2 Wisconson Sisters Claim HPV Vaccine Gardasil Led to Infertility

Two sisters from Wisconsin allege that a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) drug named Gardasil damaged their ovaries.

The sisters named Olivia Meylor and Madelyne Meylor, aged 19 and 20 respectively, have filed a federal claim against the drug.

Their lawyer Mark Krueger told the media that this complaint is one of its kind to make it to the  National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

The medicine manufacturers Merck and Co. deny any association between the medicine and the condition of the sisters, reports the Associated Press.

The vaccine injury program has awarded a sum of $5.9 million to 68 injury cases, according to the federal government. The program has 81 pending cases and 63 cases were dismissed by it.

The Centers for Disease Control and the FDA had approved the drug Gradsil for human papillomavirus in 2006 and Cervarix, a drug which combats cancer causing human papilovirus in 2009. These drugs were approved by the CDC and FDA after their safety was verified and these organizations also claim that the drugs helped in cutting 8,000 cancers in men and 18,000 cancers in women, which are caused by HPV every year.

The two sisters were given a dose of this HPV vaccine in their adolescence and they claim that they started experiencing the adverse effects of the medicine on their health after that.

Madelyne Meylor was given her first HPV vaccine dose at 13 and after that she started experiencing irregular periods. Her menstruation stopped after she got the third dose of this vaccine when she was 15 and she was detected with premature ovarian failure at the age of 16, which was accompanied by night sweats, sleeplessness and headaches.

"I've always wanted a huge family, but I don't know if that will be possible," Madelyne told the State Journal.

Olivia Meylor got the three doses of HPV vaccine before she attained maturity at age 15. She just got her second period the next month followed by premature ovarian failure, which was identified when she turned 16.

"People should look into the vaccine more and see if the benefits outweigh the risks," Olivia said.

The medics state that Madelyne has less than 5 percent chances of getting pregnant, whereas Olivia had no chance at all. Infertility treatments may help the sisters in attaining motherhood.

Physicians claim that three doses of this HPV vaccine help in fighting against the virus in girls and boys aged between 10 and 12, protecting them from throat and cervical cancers, as well as other ailments.

Over 22,000 bad reactions against these cervical cancer drugs have been reported nationally between June 2006 and March 2013.