# Why do they only suggest giving HPV vaccine to women? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610 "2009-04-10T04:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/1 "2009-04-10T04:08:40Z")
Wouldn’t it make more sense to give it to both men and women if one were trying to get rid of the disease? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/2 "2009-04-10T04:13:57Z")
It can be given to males: > **[HPV vaccine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hpv_vaccine#Vaccination_of_males)** > > Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are vaccines that prevent infection by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Available HPV vaccines protect against either two, four, or nine types of HPV. All HPV vaccines protect against at least HPV types 16 and 18, which cause the greatest risk of cervical cancer. It is estimated that HPV vaccines may prevent 70% of cervical cancer, 80% of anal cancer, 60% of vaginal cancer, 40% of vulvar cancer, and show more than 90% efficacy in pre The World He... It’s just that women are far more susceptible to the problems that the HPV vaccine(s) guard against. ---
**Author:** ![Laalune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Laalune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laalune)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/3 "2009-04-10T10:36:04Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > It’s just that women are far more susceptible to the problems that the HPV vaccine(s) guard against. Which might make them more motivated to get the vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/4 "2009-04-10T11:14:43Z")
Women get cervical cancer. Men don’t. The benefit for women is therefore greater. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/5 "2009-04-10T11:21:03Z")
They are suggesting just that here. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5088968/Vaccinate-boys-with-cervical-cancer-jab-experts-says.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5088968/Vaccinate-boys-with-cervical-cancer-jab-experts-says.html) ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/6 "2009-04-10T11:26:07Z")
The vaccine is quite new. I think the idea is that you start using it on those who can benefit the most until it has been widely proved effective and safe and then you move on to those who benefit less. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/7 "2009-04-10T11:29:13Z")
There’s been more testing of the vaccine in girls and women. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/8 "2009-04-10T11:46:54Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Women get cervical cancer. Men don’t. The benefit for women is therefore greater. On the other hand, HPV has also been implicated in penile cancer, which men do get, and rectal and oral cancer, which men get as well as women. Vaccinating men will also reduce the spread of HPV, which will also work to protect women as well as men. It’s just that right now the belief is that vaccinating women will have the largest impact. As time goes by, and as more vaccine is manufactured, we’ll probably see more men vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/9 "2009-04-10T14:54:37Z")
I think because men simply do not have the same amount of push for health issues as women do. I barely hear about prostate cancer, but I cant go one day without seeing something about breast cancer (runs, charities, red dress, red ribbon, etc). There’s a real policy and social issue here. I dont want to say that misandry is a policy, but men’s health issues dont have the backing women’s health issues do. I guess someone can argue that penile cancer is rare and HPV testing and vaccines are new, but we didnt eliminate smallpox from the world by just treated the affected or the those most at risk. We did it by giving everyone vaccinations. Another problem is that the US is a incredibly conservative country and anything that smacks of helping hedonism or going against a christian lifestyle is fought against. Just getting HPV vaccs to women is an uphill battle because social conservatives are fighting it tooth and nail. Getting it out to men has even more barriers to entry. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/10 "2009-04-10T15:15:39Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > The vaccine is quite new. I think the idea is that you start using it on those who can benefit the most until it has been widely proved effective and safe and then you move on to those who benefit less. But it would be even more effective if they used it on both males and females in the high risk population. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/11 "2009-04-10T15:16:19Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > I think because men simply do not have the same amount of push for health issues as women do. I barely hear about prostate cancer, but I cant go one day without seeing something about breast cancer (runs, charities, red dress, red ribbon, etc). That isn’t misandry. It’s that teh boobiez are considered more sexxay than teh prostatez. Breast cancer ads, after all, afford opportunities to trumpet schmaltzy slogans like “save the ta-tas,” to show print ads with nekkid or semi-nekkid chicks, and to proliferate the old “a woman isn’t a woman without her boobs, don’t you want women to not lose their boobs?” The fact that breast cancer also kills seems rather a secondary message. Prostates just don’t offer that same opportunity. You never see any “save the butt-glands” ads with pictures of men’s naked posteriors, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/12 "2009-04-10T15:22:32Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > But it would be even more effective if they used it on both males and females in the high risk population. Assuming the vaccines are effective for men, that is. That’s still being studied. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/13 "2009-04-10T20:41:59Z")
I’m trying to imagine why a vaccine would work in only one gender and not the other… that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/14 "2009-04-10T21:59:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I cant go one day without seeing something about breast cancer (runs, charities, red dress, red ribbon, etc). Just a nitpick, but the red dress and red ribbon are for heart disease. Heart disease is more common in men than in women, so it’s gotten more attention in men, but it’s still the leading killer of both genders, so it’s worth raising awareness of it in women. The ribbons for breast cancer are pink. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/15 "2009-04-10T23:25:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just a nitpick, but the red dress and red ribbon are for heart disease. Heart disease is more common in men than in women, so it’s gotten more attention in men, but it’s still the leading killer of both genders, so it’s worth raising awareness of it in women. The ribbons for breast cancer are pink. I think the red ribbon is still just for AIDS. The red dress is definitely for heart disease awareness for women; they are chronically underdiagnosed, especially because their heart attack symptoms are often different from men’s symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/16 "2009-04-11T00:23:59Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m trying to imagine why a vaccine would work in only one gender and not the other… that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Well, the parts are different, and the immune system may be working differently in different parts. That said, it probably would work fine, but it needs to be tested first to make sure. You may need a different dose or immunization schedule to get optimal protection. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/17 "2009-04-11T00:56:04Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > But it would be even more effective if they used it on both males and females in the high risk population. Given that the CDC estimates that [75% of sexually active adults have HPV or have had it in the past](http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/humanpapillomavirus), “high risk” in this instance = everyone who has sex. > [@HorseloverFat](#): > > I think because men simply do not have the same amount of push for health issues as women do. Actually, it’s just the opposite. The high visibility of programs dedicated to women’s health are a response to women, especially younger (i.e. premenopausal) women, being shut out of clinical trials and research for many years, to some extent at the _order_ of the FDA. For too many years, it was out of sight, out of mind, and there had to be a strong and highly vocal movement in the opposite direction to counter that. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/18 "2009-04-11T01:32:01Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Well, the parts are different, and the immune system may be working differently in different parts. That said, it probably would work fine, but it needs to be tested first to make sure. You may need a different dose or immunization schedule to get optimal protection. Different parts? Both men and women have anuses and mouths and throats which can also be sites of infection of HPV and a way of transmitting the virus. I am unaware of any other vaccine in which there is any significant difference in how well it works for one gender over another. I think cervical cancer is more of a problem because cervixes are not easily viewable whereas a boo-boo on a pee-pee is far more likely to attract attention and be examined prior to progressing to cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/19 "2009-04-11T01:45:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I am unaware of any other vaccine in which there is any significant difference in how well it works for one gender over another. That was one of the arguments the FDA used to use for not testing drugs on women - besides the whole “you’re going to get pregnant” thing. That’s not quite the case; efforts by the [Society for Women’s Health Research](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_for_Women%27s_Health_Research) led to a study which showed that 8 of the 10 (then-) just-pulled drugs had worse health effects on women than men. Imagine the outcry if, for instance, the untested Gardasil vaccine caused a terrible autoimmune reaction in a percentage of men, leading to damage to the testes, for instance. Just because no other vaccine (IIRC) has had gender-based differences doesn’t mean that it’s not theoretically possible. Even if it proves to not be, it is the **ethical** thing to do. I think it’s a wise decision to test a drug **or** vaccine for safety and efficacy on all possible populations before approving it for use for that indication. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610/20 "2009-04-11T01:53:23Z")
Quoth **Ferret Herder** : > [@](#): > > I think the red ribbon is still just for AIDS. The red dress is definitely for heart disease awareness for women; they are chronically underdiagnosed, especially because their heart attack symptoms are often different from men’s symptoms. Ah, yes, my mistake on the red ribbon. I haven’t seen any of those in a long time; perhaps folks just think that awareness of AIDS has already been raised enough? Back on the topic of HPV, I find it somewhat surprising that it’s mostly sexually-transmitted, given that it can spread skin-to-skin. Sure, of course the genitals are a prime location for infection, what with being moist and protected and all, but on the other hand, most folks shake hands a lot more often than we have sex. You’d think that the sheer quantity of hand-to-hand contact would make up for the less optimal transmission conditions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-only-suggest-giving-hpv-vaccine-to-women/492610.md?page=2)