Would You Benefit from the HPV Vaccine?

The word cancer strikes fear into the hearts of most people. There is no cure. And, it is fatal in a majority of cases. New research has made the survival rate rise significantly in recent years. But, what if there was a vaccine that could prevent cancer? Would you take it? Well, for some types of cancer, there is. But, who can benefit from it and who should be vaccinated?

If you have watched television in the last couple years, you have seen the commercials for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. These commercials tell us that this is most beneficial for women under the age of 26. So, does that mean that older women cannot be vaccinated? This is not necessarily true.

The study focused on women under the age of 26 because these are the women who are thought to have the largest variety of sexual partners. This puts them at a larger risk for exposure. But, women past the age of 26 can also be vulnerable to human papillomavirus, which causes cancer in humans. Any woman who is in a nonmonogamous relationship may be as risk.

Four strains of the virus are targeted by Gardasil. These strains are the most common and are associated with cervical cancer and genital warts. There is a very small chance that anyone has been exposed to all four strains. This means the vaccination will probably benefit anyone who takes it.

If you have been monogamous in the past, but your relationship status has recently changed, you should seriously consider getting vaccinated. The regime of Gardasil consists of a series of 3 shots.

The main concern for women over that age of 26 is that their insurance company may not cover the cost of the vaccination. Since the series costs $350, this may not be an option for everyone. Fortunately, there is current research into the viability of using this preventative measure on women in the higher age groups. Hopefully, Gardasil, or a similar medicine called Cervarix, will get the okay from insurance companies soon.