can you get the Gardisal vaccine if you already have hpv? Its supposed to protect you from ovarin cancer, so can I take this medicine or not
2007-10-29 01:27:32 · 3 answers · asked by babibuni2004 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ STDs
Yes. Many doctors (including mine) suggest ALL women get the new vaccine, whether they have HPV or not.
If a woman already has HPV it won't cure her of it, but it can possibly prevent her from contracting a kind of HPV she doesn't already have. The vaccine protects against 4 different kinds of HPV (two known to cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases and two known to cause about 90% of genital wart cases). Say, for example, a young girl only has one kind of HPV that the vaccine prevents. Theoretically, if she gets the vaccine, she'll be protected from contracting the other 3 kinds of HPV that the vaccine protects against.
Also, HPV very RARELY causes ovarian cancer. The biggest concern with HPV is the cervical cancer it can cause.
Good luck!
http://www.gardasil.com/who-should-receive-gardasil.html
2007-10-29 08:56:54 · answer #1 · answered by Alli 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gardasil is designed to prevent infection with HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11. HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70% of HPV-related cervical cancer cases. In addition, some types of HPV, particularly type 16, have been found to be associated with oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma, a form of throat cancer. HPV types 6 and 11 cause about 90% of genital wart cases. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes virtually all cases of cervical cancer, the 7th most common cause of death from cancer among women worldwide.
If you have got HPV of a particular strain, say HPV strain no.16, then the gardasil vaccine will not give immunity to that particular strain. Instead the vaccine will give immunity to strains no.18, 6 and 11. For getting full benefit of gardasil, you should take HPV vaccine even before you get infected by the genital warts.
2007-10-29 09:35:35 · answer #2 · answered by gangadharan nair 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Gardasil protects against 4 types of hpv. It is very rare for one person to be infected with all 4 types so you should get the vaccine anyway. Gardasil protects you against cervical cancer but not against ovarian cancer
2007-10-29 18:53:02 · answer #3 · answered by Dr. Wise, Ob/Gyn 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋