Public Service Announcement
Public Service Announcement
Ladies, the Guardasil Vaccine (which helps protect against HPV) is a THREE PART series vaccine. If you don't get all three shots, you can still contract HPV. I discovered this recently, the hard way, when I had an abnormal pap smear. I had parts 1 and 2 when I was 17 but missed my appointment for part 3 and never rescheduled. When I went to follow up with my doctor after my pap smear, he informed me of several things I wasn't previously aware of. The most shocking, for me, was that almost ALL sexually active women will contract some strain of HPV at some point in their life. I already knew that HPV can lead to cervical cancer and I thought I was doomed to have a future cancer diagnosis now that I had HPV. But my doctor assured me that in most cases a woman's body will fight off the virus on it's own BEFORE cancer develops. BUT testing positive for HPV does require more frequent pap smears to monitor what's going on, as early detection is KEY in cancer treatment (should cervical cancer develop). Things to remember: GET VACCINATED: Ask your doctor about the Guardisil vaccine, and be sure to make sure you return for ALL THREE shots. (If you've already contracted one strain of the virus, the vaccine will not get rid of it. But even if you've been exposed, you can still get the vaccine and it will protect you against other strains.) HOW IT SPREADS: HPV can spread through skin to skin contact, so even if you ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use condoms, you can still be exposed, which is why the next point is so important... PAP SMEARS: There's quite a stigma around pap smears among young women. STOP PERPETUATING THIS! No, they're not exactly fun, but they should never be painful or emotionally uncomfortable. If you have a male gyno, they are required BY LAW in most places to have a female nurse present when they perform the procedure. And you are well within your rights to request a female doctor instead of male if that makes you more comfortable. If you are sexually active, GET REGULAR PAP SMEARS (annually is what is usually recommended). BE INFORMED: Talk to your doctor about risks and precautions (regarding everything, not just HPV). Ask them ANYTHING. No question is too stupid, too weird, too awkward or too anything for your doctor. When they answer, ask follow up questions and clarify to be sure you understand. Any GOOD doctor should want to help you live a healthy lifestyle, not just see you once is a while when something is wrong. (This goes for all types of doctors, not just gynos.)
