HPV Vaccination and Rates of Sexual Behavior in Young Women

In spite of unsubstantiated fears that the HPV vaccine would promote a greater amount of sexual activity in young girls and women receiving it, a study in the January, 2012, issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that, of the 1243 women aged 15-24 who responded to a survey about HPV, there was no difference in either sexual activity or the number of sex partners between those women who did and did not receive the HPV vaccine.  Patients in the study were more likely to have been vaccinated if they had insurance, and non-Hispanic blacks were less likely to have received the vaccine, regardless of their insurance status.

The good news is that the vaccinated girls and women were more likely to be regularly using condoms; the bad news is that vaccination rates are still low, and approximately 25% of girls 14-19 and almost 45% of young women 20-24 are already infected with the HPV virus.

By and large, HPV infection is a preventable disease. We would be glad to discuss any questions and concerns you might have about vaccinating your daughters and sons against this all too common problem; call for an appointment. Thanks to vaccinations, we never see patients with smallpox or polio in the office; we rarely have an office day, however, where we don't see HPV. What's keeping you from doing the right thing for your children?