Has anyone completed the Cervical cancer vaccinations?

Today, I finally began my treatment. it's been available here for nearly 12 months and I've felt bad everytime I saw the 'reminder' advertisements in magazines and the like.
So finally, I have done it! I feel so good that I'm protecting myself from something pretty darn nasty.

I'm also lucky that the government is subsidising the treatment for early 20's women until 2009!
And all younger girls in school will get it for free.

What is the system like where you are? Have you had the opportunity to get it for free?
Have you started your vaccination? And if not, would you like too?

I've completed my vaccinations.
It's not like I'm going to go off and get an STD any time soon (HPV leads to cervical cancer) so I don't really care.

What is the system like where you are. Did you have to pay for it or was it free?

I'm sure no one intends to get an STD but I've heard that by a certain age most people have been exposed to HPV and thats why there's an age limit on the vaccination because the older you are the less successful it is.

My mother wants me to get it.

After my last experince with a shot, I'm not. Unless they put the needle in my rear.

nooo! i dont like vaccines! they freak me out, and with my mom working at a doctor's office that's against those types of vaccines doesnt help. He says they only inject it into your body so, when your body goes to 'fight it' it doesnt. All that happens is that your body doesnt become resistant to it, dont ask lol

I asked about it and I am "too old". I am a virgin and an asexual. I would like to become sexually active eventually if possible. Since there is now this vaccine, it made sense for me to ask about it.
I was told it's only available for younger women, which is totally unfair. I am a virgin and would benefit from the vaccine just as much. They just assume based on my age that I have been sexually active and thus won't need the vaccine anymore.

Gosh, that's really terrible Claudia.
I can understand that they restrict it based on age but if you're a virgin then it should work just as well on you as any younger girls right?

That's what I would figure because you won't have been exposed to HPV.

Is there a different doctor you can discuss it with?

Well, I have almost completed all of them. I just need one more : D. It costed quite a bit of money but it will help in the long run.
I'm glad you feel pretty good about the vaccination. It is such a great idea.

I'm not going to get it.
I'm a virgin, and I take sex very seriously. If I was with someone who had had previous sexual partners, I would make them get tested before I did anything with them.
So I won't be getting an STD. So I won't be getting cervical cancer.

But I can understand why someone would want it. I'm just too careful for it to be an issue for myself. ^^

I don't have HPV or a an STD either but considering it was free for me I figured I might go ahead and do it!
I think if I were older and missed out the chance I'd like to see younger women take the opportunity to get it done.

I mean, I don't intend to get any sort of disease but I'm immunised against everything I can be just in case.

Yeah, if it's free, then there isn't any reason not to.

I don't know if it's free or not here, though.

I received it early on before the prices skyrocketed. It makes your arm a bit stiff for a while, but, in the long run, I'm sure it's worth it.

I finished the treatment a while ago.

Yes.. I got all three injections for it last year at school.

It's free to women in Australia up to the age of 26.

Do you only get cervical cancer via sexual contact? O_O
I didn't know that..
Oh well, it'll still protect me in the future

Yeh, my understanding is that Cervical Cancer starts out as HPV which is contracted by sexual contact.
Cervical Cancer is something that can occur if you get HPV.

I've actually been hearing some not-so-great things about it...
I don't even remember what, just that some negative things have been coming about.


Anyway. It doesn't matter to me-- I won't be getting it either way. I have absolutely no vaccinations whatsoever, as my mom doesn't believe in them, and I don't think she'll be starting now.
Considering my current sexual activity, there is a very, very low risk of me actually contracting HPV so I'm not that worried.

Negative issues?....like what?. Is it worse then cervical cancer?.

If the circumstances came up for me to become sexually active, I'd pursue getting the vaccination again. I have seen the results of cervical cancer at the body worlds exhibit and I know I would be unable to detect cervical cancer in myself before it would be too late.

As for your stance being against vaccinations, it would be problematic if more people took up this view, it seems to work as long as only a small percentage isn't vaccinated. This is another issue so I'd leave it alone here.

As for HPV risk, everyone ( female persons?, not sure if males are affected) who is sexually active is at risk for HPV.
The only way to cut your risk is to be asexual/ celebate AKA not sexually active at all.
As far as I know, HPV is like AIDS, it only takes sexual contact to transmit it.
And I hear HPV is very common. So I would not consider low sexual activity to be adaquate protection.

I have discussed the issue with my doc and she has said that due to not being sexually active that I can skip having pap smears. Which is good because when I had one, I was in pain for days and mostly lay down. Nobody warned me about this, it was supposed to be a minor discomfort. Yeah right!, I am glad to go without that.
Female persons who are sexually active are required to have them around here.
I don't think there's any exception for those less sexually active.

I wonder if those who have been vaccinated won't be required to endure pap smears now.

I finished it awhile ago, I wasn't really planning to get it that day because it was still fairly new but while I was at the doctor he was like "hey, do you want to get this while you're here?" soo I did. I don't see any reason NOT to get it, even if you aren't "planning" to be sexually active with anyone before they're tested, there are always the what if's.

Do you have to be a certain age to have it?

I'm 22 from the UK and i would love it.

Physically as far as I know, no. What matters is exposure to the virus AKA sexual activity. Therefore it's best done before one is sexually active.
As far as policies go, these programs will only vaccinate persons up to a certain age since they presume beyond that everyone has been sexually active and the vaccine won't be effective for them anymore.

I think at 22 you are good to go if you want it.

Sexually active, lol, that will be a first...

I have this...problem somewhere, down there.

Yeah, so vaccine sounds good. (calls doctor)

Let's see I've had 2/3 shots so far and I hate them. I'm not sure if they were free because I don't pay the medical bills at the moment. My doctor encourage me though.

Originally Posted by Kalliste

Has anyone completed the Cervical cancer vaccinations?

Today, I finally began my treatment. it's been available here for nearly 12 months and I've felt bad everytime I saw the 'reminder' advertisements in magazines and the like.
So finally, I have done it! I feel so good that I'm protecting myself from something pretty darn nasty.

I'm also lucky that the government is subsidising the treatment for early 20's women until 2009!
And all younger girls in school will get it for free.

What is the system like where you are? Have you had the opportunity to get it for free?
Have you started your vaccination? And if not, would you like too?

I'm not sexually active, never been and I don't want to be any time soon, but my mother made me get those damn shots and I've finished my treatments.

I don't think they were free, though.

I have been debating getting it for my daughter, I guess I should. I would really like to see more research on it, like what are some of the side effects girls are getting that aren't mentioned on t.v. and how well is it really protecting people. She has to go for a physical for school before next school year starts, I will probably talk to her doctor then.

@ Yeah: I don't know about anyone else but I didn't get any side-effects at all other than a bit of a sore arm afterwards. All three shots hurt more than shots usually do for some reason but I think that's probably because of where they inject it.

@ Yeah::
I was really upset when I got mine because I heard that the shots haven't been tested on very many people... and that alot of the people who are getting them for free are like the test subjects... They haven't really told anyone the side affects because they haven't had it tested long enough to know about them.
I don't know how much of that is true, it's only things I've been told...but, I was still upset to have gotten it because I don't like getting a vaccine that there isn't much known about.