Why is the vaccine Gardasil not given to woman over the age of 26?

Question

I am 26 and i was going to get the vaccine, but i am curious why i couldn't get it at 27???

Answer 1

it's still experimental

Answer 2

You can. However most women come into contact with HPV well before 27. In fact, many women acquire HPV in their teens through dry humping or the first few times they have sexual intercourse. But as long as you aren't extremely promiscuous, chances are you haven't acquired all 4 strains in the vaccine. So even at 27, you might still gain some protection from HPV. So women who are outside the recommended window should ask their doctors really nicely and maybe they can get the vaccine.

I'm 26 and I'm one shot away from finishing the series.

Answer 3

The main and oficcial reason is because the FDA has approved it for use only in women and girls between 9 to 26 years old. You can read about this in the medical literature that accompanies the vaccine. The other reason that I can think of is because this vaccine was designed to protect against four strains of the HPV: two of them cause over 90% of cases of genital warts, and the other two are linked to over 70% of the cases of cervical cancer. The ideal time to get it is before a woman becomes sexually active, and therefore hasn't been exposed to the HPV. Since most women become sexually active into her teens or early twenties, giving the vaccine to women who've been having sex for several years {like the late twenties} is considered too late. This is because over 80% of the sexually active population {males and females alike} have been exposed to this virus and there's no point in getting vaccinated once you have the virus in your body; it's like opening an umbrella after it has stopped raining and you are already soaked. Maybe you are thinking: then why the vast majority of those 80% or more have no signs of disease? The answer is simple: the majority of them don't develop symptoms of disease at all because their immune systems fight it, but they do carry the virus and pass it on to their sex partners. For more detailed information on Gardasil and the HPV {Human Papilloma Virus}, go to the following links:

http://www.fda.gov/cber/products/hpvmer060806qa.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/

Answer 4

The vaccine was only studied in women that were under age 25.

Also, the vaccine doesn't cover all the strains of HPV. It only covers 4 of them, two of which have the potential to cause cancer if not treated early enough.

I'm 35 and I can't get the vaccine because of that. But I also choose not to get the vaccine because of issues that relate to my health and I have already had issues with HPV. One doesn't have to be sexually active to get HPV. Virgins can get it too.

Answer 5

I believe that they haven't completed studies as to the effectiveness and safety of Gardisil in women 27 and over.