Should lesbians get the HPV vaccine?

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Someone asked us:

Should lesbians get the Gardasil shot?

Gardasil, for those who don’t know (unlike you, you savvy Tumblr-er), is a vaccine that protects against certain strains of HPV (the human papilloma virus) which can cause cervical cancer, oral, anal or penile cancers, or genital warts.

HPV can be passed by vaginal, anal, or oral sex, as well as genital skin-to-skin contact. So your sexual orientation doesn’t have much to do with your risk for HPV. Condoms and dental dams provide  some protection from HPV and other STDs, so they’re always a good idea.

Gardasil won’t completely eliminate your risk for contracting HPV – there are a lot of strains and they’re not all covered by the vaccine. So keeping up with your Pap tests when recommended is still important, vaccinated or not. 

-Mary at Planned Parenthood