(Untitled)

[solodanceparty]

On the radio, I heard, since Jade Goody found out about having cancer, she's been trying to get pap smears for women under 25. But someone in the NHS said there is no need, because cancer that young is so rare. When I was living at home in the US, I started getting them when I turned 18. When I moved over 3 years ago, it was the first thing I asked

Comments

[lolichan]

The age in the US, as far as I've been told, is 21 OR upon the start of sexual activity.

Can you get the HPV vaccine easily in the UK? You can in the US, but it's quite expensive

[emmala]

my experience in the U.S. is that it's based more on sexual activity--i think my MD said after a year of sexual activity.

[lolichan]

Yeah, exactly. That's what my gyn told me as well "21 years of age or after a year of sexual activity"

[arosoff]

There's a big campaign to immunize girls for HPV. Free on the NHS.

All these debates end up coming down to cost effectiveness--witness Michael Baum's attack on the breast cancer screening program because he says the needless treatment outweighs the lives saved.

[sioneva]

HPV is, however, not the only cause of cervical cancer and the jab doesn't protect against ALL forms of the virus that may cause cervical cancer, only the most common.

Not saying the age shouldn't be lowered - just that the jab shouldn't be seen as the absolute fix for cervical cancer.

[hina]

The HPV vaccine is available for girls under 18 in the UK, for free. I think that from September 08 it will be a standard immunisation for girls age 12-13yo. I'm 17, and my sister is 13, and we've both been immunised. My younger sisters have not. (We're in Scotland.)

[demurelibertine]

Planned Parenthood reccomends three years after sexual activity begins, or 21 whichever comes first. The reasons behind this is two fold: It takes about three years for HPV to develop into something problematic, and that younger women tend to have odd cells on their cervix that are not cancerous, or problematic but will show up as problematic on a pap. No reason to have a colpo if you don't have to!

[frozen_jelly]

You can get it privately if you aren't part of the group currently being vaccinated, or future vaccinated, but its expensive, a couple of hundred pounds I think.