HPV Vaccine Does Not Lead to Increased Sexual Activity

A new study published in the November issue of Pediatrics is the first to find that receiving the HPV vaccination during childhood will not promote promiscuity, as some critics of the vaccine have alleged.

Researchers examined three years of records after girls were given the vaccination. They looked for markers of sexual activity including, whether girls had sought birth control advice, been tested for sexually transmitted diseases, had taken a pregnancy test or had become pregnant. 

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The study found no difference in rates of those markers compared with unvaccinated girls, leading study authors to think the results should be comforting to some parents who are concerned that the vaccine gives kids the green light to have sex.

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HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and has also been linked with anal and oral cancers in women and men.  In 2006, the CDC recommended that all girls receive the human papillomavirus vaccine between 11 and 12 years of age.  Today the AAP believes HPV shots should been given to both boys and girls in advance to being sexually active. 

Have your children received the HPV vaccine? Leave a comment.