Hey everyone my name is Vanessa and I'm
a second year Physician Assistant
student working with HEART Women & Girls
to answer your questions about
sexual and reproductive health.
A question that we get a lot is about the
HPV vaccine and whether that's something
that you or someone in your family
should consider. So let's get you
information about HPV and HPV vaccine so
that you can make an informed decision
when the time comes.
song: Sweet as Honey - Topher Mohr And Alex Elena
HPV is short for human papilloma virus.
It is the most common sexually
transmitted infection in the United States.
People can get infected with HPV
if their mouth or genitals come into
contact with the mouth or genitals of
someone who has HPV.
Genital warts reflect an HPV infection but this is
not the same type of HPV that can lead to cancer
Most people infected with HPV
never show any symptoms.
If you're a woman or woman bodied your doctor may
check for HPV on a routine pap smear
which you should start getting at age 21
because they help detect precancerous
cell changes on your cervix.
If you're a man, there's currently no way of testing
you for the HPV strains that cause cancer.
HPVs are a group of 150
related viruses that are grouped into
two categories: there are low risk
types and high risk types for causing
cervical cancer.
The low risk types only
cause warts and not cancer.
The high-risk types are responsible for
2/3rds of all cervical cancers and
close to half of all anal, vulvar, and
vaginal cancers. So this is no joke y'all
approximately every year
17,600 women and 9,300 men
are affected by cancers caused by HPV.
So, what do you do?
The HPV vaccine has proven to be 97%
effective in preventing all vluvar,
vaginal, and cervical cancers caused by
the highest risk strains of HPV.
The HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9, covers the most
common types of HPV strains that lead
to disease and cancer. It's given as a
3 shot series over a period of 6
months anytime between the ages of 9 to 26.
After age 26, your insurance will not
cover the cost for this vaccine, but if
you are not sexually active and over 26
it is something to consider paying out
of pocket for.
There's all sorts of
paranoia out there about vaccines, but
it's important to note that in the U.S.
years of testing are required by law
before a vaccine can be licensed and
once in use the vaccine is continually
monitored for safety and efficacy.
Lastly, you might be thinking well I'm not
sexually active or my son or daughter is
not going to be sexually active anytime
soon - It's important to remember that
this vaccine is most effective given
BEFORE an individual ever has sex.
Nearly all men and women who have ever had sex
will get one kind of HPV at some point
in their lives.
That being said, everyone is at risk for
the potential outcomes of HPV.
That's it for me, I hope that you feel more
informed about HPV and the potential
benefits of HPV vaccine. I'll link some
more information down below and you can always visit:
to ask any of your questions regarding
sexual or reproductive health in a
culturally safe and sensitive space.
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