The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, added Gardasil to its routine childhood vaccine schedule. It recommends that Gardasil, which is administered in three doses, be given to all girls ages 11 and 12, and even for girls as young as 9, with catch-up doses for girls and women ages 13–26 who haven’t been vaccinated.

“We know that the HPV types targeted by the new vaccine are linked to cervical cancers that tend to occur five years earlier than cervical cancers caused by other HPV types,” Dr. Gostout says. “So once adolescents are well vaccinated against HPV, we should have even more confidence in eliminating Pap tests in younger women.”

“We are now rolling out the vaccine, and clearly the first group that will experience broader protection is young women,” agrees the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Salganicoff. “The HPV vaccine is a really important step that young women can take in terms of protecting themselves against HPV and subsequent cervical cancer.”

Ideally, teens should have an HPV shot and see a gynecologist for counseling about STDs before they become sexually active, experts say. HPV vaccines don’t protect women who have already been infected with the virus.

“Ideally, women need to establish a relationship with a reproductive health provider before they become sexually active,” Dr. Wiesenfeld says.