The FDA and CDC recommend routine vaccination for both males and females 11-12 years of age, and this age can be adjusted by state law to as early as 9 years of age. If not yet vaccinated at age 12, they can be vaccinated at ages 13-26. Those who are 11-12 years old and not sexually active will have the best immunization results after vaccination. A woman’s previous history of CIN, VIN or genital warts does not affect vaccination. The antibody response following vaccination is strongest in those vaccinated at age 9 and lasts up to 15 years.
In the United States, the FDA has not approved HPV vaccination for women older than 26 years of age, but vaccination is feasible for individual patients (off label), and these women still benefit slightly from vaccination.
In Hong Kong, the upper age limit for vaccination can be up to 45 years old.
The older the age, the lower the concentration of antibody titers after HPV vaccination, which can be twice as high after vaccination at ages 9-15 compared to those aged 16-26, which is an important reason why vaccination is not strongly recommended for those aged 26 and older.
HPV vaccination is not effective at ages younger than 9 years because the immune system is not yet fully established, and therefore HPV vaccination is not recommended for people <9 years of age.
Most importantly, there is no treatment for previous HPV infections after vaccination, and there are limitations to the types of HPV vaccine that can be prevented.