Can I go ahead with my HPV vaccine? If you are still impacted by COVID-related symptoms, it is best that you wait until you feel well to have the HPV vaccine.
Yes. Even if you already have one strain of HPV , you could still benefit from the vaccine because it can protect you from other strains that you don't yet have. However, none of the vaccines can treat an existing HPV infection.
Yes. You should still get the HPV vaccine even if you have had an abnormal Pap test because even if you have been infected with HPV, it is not likely that you have been infected with all of the types that the vaccine protects against. So, you can still benefit from protection afforded by the HPV vaccine.
Some people should not get some HPV vaccines if: They have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any ingredient of an HPV vaccine, or to a previous dose of HPV vaccine. They have an allergy to yeast (Gardasil and Gardasil 9). They are pregnant.
Even if you've been infected with one type of HPV, it may not be too late to help protect yourself from certain cancers caused by other types of the virus covered by the vaccine to which you haven't been exposed to yet.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.
The vaccine won't protect people against types of HPV to which they've already been exposed, and many sexually active people have been exposed to at least some HPV types by their late 20s. That makes it tougher for the vaccine to have an impact in this age group.
Some people should not get HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9) or should wait. Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to any component of HPV vaccine, or to a previous dose of HPV vaccine, should not get the vaccine.
Over the years, researchers have learned more about when people should get the HPV vaccine. It was originally approved for females ages 9 through 26. Then the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended both females and males get vaccinated up to age 26. However, people up to age 45 can get vaccinated.
Often, HPV warts will appear three to six months after sexual relations with an infected person; or they may take months to appear; or they may never appear. Likewise, the interval between an infection with HPV and a cervical smear abnormality can vary from months to decades.
Options include freezing (cryosurgery), laser, surgical removal, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold knife conization.
There is a small chance that someone might still get genital warts after having all their HPV vaccine shots. The vaccine protects against 90% of the HPV strains that cause genital warts. But there are lots of different strains (types) of HPV and the vaccine cannot protect against them all.
But even people with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV. And it may not be possible to determine if a partner who has been sexually active in the past is currently infected. That's why the only sure way to prevent HPV is to avoid all sexual activity.
Usually, the body's immune system gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years. This is true of both oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV types. By age 50, at least 4 out of every 5 women will have been infected with HPV at one point in their lives. HPV is also very common in men, and often has no symptoms.
Vaccination is not recommended for everyone older than age 26 years. Some adults ages 27 through 45 years might decide to get the HPV vaccine based on discussion with their clinician, if they did not get adequately vaccinated when they were younger.
“By the time you vaccinate individuals in their 30s and 40s, many have already been exposed to HPV, so the health benefit really decreases at these older ages,” she said. “It's also important to emphasize that cervical cancer screening remains an effective and cost-effective way to protect women from cervical cancer.”
HPV Immunization Schedule
The vaccine is recommended for girls and boys 9 to 11 years old, and for older kids who aren't yet vaccinated. The vaccine is given as a series of shots: For kids and teens ages 9–14, the HPV vaccine is given in 2 shots over a 6- to 12-month period.
HPV vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program through school-based programs for children aged 12-13.
Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.
HPV is easily spread from sexual skin-to-skin contact with someone who has it. You get it when your vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, or anus touches someone else's genitals or mouth and throat — usually during sex. HPV can be spread even if no one cums, and even if a penis doesn't go inside the vagina/anus/mouth.
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It most commonly spreads during anal or vaginal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. HPV can spread even when a person with the infection has no signs or symptoms.
Whilst condoms may not fully protect your partner from HPV, they do protect both of you from other sexually transmitted infections. For couples in long-term monogamous relationships, condoms are probably of little value in preventing HPV infections as partners will inevitably share HPV.
Why would someone in a relationship need the HPV vaccine? If you're in a casual or polyamorous relationship – i.e. you and your partner have sex with other people – then you could both benefit from getting the HPV vaccine. Any time you have sex with a new person, there's a risk of getting HPV, even if you use condoms.
Anyone who meets the criteria, whether they have had sex or not, can get the vaccine. Although the recommended age is typically before people become sexually active, it's approved for people up until age 45.
No screening test is 100% effective
an HPV infection or abnormal cells can sometimes be missed (a 'false negative' result) abnormal cells can develop and turn into cancer in between screening tests.