Cervical Cancer Vaccine

[annejun0503]

Gusto ko rin mag ma inject nitong vaccine kaya lang hesitant ako dahil sa mga side effects na nababasa ko and besides 29 na ako so baka wala nang effect.

"its for females 10 yrs old up even up to the age 80" ---- quoted from a GSK Med. Rep

[chrislovestintin]

naisip ko din e hehe saka baka factor na super bata nun mga nagpapa inject na affected? pero convince convince ko muna sarili ko.. nakakatakot talaga... may exp na kasi ako nagkaron ng severe reaction sa gamot... i dont want that to happen again.. or baka hindi ako pede dito sa Gardasil hehe magsisipag na lang ako mag pa pap smear...

There's another cervical cancer vaccine sis, Cervarix, if natatakot ka sa dami ng side effects ng Gardasil.
Re reported adverse events naman, in the studies, as with any other vaccine, after the subjects were given the shot, any adverse events or reactions should be reported whether or not they are related to the vaccine.  i.e. after taking the shot, the subject got hit a car and died, it is also documented.  That is not related to the vaccine.

[chrislovestintin]

question mga sis...wala bang test na ginagawa before the vaccine? what if may existing illness na pala tapos nagpavaccine baka po useless na rin ang vaccine...wala din naman kasing signs ang cancer unless severe na diba? hope someone can enlighten me ty in advance...

Hi sis!  To date, there are no commercially available tests to check if you have the specific HPV  types s.a. 16 & 18 that causes 70% of cervical cancer.  In other viruses like chickenpox etc, once we get it, may protection na tayo against future infections.  With HPV, we do NOT develop that kind of protection.  And even if we are currently infected by HPV 16, we could still get the protection from HPV 18.  If your body cleared the infection against that HPV 16, the vaccine may protect you from subsequent infection.  Studies have also shown that Cervarix may also protect against other HPV cancer-causing types such as HPV 45, HPV 31 etc.
Lastly, totoong walang signs and symptoms ang cancer kung nasa early stage.  They are usually detected pag severe na and that's why cervical cancer is scary.  Pap smear could only detect the lesion if you already have it, it cannot prevent you from getting the HPV infection.  It is wise to have the vaccine now and pap smear yearly (until otherwise advised by OB).

[chrislovestintin]

I encourage ng ako ng ob na magpa vaccine, kahit 29 na ako at hindi ako sexually active. Okay pa rin pag ganon na ang age?

Yes sis.  Studies have shown that you may get Cervarix from 10 years old onwards.  Even in women older than 45 y.o. (these are the ages na medyo humihina na ang immune system), the amount of vaccine protection was not diminished.

[chrislovestintin]

my 12yo daughter was given a letter by their school to have this vaccine but i didn't obliged coz she's too young for this and i, for one, is not convinced about its effectiveness. maybe, i'll just have to do with a yearly pap smear & try to have a healthy lifestyle 

It's good that you have a healthy lifestyle sis.  Pap smear is a good way of detecting cervical lesions.   I can imagine the pain and suffering the patient and her family has to go through once detected with the disease.  Pap smear however, will not protect you from getting the HPV which causes cervical cancer. 

I know a doctor who's been diagnosed with cervical cancer at 26.  She knows she's healthy, she's into sports and she's a general practitioner.  She got pregnant at 26.  Subjected to pap smear test and found out she has cancer.  For her, she's lucky it's at early stage.  She was asked to choose whether to push thru with pregnancy and risk the cancer to progress or have the pregnancy aborted and treat the disease right away.  She chose the child and push thru with pregnancy.  Now, after surviving cervical cancer, she cannot bear another child.

[kim103]

^ teary-eyed naman ako sa kwento mo.

lifetime na po ba itong shot? i was asked by my ob to take the shot. mid 30's na ko. and im planning to migrate next year. ok lang ba magpa-shot ako dito twice then yun last shot ko abroad na since di na ko aabot. ot, mas mahal ba sa abroad and di ba ito covered ng healthcard?

[chrislovestintin]

^ teary-eyed naman ako sa kwento mo.

lifetime na po ba itong shot? i was asked by my ob to take the shot. mid 30's na ko. and im planning to migrate next year. ok lang ba magpa-shot ako dito twice then yun last shot ko abroad na since di na ko aabot. ot, mas mahal ba sa abroad and di ba ito covered ng healthcard?

Hi sis!  Currently we do not know kung hanggang kelan protection that the vaccine could give.  From Cervarix clinical trials, longest single trial for any cervical cancer vaccine,  8.5 years ng may follow-up ang subjects and there's no sign na bumababa ang protection.  There's a mathematical modeling (not the actual clinical study) that it could actually last for 5 decades.  Sa age natin na ito, plus 50 years, parang lifetime na yun.

Re schedule ng vaccination, there are people, particularly OFW who get 2 shots here from their OB, then dala nila yung isa pa to be injected by a physician there.  As long as may dala sila na prescription at ma-maintain yung vaccine temperature inside a cooler (2-8 degrees).

[baby michael]

i asked our family doctor about this vaccine and she said i cannot get it na daw kase up to 28 years old lang daw binibigyan nung vaccine...i'm in my mid 30s na.. i'm here in the US.. so baka hindi bayaran ng insurance kung over 28 na.. the vaccine is most effective for girls na hindi pa sexually active like young teenagers pa lang..so better mag pap smear na lang ako anually. and if your in a monogamous relationship naman daw walang risk.

[chrislovestintin]

i asked our family doctor about this vaccine and she said i cannot get it na daw kase up to 28 years old lang daw binibigyan nung vaccine...i'm in my mid 30s na.. i'm here in the US.. so baka hindi bayaran ng insurance kung over 28 na.. the vaccine is most effective for girls na hindi pa sexually active like young teenagers pa lang..so better mag pap smear na lang ako anually. and if your in a monogamous relationship naman daw walang risk.

Hi sis!  Vaccine approval varies from country to country kasi.  Totoo naman din na if you are in a monogamous relationship, wala ng risk.  That is, kung from the very start (as in from birth), you and your partner ay walang naging affair (body contact).  Madali kasi makuha yung HPV, skin to skin lang, even without sexual penetration.  Pero for example, your partner has had contact before, yung risk mo is not just counted as one (depende pa kung ilang ang naging partner nung girl na nagkaroon siya ng contact with years ago).

[kim103]

@chrislovestintin  i see, thanks for replying. do you happen to know kung mas mahal abroad and di covered ng healthcard, like you said baka nga two shots me dito tapos yun last sa abroad na lang.  TIA!

[chrislovestintin]

@chrislovestintin  i see, thanks for replying. do you happen to know kung mas mahal abroad and di covered ng healthcard, like you said baka nga two shots me dito tapos yun last sa abroad na lang.  TIA!

Hi sis!  If you're going to the US, I think it won't be covered kasi nga until 26 years old lang ang approved age indication ng cervical cancer vaccines.  Mas mahal?  I think so.  Nagbaba kasi ang vaccines dito the Pinas so more women could afford it.

[inakisgurl]

i am a well-meaning person and id like to share my POV lang..

please i do not mean to offense anybody.

i have a cousin who works as a cythotechnologist in canada(as per google, Cytotechnologists are trained technologists to work with pathologists to detect changes in cellular material from all body sites in the early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.) when i asked her about it, she said that the vaccine is unneccessary. the most impt thing is for you to be monogamous and have a yearly pap smear.

Sadly, i had the vaccine already. company benefits kasi at a much lower price. but im so scared to have the papsmear. pero i ought to one of these days.

[kim103]

@chrislovestintin   canada, 30's na ko. naku pano kung sa canada di ko bigyan ng 3rd injection e di sayang..

@inakisgurl  sis, canada punta ko. acceptable ba yun reseta galing pinas baka kasi di ako bigyan ng 3rd injection.  do you happen to know kung mas mahal ang vaccine dun?

[inakisgurl]

sis, i think mas mahal yung vaccine sa canada. but im not really sure ha. i think pwede mo namna pakita yung ---umm kasi ako when i had my shots, may maliit na book na fill-up-an nung OB ko..eveytime na ill have my shot, nilalagyan nya ng date..siguro pwede naman

[herroyalbleakness]

sis inakisgurl

ive even read literature that the vaccine can cause more harm than good (ie, more prone to diseases with high mortality rate).  but i have yet to verify the study's validity. pero it is scary, noh? hay, ang hirap i-weigh kug ano ang paniniwalaan.

well, like you, ive gotten my first shot. sayang naman kung di ko ituloy.

[mooncake and leaves]

kim: I'm not sure but I think it will be more expensive in Canada, if you don't have insurance. And I agree-they might not give you one considering the age factor. With insurance and depending on what you have, all 3 shots should be free. But without it, masakit sa bulsa.

[inakisgurl]

my first shot was terrible...my left arm was in pain for 2days...the dr said that its normal since the vaccine was oil based daw so super concentrated.

i just hope i made the right decision in availing this vaccine. pero yung 2nd-3rd shot ko, minimal pain...ngalay feeling lang yung arms...

ironically, when i had my flu shots, napansin ko, mas madalas ako sipunin...kaya this year, i didnt had the shot..nad guess what, ni hndi yata ako sinipon ever.

[sketchpad]

I was infected by a strain of HPV. Luckily hindi yung nakakacancer na strain.

Ngayon hindi pa ko cleared ng OB ko para sa vaccine. Madami pa syang tests na ginagawa. I guess she's making sure na wala na yung una at malakas na ang immune system ko.

I wished I had the vaccine earlier para hindi ko na dinanas ang makating effect ng HPV.

Salute sa mga nakapagpainject na!

[kim103]

nalito tuloy ako hehe.

^ sis, how did you find out na may HPV ka if you dont mind me asking?

[prettymish98]

hello mga sisses, does anyone here have the cervarix done by doc eileen manalo? how much does she rate per shot? or may alam ba kayo na medyo cheaper price than usual?