Q: I am 34 years old and keen on having a cervical cancer vaccination. I understand that it is approved only for females aged between 10 and 26. Does this mean I cannot have the vaccination?

If I can, is Gardasil or Cervarix more appropriate for me? I would also like to know if it is much more painful than normal jabs as it is intra-muscular.

A: Although you are 34 years old, you can still benefit from the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. I would also advise you to go for a regular Pap smear test if you have had sexual intercourse.

Both Cervarix and Gardasil protect against HPV 16 and 18 (both are cancer-causing types). Gardasil also protects against HPV 6 and 11 (which cause genital warts but not cancer).

Cervarix also affords some cross protection against HPV 45 and 31 (also cancer-causing types) and has high antibodies response for a longer period of time compared to Gardasil.

As for the pain, it is comparable to other intra-muscular vaccines such as Hepatitis A and B.

Dr Jeffrey Low

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.