Re Gardasil and booster shots:
Hmm, painful shots vs. cervical cancer… What a hard choice!
^ That’s exactly the logic I can’t get over.
It reminds me of the boy who recently died from rabies because he didn’t want to go to the hospital and get shots.
It’s a shot. Geez. It’s not a spinal tap or surgery without anesthesia.
I’m very supportive of vaccinations and had my oldest son get the HPV series even before it was recommended for boys (paid out of pocket.) When it came time for the younger son to get the series the first shot was not just extremely painful, but his entire arm swelled. Guess we’re slow learners, but we still got him the second shot in the series because I also thought - hey, suffer through a little pain to be protected from cancer. Unfortunately the second time the reaction was move severe with the entire arm turning bright red and swelling even more than it did the first time. So we consulted with his doctor and read the existing research which IIRC said that after two shots you were over 90% protected and decided to not do the third in the series.
Yes, it was partly the idea of avoiding having a painful reaction but it was also the fear that the third one might have an even stronger, more permanent or health threatening reaction.
Yes, it is important for folks to pay attention to adverse reactions to ANY medication or shot. I tend to have adverse reactions to a lot of things and we pay close attention. I’m glad your sons have protection and it sounds like stopping after 2 shots was a good choice for your 2nd son. I’m glad you have been responsible and taken the steps to protect your two kids and their partners against cancer.
For anyone else right on the cusp of the age recommendation who might be reading this thread - I did a little research and it seems the “virgins” in the study who tested positive for HPV likely either got it from some kind of sexual contact, or don’t have the cancer-causing strains. So it does sound like whether the vaccine will benefit you has more to do with sexual history than age. For me, this is a good enough reason to pursue getting the vaccine. If there’s a non-negligible chance that it might prevent cancer, I am (like, I think, most reasonable people) willing to undertake the expense.
Pain and inconvenience are of course very minor considerations as compared with the cost - which is not insignificant, particularly when that money could be put toward other preventative medical care instead.
I do think it’s important to really thoughtfully consider medical treatments rather than creating a false dichotomy between “perfect vaccine with zero cons” and “definite cervical cancer.” Clearly whoever created the official age recommendations felt that, for many people, the pros were outweighed by the cons. 
Thank you to all who responded. I am taking my daughter to the pediatrician today to get her vaccinated. No HPV for my precious baby.
The shots do not protect against all HPV variants, just most of the cancer causing ones.
Oh no. Really???
There are about 100 variants of HPV. Not all HPV are problematic. The old version of Gardasil targets four strains of HPV: HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18. HPV-16 and HPV-18 account for about 70% of all cervical cancers. HPV-6 and -11 cause about 90% of genital warts. The newer Gardasil 9 covers those mentioned above and 5 additional strains. From what I read in the literature, 16 and 18 are the nastiest, deadliest ones.
WOW you know A LOT about HPV. How do you know so much??
@PattiMother23 wonderful. Best of luck all goes well.
Had to cancel appointment. Pregnant daughter.
@PattiMother23 Happy to hear your daughter is being vaccinated.
For reference, here’s a good starting place to learn more about HPV: https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/whatishpv.html
Hey @PattiMother23, I just saw on another thread that your daughter is now pregnant. Please consult with your pediatrician because the HPV vaccine is NOT recommended for women who are pregnant.
https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv-vaccine-young-women.htm
For parents of young teens, this is precisely why the vaccine is recommended at such a young age. Parents are notoriously poor at accurately assessing just when their kids will become sexually active. I am not coming down on the OP, as it serves no purpose at this juncture. But there are parents on the fence about this vaccine, not due to fears of its safety, but due to the discomfort with the notion that their kids might become sexually active before college or marriage. Those are the parents who really need to understand that “good” kids, “Christian kids,” etc. often become sexually active long before their parents are “ready” for them to, or long before the parents suspect. I erred on the side of caution and got my Ds vaccinated early.
OP has started a thread on her daughter’s dilemma, and might benefit from a kind word. Hopefully TOS are respected in that thread.
I thought she told you last night? Why did your plans change in the last hour?
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread as the issue is now moot. One can discuss the new developments on the new thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/2054891-unplanned-pregnancy-p1.html
MODERATOR’S NOTE: OP has admitted to lying about her identity.