What vaccines do I need if I'm sexually active?

[socurious]

We know chlamydia and other STD's are curable. But what others aren't? I want to make sure I keep evertyhing on track.

[Guest]

Well, obviously HIV and herpes aren't curable, but they're treatable. Same story for Hepatitis B: not curable but treatable, and preventable with vaccine. HPV can lead to throat and anal cancer,  both of which are really nasty, and is also preventable by vaccine. Review these websites:

https://www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/STD.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/adult.html

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Hep A&B vax.

PrEP (either injectable or pill).

You can also look into DoxyPrEP if you and your doc think it's a good idea.

Meningitis vax is a smart idea.

HPV vax series is a must.  More gay men need it.  It's not pushed as hard as it should be.

[socurious]

Thanks for the help, babies. I love y'all.

[+ sniper]

Also the HPV vaccine had the max age raised from 30 to 45 a couple years back, they really should have publicized that. 

[+ sniper]

Also you can still get the HPV vaccine if you are past the recommended age, you'll just have to pay out of pocket. Given it protects against multiple strains, I went ahead and did that.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

Got my first HPV vaccine a few weeks ago.  I've been trying for years to get it.  I even had a doctor's subscription for it.  Even though the FDA raised the age to include me, I was not within the CDC's range.  Therefore, pharmacies refused to administer it.  I finally got it when I saw HPV listed in a drop down menu when trying to schedule a Coronavirus vaccine.

[CuriousByNature]

8 minutes ago, sniper said:

Also you can still get the HPV vaccine if you are past the recommended age, you'll just have to pay out of pocket. Given it protects against multiple strains, I went ahead and did that.

I wondered about that.  I thought it was only approved for people who are 45 and under, because the vast majority of people will have been exposed to it by that age.  I'm one of the outliers, who is now over 45 but has never been sexually active.  So I would hope I could still be eligible for that vaccine... but I wonder if any pharmacy has ever dealt with someone who is still a virgin at almost 50.  I feel like I am the last Dodo bird - LOL

[+ sniper]

It's recommended for up to 45 and that's why insurance pays for it at that age.  It's "approved for use" for anyone. I wish I had done it earlier when the guideline was 26 or 30.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, sniper said:

It's recommended for up to 45 and that's why insurance pays for it at that age.  It's "approved for use" for anyone. I wish I had done it earlier when the guideline was 26 or 30.

For full disclosure, there simply isn't any evidence the vaccine is helpful in the older age group. Partly that's because almost everybody, especially gay men, has been exposed to HPV by the time they're 40. The other issue is that there's a decades-long time lag between infection and cancer (about 20 years), so unlikely to be beneficial in senior citizens, for example. It just hasn't been studied. But certainly strongly recommended in younger adults. Hopefully, most men now in their 20s were already vaccinated in their teens, but I'd definitely catch up if you didn't get vaccinated. 

[+ sniper]

But part of the reason there's no evidence is they didn't bother studying at those ages. Also there are multiple HPV strains covered by the vaccine...while most people have some strain, it's not like most people have all strains. I wouldn't bother at 75, but at 47 I figured I'd do it, especially as I got started sexually later than average. I was pushing 30.

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, sniper said:

But part of the reason there's no evidence is they didn't bother studying at those ages. Also there are multiple HPV strains covered by the vaccine...while most people have some strain, it's not like most people have all strains. I wouldn't bother at 75, but at 47 I figured I'd do it, especially as I got started sexually later than average. I was pushing 30.

All of what you say is true. Of course, I'd suspect the reason it hasn't been studied is that any such study would have to be huge both in terms of number of subjects and cost, in order to show what would likely be a small benefit (if any). And I'd agree that if I were 47, I'd probably cough up the $600 to get myself vaccinated. That would be purely due to an educated guess, however, not to hard facts.