Apparently they are saying that they are considering releasing gardasil, the HPV vaccine, for boys. I know a few people who have HPV, including one male. I think this may be a good thing. Have any of you ladies gotten/considered getting your teens vaccinated?

Both of my little sisters and several of my cousins got the vaccine, and my Dr. recomended I get it.

I've seen the commercials, but thats it. We will cross that bridge when we get to it many many years down the road! LOL

i think i want more long term research before I give it to my kids, and there is no reason for me to get it. and of course they are way too young at the moment

No way. I never jump on the bandwagon of new vaccines. Time will tell if they are safe or not. I dont want my kids to be the guinea pigs.

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Originally posted by Mary:
i think i want more long term research before I give it to my kids, and there is no reason for me to get it. and of course they are way too young at the moment

Ditto. I wouldn't give it to my boys until much more research had been done. Sorry my kids aren't guinea pigs. (LOL Sorry Shannon I had to steal your term too becuase it is perfect)

Yeah I do think it would be beneficial for boys....

And yes I am considering giving it to my girls....but I have a few more years before I have to make that decision....so I'm waiting before I fully make my decision.

I still have a loooong time before I have to make that decision, but I'm fairly certain I will be declining that one as well.

If all looks well with when Ainsley is ready for it (well over a decade away), then I will definitely get it done. HPV is more widespread than some realize. Most people who have it don't know they do and pass it along. I read somewhere that 4 out of 5 people in the 20's have it and only about 1 in 10 know they do. If the vaccine proves to be safe 10 years from now when she's old enough she will definitely get it. If she were old enough right now, I'd have to do my own research better before deciding whether to get it or not. Not sure about boys, but if it works on them, then most definitely if its proved safe. Its not a girl disease!

Ii'm like Melissa i have plenty of time to wait and see what the effects are but if all looks well and it helps the boys to i'd consider getting it done for Nicholas.

At my college now when you go register you have to have it done or get a note from your dr. signed saying you refused it for personal reasons. That has started since i origianlly registered and when i went to re-register since i was a previous student i was allowe to sign a document stating i denied it

Oh Wow!! I had not heard that yet!!! I am still wondering how do they know if a male has it? How do they test males for it??

To check males for HPV, you just have to do a genital swab.

I am not sure if Sandra will get the shot or not. I'm glad they are finally putting it out there for boys too.

I will be watching and waiting to see how these shots go. I feel that they are to quick to put new stuff out there and don't wait long enough to see what the long term effects are.

WOW I didn't know about giving the boys the shot as well. hopefully in the next 5 - 10 yrs there will be more inforamtion out there about it so that I can make a decision then.

I'm on the fence on this one... The vaccine seems like a great idea but there isn't enough evidence against the long term effects. Rayna is a long way away from needing anything of that nature, but if the shot is still around and proven safe I'll likely take her in for one.

I myself contracted a strain of HPV from an ex boyfriend who cheated on me... I know it came from him because we both went for STD testing before we decided to ditch the condoms, and at that time we were both squeaky clean. After a year of dating I found out he'd cheated on me a couple weeks back and had been with him since... So I immediately went for testing, and nothing came back but a few months later I went in for another test (because HIV can take 3-6 months to show up) and they did a cervical swab of abnormal cells on my cervix... sure enough I had HPV. For three years I had to go in for a Colposcopy, which is when they spray vinegar directly on your cervix to find abnormal cells, then they clip off little chunks of concentrated cells (WHICH HURTS LIKE HELL!!) and take them for testing. My paps have been clear for 3 years now so the abnormal cells are gone, but as far as I know HPV stays in your body forever so I'll forever have a STD because I chose to date a loser.

I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I managed to contract an STD even though I was SO careful about prevention. I only ever had 2 serious boyfriends before my husband, and with all three of those men we went for STD testing before we were sexually active without condoms.

...So now I'm that friend who preaches about birth control, condoms, STD prevention etc.. LOL I'm sure I'm totally redundant but although it can be embarrassing to say "I have a STD" it's worth it to at least advise people that sometimes it's out of your hands, STD's are out there and you need to take the necessary precautions to prevent them! I recommend that all my friends go for testing with their partners before losing the condoms, and most of them have done so and felt very good about it. Sure, maybe it's weird to ask your partner to go for testing, but in the long run its worth it... They'll go if they have nothing to hide, and with all 3 partners I asked in my past, I know I earned their utmost respect on the matter. In my opinion it's all about respecting yourself and your partner!!

As for my kid, if the vaccine works I will give her the option of getting it... One day she will be sexually active, there's not stopping that... but I feel that if I help teach her to respect herself and her body I can at least help protect her against unplanned pregnancy and STDs!

for hijacking, but I wanted to share my story.

I know most of my little sisters friends have gotten vaccinated and I believe she will be too soon. I wish they had it when I was younger

Thank you so much for all of the info Jehn. Very good story & you are so very right...sometimes they are out of our hands. I am glad that these vaccines will be around for a while before either one of my kiddos get them so I can see effects.

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To check males for HPV, you just have to do a genital swab.

Ah ha,Thanks,I think in the last Gardasil post I asked but we could never find an answer! lol Glad I finally know Thanks!