HIV/AIDS
What are the symptoms of HIV/AIDS in women?
How can I reduce my chances of contracting the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS?
Is there
any treatment or a cure for HIV/AIDS?
What research and advances have investigators made
concerning HIV/AIDS and women?
If I’m pregnant and have HIV, will my baby have HIV
too?
Can HIV be transmitted through semen during oral
sex?
What does testing positive for HIV mean? What is
meant by the window period? How does a false positive relate to it?
We know
that gay men are at higher risk for HIV. What about lesbian women?
Also
See:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
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What are the
symptoms of HIV/AIDS in women?
Symptoms that could
serve as warning signals of HIV infection may go ignored because many
women do not perceive themselves at risk. Symptoms include recurrent yeast
infections (vaginal candidiasis), pelvic inflammatory disease, abnormal
changes or dysplasia (growth and presence of precancerous cells) in
cervical tissue, genital ulcers, genital warts, and severe mucosal herpes
infections may also accompany HIV infection in women.
It is possible for a
person infected with HIV to show no signs of infection. For women, the
most common symptoms of exposure to the HIV virus are frequent or severe
vaginal infections, abnormal PAP smears, or pelvic infections (PID) that
are difficult to treat.
Within a few weeks
of having been infected, many people have flu-like symptoms.
However, in some
cases, symptoms do not show for many years. As the infection progresses,
some symptoms can include 1) swollen lymph glands in the neck, underarm,
or groin area, 2) recurrent fever including "night sweats," 3) rapid
weight loss for no apparent reason, 4) constant tiredness, 5) diarrhea and
decreased appetite, 6) white spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth.
How can I reduce my
chances of contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus
that causes AIDS?
Since women
constitute the most rapidly growing segment of the HIV-infected population
in the United States, AIDS prevention is particularly important for
women’s health. HIV is transmitted through bodily secretions, like blood
and semen. Using injection drugs, having unprotected sex with someone who
has used injection drugs, having unprotected sex with a man who has had
sex with another man, and having multiple sex partners all increase the
chances of acquiring HIV. According to the FDA, the best way to protect
yourself against HIV is abstinence from sexual intercourse and illegal
drug use. If you have intercourse, be sure it is with one uninfected
partner or that you properly use barrier methods such as condoms and
dental dams.
Is there any treatment or a
cure for HIV/AIDS?
Currently, there is
no known cure for HIV/AIDS. The best treatment right now seems to be
prescription "cocktails," or combinations of prescription drugs. These
medications include those for antiviral treatment and other drugs, like
oral antifungals to combat yeast infections, which fight diseases that
take advantage of the weakened immune response of HIV-infected people. It
is also important for HIV-infected women and their physicians to watch for
pelvic inflammatory disease or other STDs through screening. Similarly,
cervical cancer may be more common and progress more quickly in infected
women; for this reason, women with HIV should have Pap Smears twice a year
to make sure cancer is detected and treated early.
What research
and advances have investigators made concerning HIV/AIDS and women?
Very few women with
HIV were included in early studies of the epidemic, but in 1994, women
accounted for 18% of adult participants in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Studies are
focusing on clinical signs of HIV infection in women and on the
relationships between pregnancy and HIV. Researchers are investigating
"female-controlled" methods of protection by developing creams or gels
that women would apply before intercourse to protect themselves from HIV
and other sexually transmitted diseases. There is no conclusive evidence
on the effectiveness of contraceptive films as a HIV-transmission
prevention tool.
If I’m
pregnant and have HIV, will my baby have HIV too?
Most babies born to
HIV-infected women escape the virus, but 1 in 4 do become infected before
or during birth or through breast-feeding, although no one is certain when
viral transmission occurs. Transmission may also be linked to the mother’s
health during the pregnancy or birth. There are more viruses during the
earliest stages of AIDS than later, for example. Currently, physicians may
prescribe drug Retrovir (AZT) for infected pregnant women to reduce rates
of transmission; effectiveness of this therapy increases the earlier HIV
is diagnosed during the course of infection or before or after pregnancy.
Can
HIV be transmitted through semen during oral sex?
Yes, it can. HIV can
be transmitted through the exchange of body fluids (e.g. blood, semen,
saliva, and vaginal secretions). HIV is transmittable through all forms of
sexual intercourse (oral, vaginal, and anal) when one or both partners are
infected with HIV. Oral sex without a latex condom places you at risk of
exposure to HIV. It should also be noted that pre-ejaculation fluid can
carry HIV and it can be absorbed into the thin mucous linings of the
mouth. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that during oral
sex, a latex condom should be used to decrease risk of exposure.
What does
testing positive for HIV mean? What is meant by the window period? How
does a false positive relate to it?
A window period is a
recommended waiting period to receive an accurate HIV test result.
Generally, it is a six-week to six-month period from the moment of your
last unsafe sex encounter to the moment that you receive a HIV screening.
This is the time your body uses to create antibodies in the blood stream,
which signify exposure to HIV. This process is known as seroconversion.
It is important when
receiving an HIV test to ask what kind of test is being used. Whenever
someone is screened for HIV, two types of tests are used. They are, 1) a
reactive test, and 2) a confirmatory test. A reactive HIV test indicates
if HIV antibodies are in the blood (such as the Elisa Test). A reactive
test may give a false positive reading to anyone with kidney or renal
failure, to a woman that has had multiple pregnancies, anyone receiving
the influenza vaccine, or to anyone that has received gamma globulin. When
a reactive test has a negative result, that means no HIV antibodies were
detected. But in order to receive an accurate reading, the CDC recommends
you wait a specific window period: six weeks to six months and either
abstain from all sexual activity, or practice safe sex in every sexual
situation, and then get a confirmatory test, such as the Western Blot
Test.
A confirmatory test
(such as the Western Blot) provides the HIV status of a person. A positive
test result on a confirmatory test means that the person has been infected
with HIV, has HIV antibodies in his or her blood, and can infect others.
Being HIV positive
does not mean that the person has acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS) or that it is 100% guaranteed that the person will get AIDS, though
research has shown that it is likely to happen.
We know that gay men are at
higher risk for HIV. What about lesbian women?
HIV is a virus
without any preference of sexual orientation, gender, race, or class. It
is important to remember that just because a couple is composed of two
women, neither party is immune to HIV.
HIV can be
transmitted when infected blood and/or vaginal secretions come into
contact with a woman's genitals, mouth or with open cuts anywhere on the
body. Hence, it is important that when making physical contact to cover
the hand with a latex glove. Nothing should be inserted directly in the
vagina or around the genital area or anus after it has been in a woman’s
vagina. This can spread vaginal infections and STDs.
Oral sex between
lesbians may still pose a threat for HIV transmission. A dental dam, a
split latex glove, or condom is recommended as safety precautions to be
used during lesbian sex in order to protect both parties.
from
The Office On Women's Health - US Department of Health and Human Services
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