Did you call your doctor about these side effects? If not, I would recommend you do that now - don't wait for the next shot appointment. If you did call the doctor, what was his/her response?

My two oldest have had the vaccine - well the oldest has had all three doses and the next oldest was due to get her last one on Tuesday but we missed it due to BlogHer travel delays. ;-) Neither young woman had any side effects.

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

Oh good, I can't wait til you blog about Chickadee's experience with the vaccine. I love a good Chickadee story! :-)

There were HPV posters all over our doctor's office which made me wonder what the inside of a pediatrics group would look like. Are there any HPV vaccine posters on the walls there? (Like there were chicken pox vaccination posters when that became available.)

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High

I'm extremely wary of the way I'm seeing this drug marketed - the whole "Has your daughter been vaccinated? Shouldn't she be?" (Insert scary, foreboding music).

Which is not to say that there aren't 9-year-old girls out there having sex, but still, it doesn't quite sit well with me. I can't quite articulate it, but something about it seems opportunistic at the least.

And of course my general suspicion of the pharmaceutical industry leads me to wonder about how well tested this drug is, how safe it is for girls and women of different ages, etc... I have some research to do before I sign my girl up (I've got plenty of time, though - she's in the low-risk group at 16 months old - hee hee).

Mir - have you done research? If so, what did you find out?

I hope it's the great thing that every wants it to be. That would be wonderful, indeed.

Atena

Assumptions, Biases & Irrational Fantasies

My Life As a Radical Whore/Madonna

I totally agree with you. There are some people who might find a vaccination to be more detrimental to their health than not having it.

Nice to see a photo of you and Julio (that is you and Julio, I assume?) finally!

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High

And thank you for being so forceful on this subject. I was lucky -- very lucky -- years ago I had an ex-boyfriend who lied to me about his medical condition and I didn't find out till after the split that he had HPV. He claimed I could never get it from him because he used condoms. Fortunately, I tested negative, but I was at risk the entire time I was with him and I never knew it. Even back then, I had heard about the connection with cervical cancer -- as had he -- and he didn't care. I suppose this is my way of saying to everyone: don't assume you (or your daughters) are 100% safe if you are at all sexually active. Get the vaccine.

--MizD
Belly Timber
Playing with our food since 2005

I wrote about this on my blog at Women Walking In Wisdom’s Footsteps™.

What kind of treatment have you received? I had a cervical conization after my diagnosis almost 17 years ago. I haven't had a problem since. Have you had the cells removed?

I also replied at another member's blog here. This was my comment:

...When I was in my mid-20s, I was diagnosed with severe dysplasia. Mind you, I had been getting my pap smears annually for years - I found out a couple of years after my diagnosis that the lab the doctor's office used (through the HMO) misdiagnosed many smears. By that time, the dysplasia had developed - I had precancerous cells.

I ended up having a cervical conization, where my gyn took out two cone shaped pieces of tissue to remove the disease. She got it all, and I haven't had a problem since (this was about 17 years ago). But one of the side effects of a procedure like this where your cervix is being manipulated is possible miscarriage.

I got pregnant in 2003. Since I was already considered high-risk because of my age (I was 39), I had prenatal appointments every 3 weeks. The last in-office doctor appointment I had, my cervix collapsed - it effaced and opened, and I was only 22 weeks pregnant! If I had not been in that office at that time, I would have miscarried my beautiful daughter. I asked my doctor if a cervical cone could have made my cervix weaker, and she replied it very well could have. I ended up spending 12 weeks on hospital bedrest, and 2-1/2 weeks additional at home before I was induced at 37-1/2 weeks.

My daughter will only be 3 in May, but I know that if I can avoid the possibility of any of this happening to my daughter, I will do it. Your thoughts, I believe, are right on target. It's just like I read recently, just because you mandate seatbelts doesn't mean you're endorsing reckless driving. I've done so much research myself on this disease - and to me, it's absolutely worth it - I know. I almost lost my daughter one day.