Health & Well-Being Pre-Menopause and Beyond

A recent Associated Press news story had me despising the media once again. It claimed that Gardasil, the vaccine that protects young women against cervical cancer, has a reputation for being one of the "most painful of childhood shots"  – noting reports of pain and fainting from the shot.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous wastes of time in printing such an article, and of my time in reading it. I won't even bother to post a link to it here!

First of all – hello… IT'S A SHOT! As with anything else, it all relates to tolerance level. We're talking about a vaccine that is recommended for girls between the ages of 9 and 26 – not little children. Most selecting the vaccine are in their teens and early 20s.

We all know that some people are babies when it comes to a needle of any kind, whether it's a vaccine, or blood sample. I have two daughters, one has zero tolerance to pain (she has had to be restrained for a simple TB test!), and the other is "normal" – both had the Gardasil shot and both survived just fine.  The nurse warned them of the rumors, which didn't help for my "baby" (now age 20)- so of course, she said it "stung" and my other daughter (age 16) didn't even flinch.

The article noted a rise in reports of vaccine-associated fainting. Hype has a lot to do with the hysterics, which has a lot to do with teenaged girls fainting. Not to mention the fact that teens faint more than any other age group.

Even if it hurts for a second, it should not deter any young woman from protecting herself. Gardasil is the first and only vaccine I know of that specifically targets the human papilloma virus (HPV), responsible for cervical cancer.