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Pros & Cons of Using the Gardasil Vaccine

The human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV, is a common sexually transmitted virus. HPV infections are generally mild and may not have any symptoms at all. The virus usually goes away by itself, and infection is generally not a traumatic event. Unfortunately, there are many different strains of the HPV virus, and some of them can lead to cervical cancer. Gardasil is a vaccination that has been approved by the FDA to protect women against some forms of the HPV virus in an effort to reduce the risk of cervical cancer.

  1. Protection

    • Gardasil helps to protect women from four different types of HPV virus. Two of the HPV strains Gardasil helps protect against are responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers, according to the CDC. The vaccination does not protect against every type of cervical cancer and does not provide complete protection for everyone.

    Age

    • The Food and Drug Administration has approved Gardasil for use only in girls who are nine to 26 years of age. Most people are exposed to HPV in their twenties, so the vaccine was only tested on girls and young women in clinical trials.

    Multiple Injections

    • If you do choose to have yourself or your daughter vaccinated with Gardasil, remember that the treatment requires three shots. The initial injection can be given at any time. A second injection is needed 2 months after the initial injection, and a final injection is given 6 months after the initial injection.

    Not a Cure

    • While Gardasil is believed to be effective at protecting women from HPV exposure, the vaccine will not offer protection from any strain of HPV that a woman has already been exposed to. Gardasil can offer protection prior to HPV exposure, but does not cure or undo previous HPV exposure.

    Warning

    • You should be aware that WebMD Health News reports that the CDC and FDA received more than 7,000 adverse event reports involving people who received Gardasil vaccinations in a 22-month period. Gardasil was not proven to be the cause of these adverse events, but some doctors have raised concerns about Gardasil's safety.

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