(HealthDay News) – For girls, receipt of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination at the recommended ages (11–12 years) does not correlate with an increase in sexual activity-related outcomes, according to a study published online Oct 15 in Pediatrics.
Robert A Bednarczyk, PhD, from Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta, and colleagues examined sexual activity-related clinical outcomes after HPV vaccination in a cohort of 1,398 11- to 12-year-old girls, of whom 493 were exposed to the HPV vaccine and 905 were not. Outcomes were assessed during up to three years of follow-up.
The researchers found that there was no significant increase in the risk of the composite primary outcome (any pregnancy/sexually transmitted infection testing or diagnosis or contraceptive counseling) in HPV vaccine-exposed vs. unexposed girls (rate ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–1.8). There were also no clinically significant differences in absolute risk for Chlamydia infection or pregnancy diagnoses for exposed versus unexposed girls.
“Receipt of HPV vaccine by 11- to 12-year-old girls was not associated with clinical markers of increased sexual activity-related outcomes, such as sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy,” Bednarczyk and colleagues conclude.
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Several authors or their institutions disclosed financial ties to Merck and Roche.
