HPV: Should I Get the Vaccine?

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. You can get HPV by having sex or skin-to-skin genital contact with someone who has the virus. Infection with HPV is common, especially among young people. But most people never know they have the virus, because it may not cause any symptoms.

There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus. Some types of HPV lead to cervical cancer or genital warts.

• Cervical cancer happens when HPV causes abnormal cells in the cervix to grow out of control. HPV can stay in your body for a long time. It can take years for a woman to get cancer from an HPV infection. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women.
• Genital warts (skin growths) may or may not cause symptoms. Even if you treat visible warts, or if the warts go away without treatment, the HPV infection can stay in the body's cells. It's possible to spread genital warts to a sex partner even if you can't see the warts.

The HPV vaccines can help protect people from being infected with some of the most common types of the virus.

The HPV vaccine is given to adults in a series of 3 shots. For the vaccine to work best, you need to get all the shots.

The vaccine doesn't treat an HPV infection. But it may protect a person against types of the HPV virus other than the one causing the infection.

Health insurance may cover all or part of the cost of the vaccine. But if you don't have health insurance, check with your local health department, clinic, or hospital about getting low-cost vaccine.

The best time to get the vaccine is before you become sexually active. But it also protects against HPV after you're sexually active (if you haven't already been infected). When the vaccine is given before you become sexually active, it can prevent almost all infection by the types of HPV the vaccine guards against.

The HPV vaccine is recommended up to age 26. If you are age 27 to 45, ask your doctor if you might benefit from the HPV vaccine.^{footnote 2}

There are many types of HPV. Some types of the virus can cause genital warts. Other types can cause cervical or oral cancer and some uncommon cancers, such as vaginal and anal cancer. The HPV vaccine protects against the most common HPV types that can cause serious problems.^{footnote 3}

The HPV vaccines were tested in thousands of people before being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and there were no serious side effects. You can't get HPV from the vaccine, and it doesn't contain mercury.

The HPV vaccine series is long-lasting. At this time, there is no evidence that protection decreases over time.^{footnote 1}

Some people may have mild side effects such as a low-grade fever and soreness in the arm where the shot was given. But neither lasts long. Your doctor may have you stay in the office for up to 15 minutes after the shot is given, to watch for any reactions.