Why Ob/Gyns Say You Should Get The HPV Vaccine, No Matter How Old You Are
According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of cancers related to the human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted infection that can also cause genital warts, is on the rise in the United States. CDC data found that on average, almost 39,000 HPV-associated cancers were diagnosed each year from 2008 to 2012—an increase from the 33,000 diagnosed between 2004 and 2008. Nearly 60 percent of those new cases were in women, and most of them were diagnosed with cervical cancer, says the report. Men, on the other hand, were largely diagnosed with oral cancer related to HPV.
Researchers point out that the majority of these cancers are linked to types of HPV that can be prevented with the HPV vaccine. While the HPV vaccine is available for boys and girls starting at age 11, the CDC notes that only 40 percent of girls 17 and under are fully vaccinated against HPV, meaning they received all three shots within the six-month timeframe. The numbers are even lower for boys. The data is worrisome, since HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., with over 90 percent of women and 80 percent of men who are sexually active getting some form of it in their lifetimes. The vaccine is key because “Full vaccination coverage of the U.S. population could prevent future HPV-attributable cancers," the CDC notes in the report.
One likely reason for the increase in these cancers is that the HPV vaccine is relatively new, Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D., a professor of cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, tells SELF. It's only been available in the U.S. since 2006. “I am not surprised that those who contracted HPV in young adulthood are now being diagnosed with cancers,” she says. “The HPV virus can stay dormant for years and, as we age, our immune systems can't always keep the infection in check.”
Currently, it’s recommended that boys receive the full course of the vaccine before age 21 and girls before age 26. While clinical trials had women up to the age of 45 receive the vaccine, “the FDA felt that there wasn’t as much of a benefit in older women because they may have already been exposed,” Lauren Streicher, M.D., an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and author of Sex Rx: Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever, tells SELF. Lori J. Wirth, M.D., medical director for the Center for Head and Neck Cancers at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, agrees. "The vaccine is only effective in people who have not come into contact with the virus," she points out. So, are you screwed if you missed the age cut-off? Not exactly, says Streicher.
It’s possible to get the vaccine after the age of 26, Streicher points out, it's just that your insurance likely won’t cover it, and it can cost around $500 out-of-pocket, according to the American Cancer Society. “I tell women, if they have not had an HPV vaccine, they absolutely should get one,” says Streicher. "That means every single woman in a non-monogamous or new relationship, no matter how old you are. It is well worth the money to get vaccinated because it is extremely unlikely that you have been exposed to all nine HPV types covered by the vaccine and will therefore be protected.”
Sherry Ross, M.D., an ob/gyn and women's health expert at California's Providence Saint John's Health Center, tells SELF women over 26 ask her about this "all the time." Her thoughts fall along the same lines as Streicher's: It can't hurt to get vaccinated, even if you're over the age cut-off. "There’s not enough evidence that it’s going to have the same benefit as it does in those under 26, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to help you at all," she says. "The risk of the vaccine is so low that it's worth considering getting."
Still not convinced the vaccine is right for you? Experts urge safe sex to lower your risk of contracting HPV, along with getting regular screenings for cervical cancer. (The CDC has detailed guidelines of when to get screened here, broken down by age.) And the good news is that Wirth expects that rates of HPV-related cancers will go down over time. But it might take a while, so the more popular the vaccine gets, the better. "We’re far from the target rates of vaccination indicated by the CDC," she says.
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