Common HPV Vaccine Side Effects
The
HPV vaccine has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, with many people having been evaluated. In these studies, side effects are always documented and compared to side effects that occur in a similar group of people not taking the medicine. Based on these studies, the most common HPV vaccine side effects include:
- Pain in the area of the injection -- occurring in up to 83.9 percent of people
- Swelling in the are of the injection -- up to 25.4 percent
- Redness in the area of the injection -- up to 24.6 percent
- Fever -- up to 13 percent
- Nausea -- up to 6.7 percent
- Dizziness -- up to 4 percent
- Diarrhea -- up to 3.6 percent.
Other common side effects with the HPV vaccine that were reported in more than 1 percent of women include, but are not limited to:
- Vomiting
- Cough
- Toothache
- General ill feeling
- Joint pain
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Stuffy nose.
Rare HPV Vaccine Side Effects
There are other HPV vaccine side effects that can occur. These side effects happen in very few patients taking the HPV vaccine. For these side effects, it is difficult to tell whether the side effect is caused by the HPV vaccine or something else.
Some of these rare HPV vaccine side effects include, but are not limited to:
- Headaches
- Gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, usually involving vomiting or diarrhea
- Appendicitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the appendix
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is an infection or inflammation in the pelvic area that can lead to infertilty and other problems
- Asthma or bronchospasms (airway spasms).