Healthy Tips
Gardasil Vaccine helps prevents Cervix Cancer and Genital Warts
By Gynecology Specialists Staff
This month we’d like to present you with more information on HPV, which we feel is very important.
With the current standard use of the liquid-based Pap test, the technology is available to test for HPV DNA. This has brought about an increased awareness of the existence of the virus, and has also stirred up a lot of conversation about the Gardasil Vaccine.
Gardasil is a vaccine that can help protect girls and women from cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers. It can also help protect men and women of all ages from genital warts. Gardasil will help protect against the four most common types of HPV: Types 6, 11, 16 and 18. The vaccine is given in a series of three injections over a six-month time frame. Once the vaccine series is completed, it reduces the risk of genital warts by up to 90% and cervical cancer by up to 70%.
Gynecology practitioners and GYN doctors see abnormal Pap tests in teenagers every day in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Eastern Shore, Peninsula, and Hampton Roads. HPV has already infected more than 20 million people in the United States. It is estimated that 8 out of 10 people will be infected in their lifetime.
The vaccine is currently FDA approved for use in girls and young women ages 9 to 26 and also recently in boys and young men ages 9 to 26.
The Gardasil Vaccine series:
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Does not replace the need for an annual Pap test for sexually active girls and women of any age and non-sexually active women age 21 and over. |
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Cannot be given to pregnant women or anyone who is allergic to the ingredients of the vaccine. |
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Will not cure HPV that is already present in your system. |
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Gardasil will not cause HPV. |
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Why vaccinate so young?
Some mothers have asked their GYN doctor, “Why should I vaccinate my daughter at such a young age?” The simple answer is because the vaccine is the most effect if it is completed prior to ANY sexual contact. The virus can be spread easily through genital skin-to-skin contact. Intercourse is not necessary to transmit HPV. Although no mother wants to think of her daughter having sexual contact at a young age, the fact is that it does happen with some.
Another concern our GYN doctors hear focuses on the feeling that this vaccine may give young girls a “license to have sex”. It is very important to teach young girls and women that this vaccine does not protect against pregnancy or other STDs. Therefore, contraception and STD prevention still needs to be of concern to them.
Most young people in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Eastern Shore, Peninsula, and Hampton Roads think of cancer as a disease of old age. They find it surprising to hear that cervical cancer is something that could affect them at a very young age, depending on the age of first sexual contact. Our GYN doctors feel the Gardasil Vaccine can greatly reduce cervical cancer.
Read more about HVP, cervical cancer, genital warts and the Gardasil Vaccine here.
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If you are suffering from HPV, cervical cancer, or genital warts and have questions about the Gardasil Vaccine or a Pap Test and live in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Eastern Shore, Peninsula, Hampton Roads or North Carolina, please contact our gynecology clinic at (757) 312-8221. Our GYN doctors are here to help you.
About our GYN Clinic
Our three female GYN doctors and Nurse Practitioner provide comprehensive gynecology services to girls and women of all ages in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Eastern Shore, Peninsula, Hampton Roads and North Carolina. |
