Dr. Dimple Doshi (MBBS, MD, DGO)
Lady Gynecologist & Laparoscopic Surgeon
27+ years’ experience
20,000+ surgeries completed
Most parents have heard of the cervical cancer vaccine; far fewer have actually scheduled it. Do any of these sound familiar?
Do you keep meaning to vaccinate your daughter but aren’t sure of the right age — or worry she is “too young to need it”?
Are you confused by the different schedules — one dose, two doses, three doses — and by which brand to choose?
Did you miss the vaccine yourself and now wonder whether it is too late at 28, 35 or 40?
Do you feel awkward discussing an STI-linked vaccine for a school-age daughter?
Have you heard the government now gives it free — and want to know whether your daughter qualifies or should wait?
Are you unsure whether being vaccinated means you can skip Pap smears?
These concerns are common — and the stakes in India are unusually high. India records over 1,20,000 new cervical-cancer cases and nearly 80,000 deaths every year — about a quarter of all cervical-cancer deaths in the world — making it the second most common cancer among Indian women (PIB, Feb 2026; Gavi 2026). Almost all of these cancers trace back to a preventable virus.
The good news is that this is the one gynaecological cancer with a clear prevention path: vaccinate early, screen on schedule. The national programme now covers 14-year-old girls free of charge, clinic vaccination covers everyone else who is eligible, and Dr. Doshi has 150+ women and girls vaccinated against HPV at the clinic, usually in the course of an ordinary consultation.
The HPV vaccine — often called the cervical cancer vaccine — protects against the human papillomavirus types that cause most cervical cancers. Cervical cancer is one of the very few cancers that vaccination can largely prevent, which is why India launched a nationwide free HPV vaccination programme for 14-year-old girls in February 2026. At the clinic, vaccination is available for girls and women across the eligible age range, with the schedule matched to age.
HPV (human papillomavirus) is a very common sexually transmitted virus; persistent infection with high-risk types (especially 16 and 18) causes most cervical cancers and some other cancers and genital warts.
The vaccine works before exposure — which is why the ideal age is 9–14, years before sexual activity begins.
Vaccination does not replace screening — Pap smear/HPV testing continues as scheduled even after full vaccination.
Given in Goregaon West, Mumbai by Dr. Dimple Doshi at Vardaan Hospital as a simple outpatient injection, with age-appropriate counselling for daughters and parents together.
The HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for girls and women aged 9 to 26, with the strongest protection when given at 9–14, before any exposure to the virus. Between 27 and 45, vaccination can still help selected women — it protects against HPV types not yet acquired — and is taken as a shared decision with your gynaecologist rather than a blanket recommendation.
Ages 9–14 (ideal) — strongest immune response and full protection before exposure; discussed as part of adolescent gynaecology visits.
Ages 15–26 — routinely recommended for anyone not yet (or incompletely) vaccinated.
Ages 27–45 — possible benefit for women likely to have new exposure; decided individually after discussing exposure history.
Already sexually active? Still worth discussing — the vaccine protects against the sexually transmitted HPV types you have not yet met.
Boys and young men benefit from HPV vaccination too (warts, and HPV-related cancers in men); ask at consultation.
Deferred, not denied: vaccination waits until after pregnancy; severe allergy to a previous dose or a vaccine component is the main true contraindication.
Three classes of HPV vaccine exist, and India now manufactures its own. Bivalent vaccines cover HPV 16 and 18; quadrivalent vaccines add 6 and 11 (genital warts); nonavalent adds five more cancer-causing types. India’s Cervavac (Serum Institute) is a quadrivalent vaccine, and the national programme uses quadrivalent Gardasil-4.
Bivalent — HPV 16 and 18, the two types behind most cervical cancers.
Quadrivalent — HPV 6, 11, 16, 18; also prevents most genital warts (see vulval disorders). Includes Cervavac, India’s own vaccine, and Gardasil-4, used in the national campaign (PIB 2026).
Nonavalent (Gardasil-9) — adds types 31, 33, 45, 52, 58; the broadest protection, covering additional vulvar, vaginal, anal and head-and-neck cancer types.
Which one for you? Depends on age, availability and budget — discussed at consultation.
The number of HPV vaccine doses depends on age at the first dose. Under 15, two doses six months apart are standard; from 15 up, three doses over six months. The WHO now also accepts one- or two-dose schedules up to age 20, and India’s national programme gives a single dose at 14 — so the right schedule is chosen with your doctor, not copied from a chart.
Clinic schedule [clinic to confirm]: girls under 15 — 2 doses (0 and 6 months); age 15 and above — 3 doses (0, 2 and 6 months).
WHO position (Dec 2022): 1–2 doses for ages 9–20; 2 doses (0, 6 months) for 21+; immunocompromised or HIV-positive: at least 2, ideally 3 doses.
National programme (Feb 2026): a single dose of Gardasil-4 for girls aged 14, free at government facilities — with 93–100% effectiveness against the cancer-causing types cited in the campaign material (PIB 2026).
Missed a dose? The series is resumed, not restarted — bring your vaccination record.
HPV vaccine side effects are usually mild and settle within a day or two. The commonest is a sore arm. Teenagers occasionally faint after any injection, so vaccination is done seated or lying down with a 15-minute observation afterwards. Serious allergic reactions are rare, and the clinic is equipped to manage them.
Common: pain, redness or swelling at the injection site; mild fever; headache or tiredness; nausea; muscle or joint ache.
Adolescents: dizziness or fainting straight after injection — prevented by vaccinating seated/lying and observing for 15 minutes.
Rare: severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) — the reason vaccination happens in a clinic, not a pharmacy counter; a previous severe reaction to a dose or component means no further doses.
Not linked to infertility — extensive worldwide surveillance has found no such association; raise any specific safety question at consultation.
No — the HPV vaccine does not replace cervical screening. The vaccine prevents infection by the most dangerous HPV types, but not all of them, and it cannot treat an infection already acquired. Vaccinated women follow the same Pap smear/HPV-test schedule as everyone else; vaccination plus screening together is what actually eliminates cervical cancer.
Screening finds what the vaccine cannot prevent — see all about the Pap smear and what happens after an abnormal Pap smear.
Abnormal results are evaluated by colposcopy — magnified examination of the cervix — and treated early, long before cancer develops; see cervical cancer & CIN treatment.
One visit can do both — vaccination for a daughter and screening for her mother is a natural combined appointment.
India launched a nationwide free HPV vaccination campaign on 28 February 2026 — a single dose of quadrivalent Gardasil-4 for girls aged 14 (including those turning 15 within 90 days of launch), given at government health facilities. It is one of the world’s largest cervical-cancer prevention efforts, in the country that carries a quarter of the world’s deaths from this cancer.
Who it covers: girls aged 14 across all States and UTs (plus those turning 15 within 90 days of the launch) — free of charge (PIB 2026).
What it gives: one dose of Gardasil-4, with 93–100% effectiveness against the cancer-causing HPV types cited in the campaign material.
What it means for your family: a 14-year-old daughter can be vaccinated free at a government facility; younger and older daughters, and adult women, remain candidates for clinic vaccination on the schedules above.
Why it matters: vaccination at scale, plus screening, is the WHO’s route to eliminating cervical cancer — read more in our guide to cervical cancer: what you need to know.
HPV vaccine cost at the clinic ranges from about ₹4,000 to ₹11,000 per dose, depending on the brand — and the number of doses depends on age. Girls aged 14 can receive a single dose free at government facilities under the 2026 national programme. Figures below are indicative and confirmed at booking.
| Item | Indicative range (₹) |
| Consultation (vaccination + counselling visit) | from ₹1,000 |
| HPV vaccine, per dose (brand-dependent) | ₹4,000 – ₹11,000 |
| Typical course, under 15 (2 doses) | 2 × per-dose price |
| Typical course, 15+ (3 doses) | 3 × per-dose price |
| Government programme (girls aged 14, single dose) | Free |
Vaccines are outpatient items — mediclaim rarely covers them; some corporate policies and OPD riders do.
Dr. Dimple Doshi (MBBS, MD, DGO) is a gynaecologist and laparoscopic surgeon with 27+ years’ experience and 20,000+ surgeries performed, practising at Vardaan Hospital, Goregaon West, Mumbai — and vaccination here is part of a complete cervical-cancer prevention pathway, not a stand-alone jab.
150+ women and girls vaccinated against HPV at the clinic.
Vaccination + screening under one roof — Pap smear, HPV testing and colposcopy at the same practice, so an abnormal result is never left hanging.
Age-appropriate counselling — daughters and parents seen together; questions about schedules, brands and the government programme answered without rush.
Proper vaccine handling — cold-chain storage and 15-minute post-dose observation, with emergency management on site.
Ans. Anyone with a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or a vaccine component (including yeast for some brands) should not receive further doses. Vaccination is deferred during pregnancy — not because harm has been shown, but as standard precaution — and postponed during moderate or severe illness. Breastfeeding is not a contraindication.
Ans. Yes. Exposure to one HPV type does not mean exposure to all — the vaccine still protects against the types you have not acquired. The benefit is largest the earlier you are in your sexual life, which is why routine vaccination targets ages 9–26.
Ans. Yes, on the normal schedule. The vaccine does not cover every cancer-causing type and cannot clear an existing infection. Vaccination plus screening together is the protection — either alone leaves a gap.
Ans. Not necessarily. Between 27 and 45 the benefit is smaller — many women have met some HPV types already — so it becomes an individual decision based on your history and likelihood of new exposure, made with your gynaecologist. It is never a substitute for screening at this age.
Ans.HPV spreads through intimate skin-to-skin and sexual contact — vaginal, oral or anal. Condoms reduce but do not eliminate the risk, because the virus can infect skin the condom does not cover. That is precisely why vaccination before exposure is so effective.
Ans. Both are quadrivalent vaccines covering HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18. Cervavac is made by the Serum Institute of India; Gardasil-4 is the vaccine used in the 2026 national campaign; Gardasil-9 covers five additional types. Choice depends on availability, age and budget — ask at consultation. [clinic to confirm stocked brands]
Ans. WHO evidence reviews found one dose gives strong protection in young, healthy girls — which is what the national programme uses at 14. Two- and three-dose schedules remain standard for older ages and immunocompromised recipients, where more doses are needed for reliable protection.
Ans. The vaccine has been given hundreds of millions of times worldwide under continuous safety surveillance. Common effects are a sore arm and a day of feeling off-colour; no link with infertility has been found. Fainting straight after injection in teenagers is a needle response, not a vaccine reaction — hence the 15-minute observation.
Ans. Yes — HPV also causes genital warts and several cancers in men, and vaccinating boys reduces spread to future partners. Ask at consultation about schedules for sons.
Ans. Discuss it — 9–14 is the ideal window and earlier is immunologically better, but a free single dose at 14 is a genuine option for families for whom cost matters. What matters most is that she is vaccinated within the window, by one route or the other.
Ans. No. The vaccine is preventive only — it cannot clear an existing infection or treat an abnormal smear. Abnormal results are evaluated by colposcopy and treated on their own pathway; vaccination may still be discussed to protect against other types.
Ans. At Vardaan Hospital, by appointment with Dr. Dimple Doshi — as a single visit or combined with a routine gynaecology consultation or your own screening. Girls aged 14 can alternatively receive the free single dose at government facilities under the national programme.
