Preteen girls who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine were no more likely than unvaccinated girls to get pregnant, develop sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or seek birth-control counseling.
These were the findings of a new study, discounting concern that HPV vaccination encourages promiscuity, reported USA Today.
HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer. NY Daily News said the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer, but it's most effective when given to girls before they become sexually active.
CBS News stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend HPV vaccination for preteen girls and boys at age 11 or 12. Three doses are generally recommended over six months.
But less than half of girls eligible receive it, wrote MSN.com. Reuters said that one of the arguments against HPV vaccination is that it gives preteens a false sense of security when it comes to sex.
The new study seems to supports evidence to the contrary. The study involved girls enrolled in an Atlanta Kaiser Permanente health plan.
Reuters wrote that out of 1,398 girls who were 11 or 12 when they saw their doctors in 2006 and 2007, 493 got at least one dose of the HPV vaccine.
CBS News said that the researchers didn't ask girls about having sex. Instead they looked at sexual activity “markers” after vaccination against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus.
Specifically, they examined up to three years of records whether girls sought birth control counseling; tests for STDs or pregnancy; or became pregnant.
Very few of the preteen girls who got the shots had done any of those over the next three years, wrote Associated Press. Moreover, the study found no difference in rates of those markers compared with unvaccinated girls.
Based on primary care visit records, 107 of the girls were given a pregnancy test through 2010, and 55 were tested for chlamydia. Girls who did or didn't get the HPV vaccine were equally likely to be tested for both, said Reuters.
"We're hoping this will offer some validation to what we've seen in the past, where girls and young women have indicated that they wouldn't change their sexual behaviors if they got the vaccine," Robert Bednarczyk, lead study author, told MSN.com.
Bednarczyk is a clinical investigator with Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Southeast and an epidemiologist with the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Both organizations paid for the study.
Reuters added that the researchers didn't have data on the number of girls were sexually active during the study period. They also couldn't tell if the STDs and pregnancy tests were part of standard clinical procedures or if girls were tested because they were sexually active or had symptoms.
Sources:
Gardner, Amanda. "HPV Shot Doesn't Encourage Sexual Activity in Girls: Study - MSN Healthy Living - Birth Control." MSN Healthy Living - Tools to Empower Your Best Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/birth-control/hpv-shot-doesnt-encourage-sexual-activity-in-girls-study/?ocid=anshlth11
"HPV vaccine doesn't encourage girls to have more sex: study - NY Daily News." Daily News America - Breaking national news, video, and photos - Homepage - NY Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/hpv-vaccine-encourage-girls-sex-study-article-1.1183751?localLinksEnabled=false
"HPV vaccine won't make girls promiscuous, study finds - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57532174/hpv-shots-dont-make-girls-promiscuous-study-shows
Healy, Michelle. "HPV vaccine not tied to increased promiscuity for girls HPV vaccine not tied to increased promiscuity for girls." USA Today USA TODAY: Latest World and US News - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/15/hpv-vaccine-preteen-sex/1624969
Pittman, Genevra. "Girls may not have riskier sex after HPV vaccination| Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/15/us-girls-hpv-idUSBRE89E03F20121015
Tanner, Lindsey. "HPV shots don't make girls promiscuous, study says." The Big Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hpv-shots-dont-make-girls-promiscuous-study-says#overlay-context=article/endeavours-final-miles-turn-all-night-affair
Reviewed October 16, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith