HPV Protection

A while back I blogged on my other blog about making an educated decision about the HPV vaccine. I know that this is a very hot and controversial subject. People just focus on the sexually active aspect of the vaccine and don't focus on the vaccine part of it.

Just recently I was very disappointed when I asked a doctor about the vaccine for my 10.5 year old daughter and the first thing she stated was that my daughter wasn't sexually active yet and that she usually waits until a girl is 12. No, she's not active, but that's not what this is about.

My OBGYN didn't even bring up that question. He said that studies have shown that the younger girls are given the vaccine, the better the results now. No, we haven't been giving the vaccine that long here in the U.S. but remember vaccines are tested for a few years prior to being approved by the FDA. He told me that if her pediatrician didn't want to vaccinate her he could.

My OBGYN didn't bring up whether my daughter is active or not because that's not the reason we should focus on at her age. Yes, the HPV virus may rear its ugly head in most women once they become sexually active. I get that. I realize that's inevitable and that it can happen one day. However this is a vaccination to protect her when she does and just in case that HPV virus turns into cervical cancer. It’s about her health and her protection. No, it won't protect her from all forms of HPV but hey, if it can protect her from some that's better than none in my book.

I decided then that I would seriously think about taking my daughter back to my OBGYN who I have known for 18 years and who saw me through two pregnancies.  He isn’t just any OBGYN. He’s a fertility specialist and very well respected in his field. Her father and I discussed it and he encouraged me to do some more research on the topic before I made a final decision and I agreed.

Right after that conversation with the doctor I heard something that just confirmed my thoughts about the HPV vaccine. A friend of the family has a 10.5 year old daughter too and recently she had a sharp pain on her right side. (She started her period last summer when she was 9.5.) Her mother took her to the emergency room because of the pain and it was a cyst on her right ovary. A cyst! She is only 10 years old! The thought of having a child that age with that kind of problem terrifies me. 

Then the mom told me about her family history and all the different ovarian problems they’ve had. One aunt even had ovarian cancer. I immediately asked her, "Did they ask you about the HPV vaccine?" 

She said that the doctor had talked to her about it because of the family history and that she asked the doctor if there were any side effects.  

"It's a vaccine," the doctor replied, "There's a possibility of side effects like any other vaccine."

Bravo doctor! Focus on the what's important.

"I know that this is a very personal decision," I said, "but if I were you I would really consider it, given her family history. If we had that history believe me, my daughter would be vaccinated now."

I realize that in the end that's her decision to make about her daughter. It was just a reminder to me that I need to have my own daughter vaccinated and protected soon.

(Genome organization of human papilloma virus type 16, one of the subtypes known to cause cervical cancer.- Wikipedia)