A new study finds no increased risk of blood clots in women who've been vaccinated for the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is a virus that has been linked to several different types of cancer in women and men.
"They found that blood clots are not associated with the HPV vaccine," said Dr. Ellen Rome, who did not take part in the study but is a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children's.
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Researchers at Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark studied more than 500,000 women and girls aged 10 - 44. They found no link between the HPV vaccine and blood clots during the 42 days following vaccination, which has been defined as the main risk period. Researchers say the results should provide peace of mind to women and parents considering the HPV vaccine for their daughters. Rome agrees.
"Boys and girls should start getting this shot somewhere between 9 and 12 and then finish the series of shots, ideally, by 14. Not too late to start and end after that, but your immunity is best at that younger age of starting it," Rome explained.
Complete findings for the study "Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism" can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association.