<p>The only negative thing I've heard about the Gardasil vaccine is that a lot of kids (3/7 of my friends) pass out when it's administered. But I think a slight fainting spell is well worth any chance to lessen the likelihood of cancer down the road.</p>
<p>So, why is it for women up to age 26 then? After 26, you can't get cervical cancer? Huh?</p>
<p>S just got the meningitis vaccine and had no side effects from it. D got it 6 years ago and had no problem. S also had to drop the last Pertussis from the DPT vaccine when he was small as he was having increased severity in his reaction after each of those vaccines. My brother had meningitis about 45 years ago. Fortunately he recovered and had no lasting problems. If I can avoid it for my kids, I will.</p>
<p>bluealien,
I believe the answer to your question is that, presumably, by age 26, you will have been infected and the vaccine is meant to be preventative.</p>
<p>Wait, you can't get the HPV shot after age 26, even if you haven't yet been infected?</p>
<p>I don't think it's recommended.</p>
<p>I had the meningitis shot yesterday and have felt like crap all day, so take that for what its worth :P</p>
<p>Better than dying though.</p>
<p>so basically if you don't get HPV by 26 and you haven't yet gotten the vaccination, then you're screwed?</p>
<p>or is your body somehow less susceptible after age 26?</p>
<p>I think that the reason the vaccine is not recommended after age 26 has to do with changes in the body. I seem to remember that in very young women, certain cells on the cervix are exposed. As they get older, those cells move to a location where they are protected. I believe that early sexual intercourse, before the cervix has fully matured, increases the risk of cervical cancer. I'm not sure whether it's because of the virus or because of mechanical trauma.</p>
<p>My son had the meningitis vaccine at 13, a year ago, before going to CTY. </p>
<p>There are good reasons that certain people should not get vaccines. For example, certain vaccines are dangerous for people with allergies to eggs. People in this category have to rely on most of the rest of the population being vaccinated.</p>
<p>Both S and D had meningitis vaccine at 14 and 16, not an illness to be messed with!! D has had first Hpv vaccine with no reaction.</p>
<p>So, if you haven't got HPV by age 26, then you are at a lower risk of getting it later in your life?</p>
<p>Why not just make significant others get tested for diseases before signing a marriage license then? LOL.</p>
<p>re: gardisil for those older than 26:</p>
<p>Apparently the necessary testing for that age group has only just begun. Looks as though there may be something down the road though.</p>
<p>thanks ldmom, I was really confused...</p>
<p>Idmom beat me to it.</p>
<p>It's all a matter of testing. The FDA (rightfully) is very stringent on what any drug can be marketed/used for, and this is a good example in which the full trials haven't been completed for the given ages, and thus no recommendation. That said I wouldn't be surprised if there were doctor's offices offering the vaccine to those older than 26. There are plenty of drugs prescribed for "off-label" uses.</p>
<p>Cons: maybe a few $, some time, possibly feeling sick or having a sore/bruised arm, the remote possibility of serious side effect or allergic reaction</p>
<p>Pros: your kid is a lot less likely to die from or be disabled by meningitis</p>
<p>I have known two people who have had meningitis. One person was an infant at the time and has had no serious problems since, though her parents were warned of the liklihood of brain damage, serious learning problems, deafness, and blindness (and death, of course). The second person was a teenager and is now dead. </p>
<p>This is a vaccine you don't want to skip, unless you have certain allergies or conditions that you will be told about first.</p>
<p>Please get immunized for meningitis. My co-worker's son died from it 3 years ago. He was a strong young man and very healthy. Was supposed to begin college in the fall of 2004. He went hiking with friends on a Thursday evening in April; by Friday at 0700, he was dead. The disease kills quickly and if it doesn't kill you, it can maim you just like corranged says. It can also cause you to need to have your limbs amputated. </p>
<p>I honored his memory by getting both of my sons immunized.</p>
<p>Maybe this article will convince all of the importance of the meningitis vaccine:</p>
<p>I wish you could see the picture in our paper of the beautiful college coed with both arms amputated at the elbow, wearing prosthetic arms with metal clamps for hands. Not pictured are her amputated legs.</p>
<p>I'm not sure why there's even any debate on the meningitis vaccine. In Mass, it is required by law if you are going to live in a college dorm. Same in Penn, and I think many other states. It's not optional (unless you sign that you have a religious objection to vaccines).</p>
<p>DD is 15, she (and all her friends) are getting the HPV vaccine. One of my friends was horrified when I told her I was getting the vaccine for DD, she thinks giving her daughter the vaccine is saying she expects her to have premarital sex. I told her: a) even if my daughter is perfect and never makes a mistake before she gets married, how do we know her future husband didn't make a mistake once in his life? b) I've never heard of a teenaged girl deciding not to have sex because she might get cervical cancer, and c) I don't think that cancer is an appropriate "punishment" for having pre-marital sex.</p>