You remember the commercials too, don’t you? The girl jumping rope and one in front of the camera proclaiming she wants to be “one less” so she is getting the Gardasil vaccine to protect from cervical cancer.

Gardasil is a vaccine that is targeted for girls (and now boys too) between the ages of 9-26 (and now up to 45). You know, right in the prime of puberty and babymaking season, surely that won’t screw up hormones.

What this vaccine is supposed to do, is to help prevent cancer of the cervix, vulva, and uterus – which happen to have pretty low rates already (1 in 40,000 for cervical cancer, the death rate being at 2.3/100,000 with an average age of 58). The irony is, it has actually been found to cause cancer!

The vaccine is manufactured by Merck which has a spotty record in manufacturing and has had several large lawsuits over the years, one including a vaccine. This is Merck’s third largest money maker at about 2.3 billion annually – yup, companies make money (and lots of it) from vaccines.

So, let’s talk about what you may be “one less” of if you get this vaccine.

One Less pregnancy. The paragraph 13.1 of the insert states that it has not been evaluated for whether it can cause impairment of fertility in males (which factor in for 40-50% of infertility cases).

More and more evidence is also showing that Gardasil can severely impact fertility by premature ovarian failure as well as increased risk of miscarriage (about 25% in trials). Polysorbate 80 and sodium borate are associated with infertility and both are present in the vaccine.

One less without cancers. Wait, I thought this was supposed to protect from cancer, yet it hasn’t been evaluated for that?!? Oh you pesky 13.1 (P.S. It also hasn’t been evaluated on whether it can mutate your genes).

One Less normal immune system. Many women experience conditions that are indicative of “systemic autoimmune disorders” following the shot.

One Less good memory. The aluminum (550 mg) used as a preservative has been associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

One less healthy person. Half (49.6%) of trial participants reported serious medical conditions within 7 months of participating in the trial. In fact, the insert states that women are more likely to suffer a severe issue following the shot than they are to get cervical cancer, by 100 times!

Well, there you have it. Consider wisely and do your research before you decide if you want yourself, or your child to be “one less”. If you’d like to read more about this, see the articles here and here.

To see more stories from real women who have been injured, check out the Gardasil Girls on Instagram.