Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional, just somebody who cares about this kind of thing! Talk to your doctor!

I have seen people post a few times about how the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, which was approved over a decade ago, was updated this summer by the CDC to include people who are between 26 and 45, particularly those in higher risk groups. (Spoiler: if you're on a sex-oriented sub, you might be in a higher risk group! Those who participate in nonmonogamy in particular are high risk.)

First off, if you're not already aware, HPV is a virus that comes in many different strains. Some of them cause genital warts. And more importantly, some of them cause cancer! And not just cervical cancer, which has gotten a lot of press. HPV can cause cervical, vaginal, and vulval cancers in people who have those parts; penile cancer in people who have penises; and anal and throat cancers in everybody.

Now maybe you're thinking, I'm good about using condoms, and get tested regularly. That's awesome! But HPV can be transmitted via skin to skin contact even when a condom is used, and it's not routinely tested for in STI testing unless warts are present. And guess what- the strains that cause cancer don't always cause warts. Also, it's super common. From the CDC: "About 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. About 14 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that almost every person who is sexually-active will get HPV at some time in their life if they don’t get the HPV vaccine." This is why the vaccine is recommended for kids before they've become sexually active, around 11-12 years old.

And now you might be thinking, well, I probably already have HPV if those numbers are correct. And that's a fair point! But the most commonly used HPV vaccine, Gardasil 9, protects against 9 different strains, and you probably don't have all of them. So how do you get the vaccine?

Option one: your insurance might cover it. This is what happened to me. I called my insurance company, and told them that I'm in the expanded age range and want to get the vaccine. They checked and said that they follow the CDC recommendations, so they'll cover it. Awesome. I went to my friendly local pharmacy and did a walk in appointment to get my first dose. The pharmacist was excited- he said I was the first person over 26 to come in and get it.

If you're 26 or under, your insurance will almost certainly cover it. I've heard from people over 26 that it's been strongly dependent on the insurance company, which is why you should call ahead.

Option two: if your insurance company will not cover the vaccine for a walk in appointment, you can try asking your primary care physician. Particularly if you let them know that you are a member of a high risk group, they may order the vaccine as part of the "shared clinical decision making" process. Your doctor might be able to find that it's medically necessary and can help with contesting the insurance company's decision if it comes to that

Option three: if you don't have insurance and meet income guidelines, you can apply to get the vaccine free of cost from the manufacturer: https://www.merckhelps.com/gardasil 9

Option 4: if the other options fail or don't apply, you can always pay out of pocket. I read about somebody who went through this process and found that the out of pocket cost was around $500-600. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

Vaccines in general are amazing, life saving inventions. And think about it this way: if you could protect yourself from cancer, would you? This is one way to do just that!

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm (general info on hpv) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6832a3.htm (more info on the age range decision) https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/parents/cancer.html (more info on cancer caused by hpv) A great podcast on this topic and many others: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/the-hpv-vaccine/