Signs of HIV in women

Every person in the world has probably heard about such a terrible disease as HIV, but not everyone knows about its symptoms and consequences, and yet this knowledge can help save lives.

Retrovirus HIV in women is doubly dangerous, because HIV is transmitted not only from a woman to a man or woman, but also to a child.

The first signs of the disease

The first symptoms of HIV in women and men are similar. Further, after the disease progresses, the symptoms vary, but very often the patient does not show any symptoms at all, and HIV carriers live for several years, completely unaware of the disease.

Signs of HIV in women:

• elevated body temperature - mostly it does not exceed 38 degrees and lasts 2-3 days;
• general physical weakness - there is a short-term or long-term decline in strength;
• increase in the size of lymph nodes - it happens in most cases of infection;
• unpleasant sensations when swallowing;
• small red spots all over the body;
• diarrhea.

There is an opinion that HIV infection in women develops more slowly, but this fact is not scientifically confirmed and physicians attribute this to a more careful attitude of the female half of the population to their own organism and health.

HIV in women

Experts-scientists have collected a list of symptoms by which it is possible to trace how HIV manifests in women:

• chronic vaginal or oral thrush;
• frequent vaginal infections;
• vaginal infections that are difficult to treat;
• severe night sweating;
• chronic fever;
• presence of pelvic infections;
• increased painful menstruation;
• dysplasia of the cervix.

Also, HIV infection can manifest such symptoms in women as the presence of small ulcers, herpes or warts on the genitals, vaginal discharge of mucus, pain in the pelvic region. The manifestation of HIV in women is associated with frequent headaches, weight loss with the usual diet and the rhythm of life. There are signs of HIV infection in women with white spots in the oral cavity, bruises that easily appear and are difficult to descend, and a rash over the body. Increased irritation and general physical fatigue also relate to the main symptoms of this disease.

Pregnancy and HIV

Pregnancy of an HIV-infected woman should always be supervised by specialists, because during the period of gestation the infected person must constantly take antiviral drugs that reduce the risk of viral load, which several times reduces the chances of intrauterine infection of the child. A woman who has a child can infect him with the HIV virus not only during pregnancy from the bloodstream through the placenta, but also during labor.

Not all infants born to an infected mother become carriers of HIV infection. The risk of transmission of this virus to a child is one to seven. Signs of HIV in women are constantly accompanied by various diseases, so the course of pregnancy is often very difficult. When taking antiviral drugs, HIV in women is not so aggressive and it can give birth itself, without cesarean section. But if the therapy was not carried out in the proper volume, then the best option would still be surgery. The chances of a virus transmission to a child in both cases are equal.

After the birth of HIV, infection in women can pass to the baby through breast milk, which is why all HIV-positive mothers refuse from natural feeding. If a woman takes all the necessary precautions, the risk of infecting a newborn decreases tenfold.