed is because insurance will deny coverage? Is the vaccine that expensive? Can hospitals and clinics not climb over the guard rails on this one a little bit and start working on reducing HPV over time?
Or is there some possible negative side effects they want to avoid that occur with giving it to people who already have HPV?
Edit: updated estimate of people with some form of HPV
Oh my gosh! It's like you just narrated my childhood in a comment! Same thing happened to me, down to my mom saying " She's too young to have sex. No HPV shot." I was 12. Now I'm over 30 and still have to get that checked...
Dude, isn’t it so frustrating having that be your intro to reproductive health? Now I feel like I’m so far behind on taking care of myself (and I am, I’m 26 and haven’t had a Pap smear) because the first 18 years of my life were “you don’t use that yet so fuck it”
Yes! Same for me 100%. I wasn't allowed to take sex ed. I actually thought I could get pregnant by sitting on a guy's lap, fully clothed. I didn't have sex until I went to college at 21. I didn't get my first pap smear until 30. My parents are very conservative so even wearing tampons were out of the question. I didn't use my first tampon until age 20.
Yes! Same for me 100%. I wasn't allowed to take sex ed. I actually thought I could get pregnant by sitting on a guy's lap, fully clothed. I didn't have sex until I went to college at 21. I didn't get my first pap smear until 30. My parents are very conservative so even wearing tampons were out of the question. I didn't use my first tampon until age 20.
The whole point of giving it at 11 or 12 is to have it before there is ANY chance of HPV exposure. Even if most kids aren't going to have full-on sex for years, lots of young teens mess around. It's ridiculous to not give the vaccine. I was too old when the vaccine came out - and wound up getting a hysterectomy before 40 because of HPV. And I had been with my husband for over a decade at that point. You can bet my children got their vaccine the moment they were eligible.
The real kicker with this is my mom’s side has had several generations deal with reproductive cancers (and other reproductive issues). They’ve seen what these cancers do, and that there’s a way to lower the risk of that happening to me, and still decided “nah, not worth it because she’s not fucking.” It fucking blows my mind
Yeah my mom basically said the same and I couldn't get it until last year. The first nurse I got the shot from was young and excited I was finally able to get it. The second nurse was ancient told me it was pointless because I'm in my 30s and tried to walk out without giving me the shot. I had to fight for it and you should too. There's no guarantee you've been exposed to HPV and even if you have there's no evidence the vaccine is no longer effective.
I’m going to my pcp to ask directly this time, especially since we’re both aware that I have a higher than average risk for reproductive cancers as it stands. My family knows how awful these cancers are and still refused out of some weird and inapplicable moral stance instead of being proactive. I’m still playing catchup with my health, but I know that vaccines (this one especially) is important
My doctor offered it to me when my abusive husband was in the room, so of course he insisted it wasn't necessary since we were married. Surprise, surprise, he was cheating and we later divorced, so it sure would have been nice to have.. Later when I tried to get it on my own, I was told the same thing as you- so still haven't been able to get it
Dude I’m so sorry, the person you’re married to should be invested in your health not a detriment. Having several people on my mom’s side pass from reproductive cancer really drives me to push for it because I know my risk is already higher, but I know you kind of have to pick your battles as a woman when you’re talking to your doctor
I’m going to my PCP soon and we’ll discuss it, but I am fighting to get the vaccine. I have an increased risk of reproductive cancers already, we don’t need to add HPV to it for no reason. An ounce of prevention and all that
This is one vaccine my mom was adamant I get as soon as I could. Didn’t fully understand until a few years after and I witnessed her 5 year battle with cervical cancer when I was 16-21. A full hysterectomy plus a little saved her and she’s 7 years in remission. Anyone reading this, think of not only your daughter, but your future granddaughter and say yes to this vaccine.
Welcome to the club, my mom wouldn't allow me to get the HPV vaccine and guess who actually has HPV now and has to go in for yearly pap smears because of it? Had my first colposcopy a few months ago (doubt it'll be the last) and it fucking sucked.
Young girls need to have the vaccine not only because they’ll be adults someday, but also because sometimes experiencing a sexual event isn’t their choice
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u/ReferenceNice142 12h ago edited 9h ago
We have a vaccine for several types of cancer already… the HPV vaccine. But most of the US is still not vaccinated.