Gardasil is the brand name for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. There is a reason that three doses of the vaccine are given -- to insure that girls like your daughter are fully protected against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer and genital warts.

Skipping a recommended dose of vaccine will put her at risk for a preventable disease. For this reason, I would recommend that your daughter get her third dose, assuming she had no problems after her first two doses.

The vaccine is safe. HPV vaccine was (and continues to be) studied in thousands of females around the world. No serious side effects have been found that would change current recommendations. The most common side effect is soreness of the arm, which can happen after any shot. There also have been reports of some teens fainting after getting a shot. If this is a concern, your daughter should simply be observed in the doctor's office for 15 minutes after getting the vaccine.

This vaccine is licensed for girls and women aged 9 to 26 years. It is given earlier in life, hopefully before someone gets exposed to HPV. This is because HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. More than three-quarters of all sexually active people will become infected with HPV at some point in their lifetime.

The primary way someone gets HPV is through sexual activity. It can be spread from one person to another even with only one encounter. Many HPV infections have no symptoms and the person's immune system takes care of the infection. However, adolescents and young adults sometimes can develop genital warts. Other times, women can develop abnormal cells on their pap smear and pre-cancerous lesions that then can go on to become invasive cervical cancer.