Missed the HPV jab at school? Adults can still have it

Maybe you left school before boys were offered the jab, or you missed your doses, or a new partner has asked whether you've had it. Either way, it isn't too late. The HPV vaccine protects against nine types of HPV, including the two behind most genital warts and the main types linked to cervical, anal and throat cancers, and adults can have it at any age.

If you already know you want it, we give the three-dose course at our Harley Street clinic seven days a week, with no NHS referral needed. The first dose is £325 and the second and third are £225 each, so the full course comes to £775. Adult HPV vaccination at Medical Express Clinic is GP-led, and your details aren't shared with your NHS GP unless you ask.

One thing worth knowing up front: the vaccine protects you against types you haven't caught yet. It won't clear an infection you already have, which is exactly why a past positive result is no reason to rule it out.

What does the HPV vaccine protect against?

The vaccine we use is Gardasil 9, a prescription vaccine given as an injection into the arm. It targets HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. Types 6 and 11 are the low-risk types most often behind genital warts. Types 16 and 18, along with the other high-risk types on that list, are linked to cervical cancer and to HPV-related cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva and throat.

It's the same vaccine the NHS HPV vaccination programme uses. NHS.uk says the vaccine reduces your chances of getting HPV, some types are linked to certain cancers, and HPV can also cause genital warts.

Protection is type by type, and nine types aren't every HPV type there is. That's why NHS guidance says anyone eligible for cervical screening should still attend after vaccination. The two work together, whether your smear is with the NHS or a private smear test.

Is it worth having if I already have HPV?

Often, yes. A past positive result tells you which types were present. It isn't a cancer diagnosis. If you carry one of the nine types, the vaccine won't clear it, but it may still protect you against the others on the list. It's prevention, so it can't treat cancer or confirm that your cervix, anus or throat is clear today.

The same goes for genital warts. NHS pages describe them as small, rough lumps around the vagina, penis or anus, usually caused by low-risk HPV, commonly types 6 and 11. Vaccination can still make sense if you've had them, though the injection won't remove warts already there. For that, there's consultant wart removal: hyfrecation with Dr Naoum on Fridays, booked as its own appointment.

If what you want is a list of the types you carry now, that's an HPV swab, also a separate appointment. Our swab types 28 HPV subtypes individually, with reflex mRNA testing for types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, and results are usually ready in 2 to 3 working days. Bring any smear or swab result you already have to your vaccination visit, because it helps the doctor talk through what the vaccine can still do for you.

I missed the school programme. Am I still eligible on the NHS?

Possibly. The NHS offers HPV vaccination in school year 8, at age 12 to 13, to girls and boys. Boys were only added from September 2019. Catch-up is available for some young people under 25, who can ask a school vaccination team or their GP surgery, and for men who have sex with men aged 45 and under at a sexual health or HIV clinic. If you're in one of those groups, the NHS is the usual place to start.

Plenty of adults fall outside those groups, particularly men born before boys were included and people who left school before the programme existed. That's who our private course is for. HPV spreads through skin-to-skin sexual contact throughout adult life, so being older than the school cohort doesn't make the vaccine pointless. Older adults may already have met some types, so the benefit is smaller and varies from person to person, which is a good thing to talk through with the doctor.

How does the adult course work?

Three doses over six months. The second dose comes two months after the first, and the third six months after the first. The NHS school and catch-up programme has its own dose rules by age and immune status, so go by our schedule here rather than a school leaflet.

It helps to book your second and third doses when you start, so the course gets finished. Vaccination appointments run seven days a week: weekdays 10:00 to 17:30 and weekends 10:00 to 13:30. If you started the course with us and are due your next dose, or started it somewhere else, call 0207 499 1991 before you book and the team will check your schedule.

Vaccination here is GP-led. Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar, GMC 4694470, is a GP and the clinic's clinical lead, and the vaccine is given once a clinician is satisfied it's right for you. Medical Express Clinic has practised at 117a Harley Street since 1984 and is CQC-registered.

Before your first dose, and common side effects

If you have a high temperature or feel too unwell to do your usual things, NHS advice is to wait until you're better. If you've had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose or to an ingredient, you can't have the vaccine. If you're pregnant, the course is usually postponed until after the pregnancy. You can have it while breastfeeding.

Side effects are usually mild and short-lived. NHS.uk lists swelling or pain where the injection was given, a headache, a high temperature, dizziness, feeling sick and tiredness.

New, severe or worsening symptoms need a GP or urgent assessment rather than a vaccine appointment. If you're severely unwell, call 999 or go to A&E.

What to bring

• A record of any previous HPV vaccination, including the vaccine name if it wasn't Gardasil 9.
• A list of your current medicines and any serious allergies.
• Any smear or HPV swab result you already have.

Related guides: genital warts treatment choices and STI window periods and when to test.