A serious post....but one all women need to read

I will admit that I am one of those nervous-nelly moms when it comes to vaccines. Both of my kids were on the delayed schedule for the MMR vaccine, and even though I read all the most recent reports, I held my breath for the next month while I searched for any changes. So, needless to say, I am glad my sweet girl is only one so I have some time to educate myself on the HPV vaccine. But I do think it is an important vaccine. I am not going to get into the vaccine debate here, but instead I am going to share the things I learned that can help us over-thirty ladies. Not that I don't care about you under-thirty ladies, it is just that your bodies are still young enough to get rid of HPV infections on their own!

Believe me, I am NOT the first person to want more tests done. Usually during my pap I have a kid or two that I am desperately trying to distract so they don't pay attention to what is going one. But, this test doesn't require anything different to be done. It is simply additional testing to the pap smear that your Dr. is already doing. So, here is what you need to know:

• If you are age 30 or older, ask your doctor for the digene HPV Test together with your Pap test.
• If both tests come back normal, then the tests don’t need to be repeated for 3 years. But remember to return each
• year for your annual health exam.
• If one or both tests come back abnormal, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have cervical cancer. It simply enables
• your healthcare provider to monitor you more closely or treat pre-cancerous cells before cervical cancer develops.
• Women under 30 will only have HPV testing if their Pap test is inconclusive.

Currently, not all Dr.'s do this automatically, so it is important to speak up and let them know you want it. Maybe if enough women keep asking then it will become normal practice to automatically test for it!

This is really just an overview for you. There is so much more to know, www.theHPVTest.com is a comprehensive site that includes educational material on how to protect yourself, more facts and figures and insurance information.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the QIAGEN digene HPV test. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.