FAQs

Parents who are concerned about vaccine ingredients are often worried about aluminum. People are exposed to aluminum every day through food and cooking utensils. Aluminum-containing vaccines have been used for decades and have been given to more than 1 billion people without problems.

The American Cancer Society recommends that girls and boys should get 2 doses of the HPV vaccine between the ages of 9 and 12.

Teens and young adults ages 13 through 26 who have not been vaccinated, or who haven’t gotten all their doses, should get the vaccine as soon as possible. Vaccination of young adults will not prevent as many cancers as vaccination of children and teens.

HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. American Cancer Society recommends starting vaccination at age 9 and finishing the series before the 13th birthday. HPV is so common that most people will be exposed to it at some point in their lives. Children should be vaccinated before they’re exposed to an infection – just like measles or pneumonia.

HPV vaccination is strongly recommended for boys and girls. The vaccine helps prevent infection with the most common types of HPV that can cause cervical, throat, vulvar, vaginal, penile, and anal cancer.

HPV is short for human papillomavirus, a common virus. HPV can cause cancer in men and women. HPV vaccination helps prevent the infections that lead to many HPV cancers.

No. Studies continue to monitor how long the vaccine protects against HPV infections and cancer. Protection has been shown to last more than 10 years with no signs of the protection weakening.

Your child is due for the HPV vaccine today. It’s an important vaccine to prevent HPV cancers. I recommend getting the first dose today (at age 9 or 10) and the final dose at your checkup next year.

Yes. The vaccine has been proven, through numerous studies, to prevent the infections that can cause multiple HPV cancers. In addition, population studies in the U.S. and other countries that have introduced the HPV vaccine have shown a significant reduction in abnormal Pap test results ^13,14 and genital warts. ^15,16

Sources:

13 Pollock KGJ, Kavanagh K, Potts A, et al. Reduction of low- and high-grade cervical abnormalities associated with high uptake of the HPV bivalent vaccine in Scotland. Br J Cancer. 2014;111(9):1824-1830. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.479.

14 Baldur-Felskov B, Dehlendorff C, Munk C, Kjaer SK. Early impact of human papillomavirus vaccination on cervical neoplasia – Nationwide follow-up of young Danish women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014;106(3):djt460. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djt460.

15 Ali H, Donovan B, Wand H, et al. Genital warts in young Australians five years into national human papillomavirus vaccination programme: national surveillance data. BMJ. 2013;346:f2032. doi: 10.1136/bmj.f2032.

16 Bauer HM, Wright G, Chow J. Evidence of human papillomavirus vaccine effectiveness in reducing genital warts: an analysis of California public family planning administrative claims data, 2007-2010. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(5):833-835. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300465.

Yes. People are vaccinated well before they’re exposed to an infection – just like measles or pneumonia. Similarly, they should be vaccinated before they are exposed to HPV. Vaccinating children starting at age 9 offers the best HPV cancer prevention.²

HPV is so common that almost everyone will be exposed at some point in their lives. So even if your child delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner in the future, they could still be exposed if their partner has been exposed.^10,11

Studies have shown there’s no correlation between receiving the HPV vaccine and increased rates of, or earlier engagement in, sexual activity.⁸

Sources:

2. Human papillomavirus (HPV) questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/questions-answers.html. Published December 19, 2017. Accessed April 4, 2018.

10. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. National Cancer Institute.

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-vaccine-fact-sheet. Accessed April 5, 2018.

11. Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S, Markowitz LE. The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States. Sex Transm Dis. 2014;41(11):660-664. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000193.

8. Jena AB, Goldman DP, Seabury SA. Incidence of sexually transmitted infections after human papillomavirus vaccination among adolescent females. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):617-623. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7886.