Your Guide to the HPV Vaccine

The New Vaccine that Protects Women from HPV

What is Human Papillomavirus?

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that spreads by way of sexual contact. Most often, HPV is harmless, causing few symptoms and going away without any residual effects. However, there are some types of HPV that can infect a woman's cervix, causing cells of the cervix to change, which can in some cases lead to cervical cancer, a cancer that kills almost 4,000 women each year in the United States alone.
In addition to cervical cancer, HPV infection can also cause genital warts, a highly contagious, sexually-transmitted disease characterized by clusters of lumps around the genital and anal areas. In women, the warts can spread to the inner walls of the vagina, the uterus, the cervix and the anus.

Facts About the HPV Vaccine

The HPV vaccine is the first vaccine approved by the FDA that prevents infection by four types of HPV. These four types account for 70 percent of all cervical cancers and 90 percent of all genital warts.

How is the Vaccine Given?
The vaccine is given in a series of three injections over a six-month period. Women who become pregnant after starting the series should wait until after the delivery of their baby before finishing the vaccine series.

Who Should Get the Vaccine?
The purpose of the new HPV vaccine is to prevent infection with HPV. To do this, vaccination is ideally given before a woman becomes sexually active. To that end, experts recommend that all girls 11 and 12 years old receive the vaccine. The vaccine can be given to girls as young as nine years of age. Girls 13 to 26 should receive the vaccine if they have not completed the series previously or are not yet sexually active. There is not enough clinical data available for the FDA to approve the vaccine for women older than 26 years.

Why is the Vaccine Given to Such Young Girls?
The vaccine is targeted to girls nine to 13 because there is a higher probability that girls that age are not yet sexually active. Girls that are already sexually active have in most cases been exposed to at least one and in some case as many as four of the HPV types covered by the vaccine. For them, HPV infection has already occurred and the vaccine would be of limited benefit.

What About Boys and Pregnant Women? Should They Be Vaccinated?
As of now, the vaccine should not be given to boys or pregnant women. The benefits to boys and the effects on the unborn have not been studied enough to endorse vaccination in those populations. That's not to say the vaccine will never be recommended for them, but for now the vaccine is limited to young girls nine to 26.

How Much Does the Vaccine Cost?
The current cost of the HPV vaccine is about $120 per dose or $360 for the series. Some commercial insurance companies cover the cost of recommended vaccines along with the cost administration. Keep in mind, however, that it may take some time for the vaccine to get listed on formularies and lists of covered services. There are also federally funded programs that will assist with the cost of the vaccine. One such program is the Vaccines for Children Program that provides free vaccines to children in need.