The HPV Vaccine

You may have seen the commercials showing young women chanting “I want to be one less.” And you ask yourself, “One less what?” Let’s break it down, starting from the beginning.

What kind of cancer is that, anyway? The bottom third of a woman’s uterus is called the cervix. The cervix is vulnerable to infection, especially in teenage girls, and many sexually transmitted diseases affect the cervix. Cervical cancer is when the cells of the cervix become deformed as a result of disease. Once it forms, it can spread to nearby organs, like the colon and kidneys. Treatment may involve removing the infected parts of the cervix, removing the entire cervix and uterus, chemotherapy or radiation.

Where does the cancer come from? Almost all cervical cancer develops from Human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease. It is transferred through genital skin contact, and because condoms don’t cover the entire genital area, condoms have not proven effective at preventing HPV. The only way to effectively prevent HPV is to abstain from sex until you marry someone without the disease. HPV usually isn’t visible, so only a doctor can tell if someone has it.

How do I know if I have it? Women need to get regular check ups with a gynecologist to make sure that they do not have HPV and to make sure that they do not have cervical cancer. If you have never had sex, though, you most likely don’t have anything to worry about.

What’s the “cervical cancer vaccine”? A drug company recently developed a vaccine that prevents the most common forms of HPV. It greatly reduces a woman’s risk of getting the disease, which means less chance of getting cervical cancer, but it is important to note that it doesn’t work against all types of HPV. For that reason, the absolute best way to avoid the disease is to abstain from sexual activity until marriage, and then to marry someone who doesn’t have the disease. Abstinence is 100% effective at preventing HPV infection! Vaccinations are helpful, but they are not for everyone, so talk to your parents and your doctor about whether the HPV vaccine is right for you.