Guardasil Vax For 12 Year Old Boy?

[momtosam]

I am not anti-vax. My kids are up to date on everything required, but the Guardisil vax for my 12 year old son has me on the fence. What have you done/will do for your child?

 

[jasmom1022]

I am pretty sure I got that for both of my children...one boy and one girl.

 

[disneychrista]

This was just coming out when my kids were teens, I didn't know enough about it and didn't vaccinate. The more I learn about it, the more I wish I had.

There is no cure for HPV and while most cases resolve on their own there is no way of knowing if your child will be the one who gets cancer.

 

[blana]

I got it for DS last month.

 

[gemini2727]

My three kids, teen-age son included, have been fully vaccinated with no ill effects.

From the CDC: "Every year in the United States around 11,000 men get cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections."

Besides helping to protect their future partners, Guardasil protects our sons as well.

 

[Pamlur]

Research it carefully before you do it. I am not reading good things about it.

 

[xjillianpaige]

It was fairly new when I got it, but my mom vaccinated me on my doc's recommendation. At the time, I don't think it was recommended for boys, so my brother didn't get it, but my mom would have if they said to.

My brother tends to get warts on his hands and feet and I do not, but I'm not sure what kind of warts those are/if they're HPV. If they are HPV, then I wonder if me getting the vaccination and him not getting it is the reason why he gets them so often and I do not. But I'm not sure, because he may just be more susceptible to warts than I am. My parents don't really get warts either and the vaccination didn't exist when they were kids.

 

[aprilchem]

My kids aren't old enough yet, but I will get it for them when it's time. I have a friend whose husband is currently going through mouth cancer treatment due to HPV infection, and it is awful.

 

[Shanti]

My son doesn't respond well to immunizations, so he won't be getting this. Sensitivity to these seems to be hereditary. I have an autoimmune disorder & can no longer get immunizations.

 

[PollyannaMom]

MY DS is 16, so it was offered when he was about that age, but we didn't get it. Sometimes I do worry about whether it was the right decision, but these were our reasons at the time:

- It was so new that we didn't feel there was enough long-term data.
- We were at the doctor's office when a girl had a very scary reaction to it.
- We didn't feel the benefits outweighed the risks for a boy (since it was mainly marketed at first as preventing cervical cancer).

Like you, OP, we aren't anti-vax in general, just weren't comfortable with this one in our specific situation.

 

[Runnergal]

My ds turns 12 next month and will be getting it.

 

[firecracker725]

I have all girls, but each one of them will be getting it. My mom and sister both had to have hysterectomies before age 25 due to cervical cancer.

 

[kimblebee]

Please, protect your son.

I got HPV and had a hysterectomy 6 weeks ago because of 'significant worrisome cells'.

My daughter is needle phobic and got the vaccine a week after my diagnosis.

 

[disneychrista]

MY DS is 16, so it was offered when he was about that age, but we didn't get it. Sometimes I do worry about whether it was the right decision, but these were our reasons at the time

The same HPV that causes Cervical Cancer also causes Penile Cancer. However, there is no way of knowing if a male has the virus or not. Women can at least find out they have the virus and therefore be able to be proactive to catch any cell changes before they become a bigger issue.

I just had a cervical biopsy today because of HPV. While the doctor is confident that we caught it before it is Cancer, I am scared to death.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

MY DS is 16, so it was offered when he was about that age, but we didn't get it. Sometimes I do worry about whether it was the right decision, but these were our reasons at the time:

- It was so new that we didn't feel there was enough long-term data.
- We were at the doctor's office when a girl had a very scary reaction to it.
- We didn't feel the benefits outweighed the risks for a boy (since it was mainly marketed at first as preventing cervical cancer).

Like you, OP, we aren't anti-vax in general, just weren't comfortable with this one in our specific situation.

My son is older than that, and it wasn't offered to us. I don't know how I would have felt about it.

Like you, we aren't generally anti-vax.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Our 13 year old son will be getting it when he goes in for his checkup next month. (He'll be 14 then). Only reason we waited was because the doctor didn't have any in stock last year at checkup time (he sees our regular family doc, not a pediatrician anymore) and I didn't think about taking him for it for the last year. Oops. He'll be getting a flu shot too, so there you go.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I suggest doing some online research. You're going to see lots of conflicting information.

On one hand it prevents certain cancer causing strains of HPV. On the other hand it DOESNT prevent certain cancer causing strains of HPV. So will your child be protected from HPV or cancer? Some.

Food for thought...

About 4,200 women a year die from cervical cancer. (It's probably safe to say lots of those women avoided yearly exams) About 360 deaths from penile cancer.

44,000 a year people die from drug overdose.

620,000 people die every year from heart disease

Almost 3300 people die in car crashes every single day.

I believe sometimes these drug companies feed our fears and manipulate our protective natures. They are making HPV out to be some killer epidemic when quite honestly...it's just not. They will rake in billions on this vaccine and will probably only make a small dent in the death toll. Idk. Maybe that "one less" marketing really speaks to you.

Only you can decide.

Do your research.

I personally am not vaccinating my teenage son for this. For the record all my kids are up to date on the recommended vaccinations. This one just isn't on my radar.

Best of luck.

 

[robinb]

I am not anti-vax. My kids are up to date on everything required, but the Guardisil vax for my 12 year old son has me on the fence. What have you done/will do for your child?

My (then) 12-year old daughter got the vaccine. I had cervical cancer because of HPV. I personally think both girls and boys should get the vaccine.

 

[mamamary]

My son and daughter were both vaccinated.

 

[indimom]

DD20 and DS 17.5 both got it at the recommended age. Giving it to boys was brand new then.