Parenting: Preteens & Teenagers Community

I am not ready to vaccinate my 19 year old. She is not planning on having sex before marriage, is in a relationship now, is leaving for college soon, and doesn't want to have the vaccine (since she's 19 she has a say). I just told another mom of a soon-to-be college student my reservations and she told me you can get HPV from toilet seats. How is this possible; is this another scare tactic like when HIV was first feared? We live in a scary world and I am not naive enough to think that my daughter won't have sex before marriage, or that the partner she chooses will not be a carrier. Also, what about date rape? All teens feel invincible. Thoughts and comments appreciated!!

HPV is not spread via toilet seats, so you can write that worry off. Here is some information about What you need to know about HPV.

Teens do feel invincible and it is a problem. We sat our teen down with plenty of info and said look, here are the pros, and isn't it worth three shots to avoid these possibilities. She agreed and now she is after all of her friends to get their vaccination as well. It helps that an acquaintance of hers DID get HPV. (from a "nice boy she was engaged to")

Our daughter will get her third and final Gardasil shot next week. The first was not a problem. The second she said burned a little. She thought the nurse had hit a nerve. We'll see what happens with the third.

I definitely think the vaccinations are worth the cost.

when they first came out with the gardasil i was very hesitant because i feel they want us to jump on the ban wagon and i felt and still feel that there wasnt enough information i feel like i didnt know enough about the side effects and still dont and this proves that i may be right I have three daughters my oldest is 21 and can make her own decisions and my two younger girls need me to make the right choice for them and i feel like that i did , believe me when i say i have struggle with the fact that i may not make the right choice either way but i feel that we as a society jump on the ban wagon to easy look at the hormore replacement therapy! well i hope they figure this out so i can figure out whats best or my girls!

I spoke to my daughter about the vaccine, like you, for about a year. It was both our choice for her to get it. She so far has had no reaction other than a sore arm after the first shot. When the reports hit the air about the major side effects, Yes I did panic a little. I was told by my ob/gyn it is not really that new. Even thought it seems like a "new" vaccine since it is only approved in the past few years, it has been out and studied for approx. 10+ years. Is this true? My doctor and her pediatrician both recommended she get vaccinated. Some people think the medical professionals are only recommending it because they are getting something out of it from the drug manufacturers. My ob/gyn has been my doctor for 30 years and her ped. has been her doctor for 16 years and I trust that they would not recommend any treatment that they did not whole-heartedly believe in.

Last year my daughter had sex for the first time. I promptly took her to the gyne for her first apt. She was tested and passed all the tests that were done. I was asked to give permission for her to have the Gardasil shots. after some thought , I decided to allow it. Now the sequence of events are this. The shots were done over the six months. After she was through with them she got an ovarian cyst. That went away and we saw the doctor for a follow up Ultra sound. My daughter told the doctor that her abdomen still hurt to press on it. The doctors response was 'Don't push on it. She never touched my child. She would complain from time to time but I figured it may just be normal pains. After all the doctor didn't seem to think it was important enough to even touch her when we were there. This year when they called with her results of her PAP test, there was a problem. she had irregular cells on her cervix and the doctor wanted to do a colposcopy. Ok we scheduled it and about all they told us was that on a scale form 1-10 she was probably a 2 for cervical cancer. Not words you want to hear about your 17 yr old. The doctor promptly told us that she had ASCUS (Irregular cells) on her cervix and that she tested positive for HPV. Not what kind , just that she had to have had it before she got the shot. I say bull. Why give her all these tests and say she is negative ,give her the shots and tell her it is caused solely by her actions. They may have tested this vaccine for years but how do you talk your way out of some or maybe all the responsibility for this outcome. I wish I had never gotten her these shots. When you go to the doctor or listen to the adds that are out for this, you are definitely made to feel like you should do this or you are a bad uncaring parent. Right now as I type this I am waiting for the Biopsy results of her appointment. They ended up finding a spot to check. It makes me ill. Not only that she had to go thru this but that a decision I made for her thru pressure from doctors and drug companies may be responsible for this. You will never convince me that the shots aren't in part or in whole ,responsibile for the out come we are now facing. I hope that this stays so other mothers have a chance to read what has happened to my child before they make a decision for theirs.

I am 20 years old. My first visit to my specialist to have cancerous lesions due to HPV, was one of the hardest and scariest moments of my life. I had my "idea of life" planned out for a while. It involved one day having children.... The VERY SECOND my doctor took my hand and told me that "we'd have to see" if I'd be able to keep my cervix, something inside me died. Luckily, we were able to take care of it so that heartbreaking "we'll see" has not become a reality for me YET,

My mother literally beats herself up EVERYDAY because she did not get me to take the Gardasil shot. She works in a clinic as a billing clerk. She told her doctor (this is a very small community) that if moms or daughters had questions about the shot or the effects of not taking it, that they could come speak to her. My mother is a hero. Because of her, at least 15 girls and their mothers will not have to sit by and worry everyday about the what-ifs. Those women will not have to go through the agony of Cervical Cancer due to HPV.

Just a little thought out there to any girls who aren't sure. I wasn't "planning" on being sexually active either. You will learn as life goes on that it really does become alot harder to say no. The world is going to continue to push you in that direction as well. Those of you who are strong enough to say know when you really may want to, that's great! I only wish I had that power. But, my question to you is, if there are no what-ifs for you......can you promise yourself that you're husband won't have come in contact with this?? MOMS, are you going to be able to look into your daughters eyes when she tells you she messed up and had sex? Yes. Are you going to be able to look at her when she comes back from the doctor in tears telling you "I should have gotten that Gardasil shot".

I wish I was able to express, in words, the way my mother feels. I wish I could explain how it feels, to me, to turn on the TV and see these Gardasil commercials and think " Man, mom and I didn't do this because we were scared". I wish I didn't cry and get mad every time I see one because I'm jealous and angry that these girls are going to be okay and I will live with HPV causing cervical cancer forever (err...until I have a hysterectomy). I'm sorry if I seem like I'm ranting.... I am just a prime example of what happens when you're afraid. I just don't want anyone else to be in this position. If me writing this caused ONE girl to think a little harder, then I did something good for myself as well as that one girl..... I apologize if I offended anyone in the process.

deuce119 "The doctor promptly told us that she had ASCUS (Irregular cells) on her cervix and that she tested positive for HPV. Not what kind , just that she had to have had it before she got the shot. I say bull. Why give her all these tests and say she is negative ,give her the shots and tell her it is caused solely by her actions"

I'm not saying that you are wrong at all. From information that I was given (by various doctors and the women's health specialist in my area) HPV can live in your body undectected for up to 5 years. It is possible that the vaccination didn't help. It's also possible that it was there before. Please know that when I'm saying this I'm not being mean or rude, I just wanted to share a little information with you that might help. I have a mother just like you at home who is comfused and a little angry and only wants her daughter to be okay. I hope that everything turns out well with your daughter's biopsy. I'm sure it will. If for any reason your outcome is not one that you would like, I know there IS a way for you to help your daughter and you wil be able to do it. I pray everything comes out just fine for you.... God Bless

I have an 12 year old daughter that has side effects from the Gardasil vaccine. Since she got the 1st dose in July 2007 she has suffered:

low grade fever for months on end

severe fatigue

daily abdominal pains

protein in her kidneys

daily migraine headaches

thyroid problems

weight gain

no period in over a year

rash on her face, neck and chest so bad that her eyes were swelled shut

a seizure

She was a healthy and happy child before getting the shots. After getting them she was too tired to do anything. She spent 75% of her time in bed. She missed over 30 days of school this year. I believe the only reason they didnt fail her was that she was on the honor roll.

Shes had all kinds of blood work, plus a EKG, EEG, MRI and a ultrasound on her kidneys. She has been seen by 2 Pediatricians, a Nephrologist, Endocrinologist and an Neurologist.

Every test has come back normal. The doctors dont know what is the matter with her.





She is improving but its took a year to get to this point. Shes still experiencing some fatigue, thyroid problems, and still no periods.

I wish that I had known about the side effects before she got the vaccine.

My younger daughter sure wont get them!!!!

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter and I hope she continues to improve in her condition. And I understand completely about the school deal.... I flunked out of college last semester (after having a 3.88) for missing so many days.... and going about it the way I did wasn't the best; hostility. " I'm sorry, I was off having pieces of my cervix removed and everyone telling me to be prepared for a hystorectomy....but it's okay because you'll get to keep your ovaries." yippity-do-da!

Out of curiosity.... Did your doctor speak to you at all about the potential risks?? I know here my friends have had to had 2 consultations before taking the shots and they are all over 18. Just wondering....

best wishes.

I asked the Pediatrician if my daughter was too young for the vaccine. She said "Well its better to get it now than worry about it later on. This vaccine will prevent cervical cancer. If you agree to it then you MUST bring her for all 3 injections. If you cant agree to that then we wont give it to her. "

She gave me a small pamphlet to read and the side effects listed were pain at the injection site and dizziness if Im not mistaken. There were no serious things listed.

I sat there trying to decide if I should sign the form. I didnt want her to get cervical cancer later on and know that I could have prevented it. On the other hand it was a very new vaccine and I was reluctant about it.

When her problems started, I asked the Pediatrician about reporting the symptoms to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). She told me she wasnt familiar with the website or any complaints about the vaccine. (I didnt contact VAERS because you need the Manufacturer, lot number and etc...I didnt have that info at the time.) I contacted the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) and reported it. A woman returned my calls several times to get updates. She said the center gets numerous calls daily about girls that have been affected by Gardasil.

Hi,My name is Gabby. I have read your posts about Gardasil and I just wanted to share my story with you.I also live in Philadelphia.I had gotten all 3 of the gardasil shots last year and immediately after the 3rd shot in November I got sick.The very next day I was extremely dizzy and just did not feel right at all.I automatically called the ob-gyn where I received the shot and asked her about the reaction I was having and of course she said that it was not related.Not very long after that I was having stomach problems followed by an unusual cold which I had a nose bleed for several days.And followed by that I had a constant pressure headache which I also feel in my face.I went to my family doctor and he thought maybe it was my sinuses and gave me medicine and antibiotics which did not help.He then gave me steroids which I had a very bad reaction to and ended up in the ER.I finally went to a ENT and found out that my sinuse were fine.After that the doctor said that I have anxiety and gave me meds for that which I did not take because I knew inside that this could not be anxiety.I then had a new symptom heart palpatations and went to the ER for that and told that I was having pvcs probably from anxiety and then I was really frustrated they were just guessing and giving me the easiest diagnosis.I had gotten numerous blood test,chest x-rays,cts of the brain and sinuse,mri of the brain and sinuses,x-ray of the spine and still after all that the only thing that came back was that a had mild scoliosis,tension headaches,anxiety,high cholesterol,and pvcs.None of that helped at all.It is almost one year later and I have not gotten any better or got any answers.I have been to a number of specialist and even changed my doctor and nothing helped.I gave up on all the meds I was given because none of then helped or they just made the symptoms worse.Now everybody thinks I am crazy and does not want to help me.They say its all in my head which I know different.After reading about all of the girls being effected by the shot I really think that?s where all my symptoms are coming from and I just want to be back to normal.I am only 19 and feel like I'm 50!Please reply. thanx,Gabby

There is a story on CNN Headline News today about a girl suffering side effects from Gardasil.

Here is the link to the video:





www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/08/11/boudreau.gardasil.vaccine.cnn?iref=videosearch