An article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet reports that women aged between 24 and 45 can be protected by the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, if they have not been already infected by the virus. The report is the work of Dr Nubia Muñoz, from the National Institute of Cancer, Bogotá, Colombia, and collaborators. Over the last thirty years, sexual behavior has changed. The age of the first marriage is rising, divorce rates are augmenting.