A new study has found no evidence linking human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine shots to unsafe sex among teenage girls, nor will they give them a false sense of security when it comes to sex.
Parents, to date, were concerned that some teenage girls, who take the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, become active sexually, and take part in risky sex behaviors that they wouldn't normally do. However, experts, who conducted a research, said this concern is unfounded and hope that the research will calm the minds of parents who believe HPV shots might encourage sexual promiscuity among their young daughters.
"We hope this study reassures parents, and thus improves HPV vaccination rates, which, in turn, would reduce rates of cervical and other cancers that can result from HPV infection," said Dr. Jessica Kahn, a physician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
It has also been proven that some girls didn't change their behavior towards risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) after taking the HPV vaccine, according to researchers.
"There are so many contributing factors to whether an adolescent decides to have sex or not, and whether they decide to limit their number of partners or use condoms," Kahn told Reuters. "Getting a vaccine probably just plays a very, very small role in their decisions."
For this study, researchers surveyed more than 300 girls between the ages of 13 and 21 after they got their first dose of HPV. Kahn then asked about their sexual experiences, whether or not they practice safe sex and what they think of safe sex. Furthermore, Kahn asked how they felt about sexually transmitted diseases after taking the HPV vaccine.
Two and six months later, Kahn asked the same questions again to determine if anything has changed. She also wanted to know if the HPV shots are changing their sexual behavior.
At the end of the day, nothing was found to suggest a change in sexual behavior, proving HPV has nothing to do with teenage girls wanting to have sex or perform risky sexual acts.
"Whatever they believed, those key beliefs around the need for safe sex, and whether they're protected against other sexually transmitted infections, they were not associated with riskier behaviors," Kahn told HealthDay.
The research has also shown that young girls who choose to have sex are doing with their own free will, and were not influenced by the vaccine shot.
