Does anyone have the link that was posted a few months back regarding the Guardasil vaccine for young girls? I'm trying to gather more information.
My 14 yr old is scheduled for a physical for school soon. We have recieved 2 notices from my Dr. (via the vaccine maker Merck), notifying me that my daughter is not vaccinated (DUH...like I would not know?)
I'm aware that the next Dr. appt might be a little uncomfortable because we will be pressured to get this vaccine. It is NOT mandatory and I am aware of that. I have been gathering information pro and con and I am trying hard to keep an open mind.
I feel it is my responsibility as a parent to gather as much information as possible about this vaccine and to use that information with my daughter (Her body = Her opinion matters) to make the decision.
At this point, I see more potential harm than good. Yes, yes, I know it prevents certain strains of HPV and some cancers. I've also read articles of girls who have died (1 death is too many IMO, especially if it is my baby), begun having seizures and etc. I hope my daughter would refrain from sexual activity (at least a few more years) but I am not so naive to believe that might not happen. I just hope she is careful and well educated about her decisions.
We have a wide open line of communication here and no topic if off limits. We do talk about things like this. She is opposed to the vaccine because it is new, not tested enough to see what real problems could occur.
We were one of the first to get a chicken pox vaccine. Then, when she was in 5th grade, she got chicken pox, although not as bad as it could have been. I was never given this information...I would possibly have refrained from the vaccine had I known this fact. SO, I wonder what information would be conveniently omitted with Guardasil.
Another point is that we made it just fine without this vaccine and a lot of us moms (or hubby's) were not pure going into marriage, so what makes it SO important now when there are no guarantees.
I believe my opinion might be slightly different if there was some proof that she would never get cancer or some bad disease but it can't do that.
I will use the responses I get here (positive and negative) with my backup information for my pedi.
Thank you!
I appreciate all of the responses (pro and con). I read a ton of material before I posed the question and I have been against this vaccine. My purpose for the post was to see how my opinion varied with the moms on this site. I am against Guardasil because I feel like it is being pushed onto us without us knowing full and factual details. I'm not a very trusting person, especially of the big ole boy Rx network looking to make more money. There are some websites that were provided here that I had not yet seen. I intend to provide my Dr, (in advance of our appointment) with the website information I have gathered from the www and our decision. Maybe if she knows how head strong I am coming into the office, she will back off. I should say, I truly don't feel like the Dr. is the one pushing this, I think it is Merck.
This will be the first vaccine I am completely against and will stand my ground. I realize many people see the value with this vaccine, I also know about HPV and some of the issues it can create, however, I cannot in good faith allow this test to be done on my daughter. I will make sure that my daughter has all routine screenings, checkups, etc as I have throughout my life as long as she is under my care. I believe she will continue this practice as she is older and taking care of her own health. Thank you so much.
I'm sorry I don't have the link but I think this vaccine causes more harm than good. I would not want my daughter to get it. I hate the fact that they try to bully you into it too. Good for you for questioning this and not just going along with it.
I'm with you - I have to see a lot more data about this before I would ever consider getting this vaccine (for myself or my daughter, if I have one). When the vaccine came out, I was still in the age range (at the very oldest) and my doctor suggested I not get it (since I was in a committed relationship with my now husband). She also said that the pharm company, Merck, is putting a LOT of pressure on doctors to administer the vaccine (they are looking to get a lot of money to make up for the cost of developing the vaccine in the first place). Not as many girls have gotten it as they had originally anticipated. That is why they have now gone back to the FDA to get approval for the vaccine for boys too. As far as I'm concerned, until the pharmaceutical companies stop pressuring physicians, and until the results are fully studied a few years from now, no daughter of of mine is going to get that vaccine (or any other new vaccine that may come out in the next few years)
I think you're right to research and question, and no vaccine is 100% safe (regardless of what you might be told). However, it's also important to remember that the latest statistics have 25% of teenaged girls in the US infected with an STD--yes, that's 1 in 4, and that's ENORMOUS, particularly when you take into account that some girls don't have sex at all while teenagers, and many others don't have sex until their late teens. So of those who are sexually active, many, many end up carriers of something.
It's also great that you have open lines of communication with your DD about this--I think that's VERY VERY important, that she can come to you even if she's making decisions that she knows you might not agree with (since, after all, they are her decisions, even if she is young...) One other thing to keep in mind, which is not often discussed because it's not nice to think about, although it is true, is that too many young girls don't get a choice in when they become sexually active. This happened to my mother, and as a result she was very proactive about my being on birth control, going to the gyn, etc, when I was in high school. She obviously hoped that such a thing would never happen to me (and, thankfully, it didn't), but she also felt strongly that we need to be prepared for those things in life we can't control. I'm thankful that she taught me this.
I know it's a hard decision, and commend you for thinking and researching and asking advice. Good luck finding the decision that's right for your daughter!
TF, keep up the vigil. I feel this program is too new to expose a 14 year old or younger to it. Our bodies were designed to be able to regulate and cure itself. In the past 50 years we have placed so much trust in the pharmaceutical industry to keep us safe and have caused superbug strains to be born. My daughter is older (31) and goes annually for a checkup. I and close to a female student at work who had one shot and did not like the side affects she had. When it was time for the second she decided against it and she is 22.
I know not all people on here will agree with whatever decision you make. Whenever someone or group is pushing to have the masses "to do it right now mentality," is when we should stop and think about the why? Just remember the huge monetary award these companies get by pushing and mandating the use without all of the facts. As you said one person dying is one too many. Besides there is no track record for all of the side affects short term and long term yet. My advice would be go with your gut feeling and follow through. Do not let the "big boys" push you around. This is your flesh and blood and you have to live with your decision not them. The other S.
Hi. After reading your post, I was curious about the vaccine so I did a little research. I have 2 daughters and will eventually have to make the same decision as you. Here is a link to the CDC's website. It may help you in making your decision. Good luck. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/gardasil.htm
All of the information that I have is against the vaccine - it's clearly biased.
I will say this, however - the vaccine does not have a duration of effectiveness yet ( much like the chicken pox vaccine ). My worry - the reason my 11 year old is not vaccinated - is that the trials have not been around long enough to show that she will be protected when it becomes a risk.
Most young women who are infected naturally clear the virus from their body and achieve lifetime immunity from that particular strain. It is older women (late 20's and on) who tend to harbor the virus, which is what causes the precancerous cell changes...
So my stress is that she is immune from infection when her body is best able to handle it and at risk when it is most likely to do her the most harm... this, in addition to the fact that my 11 year old is not yet sexually active, and the known risks of side effects / potential complications.. she didn't get the shot, and won't until
A. She decides to start having sex. We talked extensively about the availability of the shot, the necessity of a pap smear, condoms, and birth control when this momentous occasion comes about. (My job helps there - straight from mom to professional.)
B. The vaccine is more proven.
or
C. She can sign for herself.
i have every intention of getting both of my neices done when it's time, as well as my boys if it was available. i too have found the anti vaccine info to be very biased. yes do the research, but at the end of the day, get the vaccine. it saves lives and her chances at motherhood.
I agree with you! I think the vaccine is too new to be 100% sure about it. Good for you to research everything. What an awesome Mom you are. I'm sorry I don't have the link but please keep me posted on your decision. I have 4 daughters and I'm worried about this vaccine.
K.
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I understand all your reservations with this vaccine, but let me give you my story.
I was not "pure" when I married, but had very few partners before my husband. All of them were boyfriends with respectable men I was with for at least a year. At 29 I got a bump on my vulva. My gyn said it was "genital warts" and burned it off. A couple of years later (after I was married) the bump came back and I asked my new ob/gyn if he could burn it off. He told me he NEVER removes anything without doing a biopsy, and he did just that. A few days later he called to tell me that I had cancer of the vulva. He was just as surprised as I was!! I feel that God brought me to this particular doctor for just this reason. If he had done the same thing as the other doctor the cancer would had spread (I researched this type of cancer) and it would had been much worse (I later met a woman whose mom died of this cancer). They did have to remove a large piece of me (about the size of a half dollar and a couple of mm thick), but thank God it hadn't spread. This cancer was caused by HPV (virus induced carcinoma). I also have a friend who only had one partner (very religious family), she was 24 when she was diagnosed with the same cancer, only her's was cervical (which spreads faster). Again, thank God that she went to the doctor and that her doctor was on top of things. Her recovery was also painful but with the added stress that she may have trouble conceiving or carrying a child (she has had 2 children since then).
Anyway, the only reason that I'm telling you this is for you to know that I'm sure that shot DOES save lives. And also let you know that all it takes is one partner for her to catch the virus. I know it's a hard decision, good luck!!
Hello, it sounds like your mind is made up but I feel I must say something. I am a Christian, I am a mother and I am an ER nurse. I have seen what an awful death Ovarian Cancer is. If I as a mother have the ability to decrease my daughter from dying this death, I would do it. People die and stroke from the flu vaccine. People die from a reaction from honey. This isn't because honey or the flu vaccine are bad, it is just not everyones body's react the same to things. I guaranty you that if your daughter did contract HPV or ovarian cancer she would wish that you had made a different decision.
