Posts by northernbison

I’m not going to get into some deep philosophical debate about how there are no set rules when it comes to STIs, but I firmly believe you can minimize the risk to almost nothing if you actually act responsibly.

And if modern medicine has given us breakthroughs to help with that, I honestly don't get why women wouldn't at least consider the option. Cheers !! 🙂

Lisa Carter said:So, if my Pap smear comes back clean, I won't be able to dig deeper to see if I actually have the virus because the results look fine. Interesting. 🤣
It’s still ridiculous that they act like 28 is too late. I’m 28 and maybe had two partners in my life—zero contact with any virus. Meanwhile, this 17-year-old might have had ten partners and been playing hide-and-seek with them... honestly, it's idiocy. Whatever, I'll just go talk to some doctors and find out.

I went to a private clinic for my pelvic exam, Pap smear, and Merck testing, and it cost about $200. $1000 You don't pay everything upfront; you pay after each dose $333. If you haven't had a ton of partners, there's no reason you can't get vaccinated. I got mine at 22. But again, the smartest move is to just talk to your gynecologist and see what they say. 😉

vividhawk32 said:My daughter is in 7th grade and we just got the notice about the Merck vaccine. I found some info saying it protects against the four most aggressive and common types, but also claiming the vaccine hasn't been fully tested. Does anyone have experience with it? Honestly, I don't want my kid dealing with side effects, but if the vaccine actually works, I want to take advantage of it since it's free right now—otherwise, you're looking at three doses for about one $333 ($1000 total). Thanks in advance.

Hopefully this isn't too late, but maybe it helps someone. I was among the first in America to get the Merck shot back in 2008. Zero side effects for me, and none of my friends who got it either. I received Gardasil. Before doing anything, I did my homework and had a full gynecological exam. Personally, I think talking to a gynecologist is still your best bet. Everything on this forum is pretty subjective anyway.😉