HPV vaccine

I got the first dose. I'll be getting my second dose in January. It offers protection against some cancer-causing strains of HPV. I think it's worth it.

My arm was a little sore after the shot, but my tetanus was way worse.

 

Ive had all three shots. For me it stung a little as they injected it, but it didnt hurt much. My arm was a little tender afterward and hurt if bumped, but that seems to be fairly common after injections.I think when I got mine done, they also said it protects against the strain of HPV that causes genital warts, as well as cancer.
I also think it's worth getting. Unless you're allergic to a componant of the vaccination (some people are, happens with any vaccine), then the benefits (added protection from cancer causing strains of HPV) outweigh the con's (being jabbed in the arm with a needle etc).
If your doctor recommends it, you should definitely look into it

 

i'd get it as hpv can lead to cancer.

 

It's best to get it. I've had all of mine and it hurt, but after the first I figured out that if you bend your hand to your shoulder and back a bunch of times, and also roll your shoulder, it goes away pretty fast. It protects against the 4 most common strains of genital HPV, so it helps prevent genital warts and cancer.

 

Really??? Yours hurt? (*hug*) Mine just got a little sore. On one of the shots, they hit a nerve or something, so that mildly hurt. Enough for me to flinch, and my eyes watered, but I didn't cry out.

In my area, they give free HIV tests to the LGBT community. I told the tester that I am bisexual, and he gave me the test for free. (I was negative, and the test was significant.)

Because I like the butt sex, he recommended that I get HPV, Hep A, and Hep B vaccinations. Hep A/B because apparently, some folks like rimming. Not me. Yuck. Penises go there, not tongues...

Anyway, I feel like the cost is justified by reducing your risk and reducing the risk of others around you.

~ Adrienne

 

I had to get my MMR redone when I was 18, and THAT was painful. I cried.

I have Hep A/B too. AFAIK, they're routine where I am.

 

I don't do injections at all.

 

I got it before I went off to college. I had to get a few other vaccines at the time, so my doctor offered it. It hurt like any vaccine, sore for a day or 2.

 

I would get it, I got it a few years ago. It is the most painful shot I've ever had, I though tetanus was better, but it's way better than getting caner.

 

I have to get the second one for Cervarix (it's one type of HPV vaccine) later this month. The first one made me dizzy for a few minutes but that's partially because I had gotten another vaccine that day. Dizzy is better than cancer though.

 

Strongly recommend you do not have the vaccine. Strengthen your body's natural immune system instead of damaging it with vaccines. There are many natural ways to increase your body's own natural defenses against any affliction, including big pharma's boogieman in this instance, the dreaded 'c' word. Don't buy into the fear. 'Investigate before you vaccinate.'

Is something which actually kills some people going to be good for you? Is the supposed 'benefit' worth the risk to your health? In any case, even the medical establishment admits that it only 'reduces' your risk of cancer by a small degree. Although really, there are far better ways to reduce your risk of cancer, are there not?

 

Do they just give the vaccine to females? I have heard stories about guys getting rectal cancer from HPV infection, but I have never heard anyone talking about this vaccine for men, just for women

 

yes, males can get it. one of the key considerations though is to get it at a young age (ideally before becoming sexually active) because hpv is so common and the vaccine will be useless if you've already contracted hpv.

 

I've got to disagree with Damien. There is a decent evidence base to justify girls taking the HPV vaccine, and from what I can figure, the evidence for gay/bi men having the vaccine before significant sexual contact is also very strong. IMO, if you are gay/bi and have not had significant sexual contact, then you'd be silly NOT to get the HPV vaccine.

I agree with the advice to look after your bodies immune system, absolutely. It's not an alternative to the HPV vaccine though. Why not both look after your immune system AND have the vaccine?

Yes, the pharmaceutical companies are out to make a profit. That is no secret, but that doesn't mean that the fear of cancer is unjustified, or the vaccines don't significantly reduce the risk.

Ben Goldacre's "Big Pharma" is a great book that explores this in depth.

Agreed. Researching and educating yourself can only be a good thing.

Yes, there is a small, well publicised risk of adverse reactions to the vaccine. That is the same for other vaccines too. But on the evidence, the benefit far outweighs the minute risk.

Basically, on balance, I would strongly recommend any gay/bi person who hasn't yet had significant sexual contact to find a way to get the vaccine. Straight girls and guys now have significantly reduced their risk of getting cancer later in life thanks to this vaccine, but that protection hasn't be extended to gay/bi guys, because we haven't figured out a way to identify gay/bi people before sexual contact occurs. We can vaccinate every boy @ 12/13, but noone really wants to do that just to protect the small minority of gay/bi boys. If you yourself know you're gay/bi/not straight, then it really makes no sense not to get the vaccine. It's really a no-brainer.

 

I am worried not only by anti-vaccination sentiment but conspiracy theories about the medical establishment.

You are informed of the risk of the Gardasil regimen. I understood the risks and had my shots anyway. I'm here to tell about it, and I'm a healthy, half-marathon running warrior lady. ^_^

When anyone dies because of a medical procedure, it's very sad. But that doesn't invalidate the fact that medicine is good overall.

Anti-vaccination sentiment has been a public health disaster, unforunately. We are now seeing an increase in previously eradicated infections in communities where medically untrained people believe in stupid shit, like vaccinations cause autism.

The only thing I will say beyond this about preventative shots is that I never get an influenza shot. My attitude is that the flu, noro, and colds are just things people get. People get sick sometimes. Shit happens.

But viral infections, like some varieties of HPV, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B, are much more serious. And I wanted to mitigate not only my risk but others' risk.

As a bisexual, I believe getting the shot is a matter of sexual ethics.

 

that's kind of sad. they vaccinate all the girls, even when the parents protest that their daughters aren't going to be "sluts" and don't need it (my characterization of their argument, not of the girls!). but common sense says, vaccinate all the girls, and you'll be sure that you've protected the girls that need it, even if you've 'wasted" some vaccine on the girls who will be asexual or nuns. Why not just change that to "vaccinate all the children, and you'll be sure that you've protected the children that need it -- girls and boys! But can you imagine the religious right!!!!??? They would be furious that we are protecting males from something that they think they should be punished for. It would be a tough sell, I know, but still... Thanks to everyone for the facts and information about HPV and males. And I guess we all have to die of something. :tears:

 

Straight men can get HPV from their infected female partners, then pass it on to their next partner. And guys can still get genital warts.

 

well, all the more reason they should be pushing for young boys as well as girls.