A new study says a vaccine that protects against certain strains of a virus than can cause cervical cancer does not make girls promiscuous.
The study, the first to compare medical records for vaccinated and unvaccinated girls, looks at “markers” of sexual activity after vaccination against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV. Researchers examined up to three years of records on whether girls sought birth control advice, tested for sexually transmitted diseases or became pregnant
The study found no difference in rates of markers compared to unvaccinated girls. Also, very few patients who received the shots at 11 or 12 sought advice, tested for diseases or became pregnant over the following three years.
Nearly 1,400 girls participated in the study at the Kaiser Permanente health plan in Atlanta. Results were published Monday on the Pediatrics magazine website.
According to lead author Robert Bednarczyk, a researcher at Kaiser and Emory University, the results from the study are “comforting and reassuring.” The study is noted as the first to use medical outcomes data to examine results of HPV vaccinations.
HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and is also linked to both anal and oral cancers in women and men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend HPV shots for girls and boys at age 11 or 12, before they ever have sex.
Some opponents of the vaccine have said they think it will encourage girls to have sex because it removes one threat. The study contradicts that view.
What do you think? Are these results convincing? Click here to take our poll.