My Experience

I received the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), most recently receiving the last of the three shots.

I went to the doctor for a regular check-up and my doctor asked me if I wanted to get the vaccine and recommended it, so I decided to do get it because my doctor said statistics show that 80% of American women will become infected by HPV by the time they are 50 years old.

There were no preparations for this procedure. They just had to make sure I was not ill and that I wasn’t pregnant or planning on getting pregnant in the next 6 months. They took me into a separate room from where they have regular check-ups and had me read through a handout including information on HPV. I received the first shot and they told me I could take Tylenol if I had pain. I went back two months later for the second shot and then four months after that I went back for the third shot. The first and third shots felt like any other shot, but the second one was a little more painful. I didn’t need to do anything to recover.