I'll be going in to highschool this year. My mom said that teen girls are very suseptable, especially during high school years. if that's true, then should I get tested for HPV and get vaccinated?
2007-07-25 15:11:42 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ STDs
If you have never had sex or any sexual contact they you basically have a 0% chance or VERY slim chance that you have genital HPV. So, there is really no point of getting tested. When you become sexually active though, it's a very good idea to get tested.
I'd highly recommend you get the HPV vaccine called Gardasil. The vaccine protects against 4 different kinds of HPV (two known to cause about 70% of cervical cancer and two known to cause about 90% of genital warts).
I contracted HPV (and genital herpes) at the age of 17 and it was horrible! My very first pap smear came back abnormal and it turned out I had pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I probably had the virus before I was 17, but never knew because I didn't get tested when I started having sex. My pre- cancer eventually turned into cervical cancer. It was one of the most horrible times of my life!
I think the vaccine is very important and I hope more parents and young girls learn about it and decide to get it for their daughters or themselves. Good luck and take care!
2007-07-26 08:31:56 · answer #1 · answered by Alli 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have been sexually active (including oral sex) then maybe you should get get tested. However, it would probably be sufficient for you to just make sure you are getting regular pap smears which should detect any cervical changes that you would be concerned about.
Even if you are HPV positive, you should get the Gardisil vaccination. There are 100's of different strains of HPV. You may have one type but not the 4 high risk types that cause 90% of cervical Cancer in women which are what the vaccination helps protect against.
50% of the sexually active population have HPV while 80% of women will have some strain of HPV by the time they are 50 years old. The virus is definitely very prevalent, and it is good that you are inquiring about it now while you are still young and do things to protect yourself.
2007-07-25 16:21:13 · answer #2 · answered by Agape 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES! over 70% of women between 18 an 25 have HPV and do not know it, because most of the time it has no symptoms. If positive you are still able to get the vaccine. I have worked in a GYN/Oncology office for 7 years.
2007-07-25 16:37:14 · answer #3 · answered by rein125 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you should get the vaccination especially if you will be having sex. The statistics are high amoung females with HPV.. I believe 1 in 4 women have it.
2007-07-25 16:34:40 · answer #4 · answered by Claudia M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you dont really need to be tested, but you should definitely get vaccinated. this vaccine is really one of the most important medical advances in our times. have mom take you to the doctor to talk about it. even if you are already sexually active (I assume you are or why would you even think about getting tested) you probably dont have all 4 strains of the virus that the vaccine prevents.
2007-07-25 15:21:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can get a virus if you are sexually active, if you do decide to have sex be very careful with who you have it with. Most boys just want to see how many girls they can bang and they will tell you anything you want to hear. Then they toss you aside like a piece of trash. Dont fall for that please!
2007-07-26 06:03:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
YES if you are sexually active! HPV causes warts and cervical cancer!
2007-07-25 18:05:54 · answer #7 · answered by Lisa H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋